Who Fishes Wood?

[hankaye]

Howdy All;

Tom S. & Ray, regarding your conversation about twists and how they help, or not.
For many years I drove over-the-road. My favorite trailer was a flat bed. Have you ever passed or been passed by one and you heard a fluba-fluba sound? Done at a much higher frequency then reading speed of course. Well
believe it or not, those sounds come from the straps that are holding the objects to the trailer bed. Sometimes you hear it other times you don't. The times you don't the driver was tired of that sound chasing him/her along the high-ways and by-ways for hours on end. So, they mad sure there was a single twist on each side. Result, NO fluba-fluba
sound. I have zero idea as to the why, just know it works from personal experience.

hank

Bet ya'll be checking the straps on flatbeds now... ,

[Oenophileangler]

Ray

Thanks for the nice compliment about my fly tying. This OLD guy (77) appreciates it!

If I recall, I decided to take up fly fishing around thev 1998 / 1999 time frame. I started out with a couple Orvis graaphite rods / reels (and 3 or 4 more Orvis / Hardy graphite rods over the years) but then got interested in bamboo rods. I found a guy in France (Richard Jefferies) who had quite a few Partridge-of-Redditch bamboo blanks available and over the years, I probably bought (maybe 10 - 12) blanks from him and started assembling the rods.

Shortly before Partridge sold the company to Mustad, I bought another half dozen blanks from Partridge and then assembled them also. Over the years, I probably assembled and fished maybe 20 rods made with Partridge blanks. I think I only have 2 of those rods left, having given away the rest to several of my fly fishing buddies. Down now to 1 Orvis and 1 Sage graphite rod now.

In addition, a friend (and a great bamboo rod builder) made me 3 sets of impregnated blanks (in Granger, Payne and Dickerson tapers), which I then assembled. A couple years ago, I bought 4 impregnated blanks (2 - 7' - 4 wgts; 1 - 7 1/2' - 4 wgt; and an 8'- 5 wgt) from a fellow in Wisconsin who bought the remaining stock of blanks from a subsiderary of Mathews Archery (called Justin Charles)....again which I assembled.

Also have a couple "finished cane rod" that i've purchased - for the heck of it !

Concerning reels, I have tended to buy and fish only Orvis and Hardy reels and spools that were "Made-in-England", although I do have 1 Orvis and 1 Hardy reel that was not made in the UK.

Although I'm of Slavic descent, I've become very partial to Uk products ever since I purchased a MGB in 1968 (still have it) and have become hooked on Barbour waistcoats, jackets, etc. - AND the old North Country Spiders and Soft Hackles !

Guess that pretty much describes my fly fishing history. Hope I haven't bored you !

Cheers

Bob

Not boring at all!

Bob, if my math is correct, you started relatively late in life with Fly Fishing, ~ 53 or 54. I'm impressed that you've done so much. I was 38 when I started in 1996, which I thought was late in life. I know some in this forum likely were using a hair stacker as a pacifier when they were young ones. Unfortunately, work and family life limited my time with my passion, but retirement has allowed me to spend more time at this craft. Keep it up!

Dale

[Mike62]

Howdy All;

Tom S. & Ray, regarding your conversation about twists and how they help, or not.
For many years I drove over-the-road. My favorite trailer was a flat bed. Have you ever passed or been passed by one and you heard a fluba-fluba sound? Done at a much higher frequency then reading speed of course. Well
believe it or not, those sounds come from the straps that are holding the objects to the trailer bed. Sometimes you hear it other times you don't. The times you don't the driver was tired of that sound chasing him/her along the high-ways and by-ways for hours on end. So, they mad sure there was a single twist on each side. Result, NO fluba-fluba
sound. I have zero idea as to the why, just know it works from personal experience.

hank

Bet ya'll be checking the straps on flatbeds now... ,

What was your least favorite? I made the mistake of taking a hanging beef load down to Massachusetts, just once; I was like, 22 years old. I was so terrified, I never drove swinging anything again; everything after that was a lowboy and heavy equipment.

[hankaye]

Mike62,Howdy;

Least favorite, was hands down the Tankers. Ours were smooth bore as we weren't allowed baffles (HazMat).
Ya go up a hill it wants to drag it feet. Goin' down hill it wants to race ya to the bottom. Make a turn and the
liquid wants to go sightseein' to the outboard side. Come to a stop on wet or slick road surface and each time
the liquid runs to the front it pushes the whole rig forward some.
Give me a cargo I can strap/chain down and I know it's not goin' anywhere on it's own and hank be a happy driver.


hank

[dj1212]

A portrait of Hiram Leonard circa 1905. A handwritten caption on the back reads, "H. L. Leonard - The rod maker.
Photo taken by Edwards Photo Studio. Yes, one of his apprentices.