Old Tech Is Cool

The more I fish up on Rainy Mountain with both old tech and new tech rods, the more I wonder how the rod designers have gotten so far off track in the last twenty years. That is, with what works in small stream environments. Could it be they were making changes with design and materials for the sake of change...thinking they had to offer something new to fly fishers? I mean, the old tech rods that I enjoy fishing in home waters absolutely blow away my high tech rods in every way.

Take for example, the Sage DS 476 fly rod. It was a rod series for Sage back in the 1980's. It has the action and casting qualities that are perfect for small streams. When I fish this rod, I ask myself, "what more do you need?" It's that good on my home waters.

Or, the Winston IM6 376 fly rod. It has the taper and action that seems to be made just for my little Rios. The rod is so smooth, I'm not even conscious of the rod when fishing it. I'm just working the stream and watching the fly land land exactly where I am looking. Who is casting the rod? Oh yeah, that was me.

Forget about the labels, the marketing, and the status symbols with today's fly fishing industry...it's all flash and overpriced too. Pick up an old classic rod. Rig it up. Walk through a meadow with the grasshoppers buzzing all around you. Look for that fishy spot as you approach the stream. Remove the fly from the keeper. And, give it a zing just upstream from that trout's nose. Wait for the splash. Now gently lift the rod for the set. Yeah, that's what it's all about!

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