Yuku free message boards

Hi Swalker
Well much like you I started out on something other than fly fishing. In my youth, I think 1951 I attended my first fishing contest, on a pier on the coast of California. Place was Belmont Pier within the Harbor of Long Beach, Los Angeles. I still have the ribbons from that contest and the next 6 in a row. We were basically just beyond the casting range of Surf Fishermen.
However heres the big difference. In 1951 We had a fishery. We had a brand new StarKist Cannery, the engineer next door designed it, the womans prison on Terminal Island as well the big Cruise ship terminal in Long Beach/Los Angeles harbor.
We had 6 schools of native fishes, anchoves, smelt, sardines and three kinds of shrimp and squid. I mean local populations, just outside the harbor and when the tuna etc would come north they would run into the harbor giving us on the piers a fantastic fishery.
I was not unusual to catch 4ft log baracuda, yellow tailed tuna and Albacore from the pier, really huge halabut and Bass too. The fishing Derbies were won with monster fish.
Alas long gone and deseased by many decades.
But it does bring a point that your opened. I started with conventional saltwater tackle. My father was forever trying to get me to fly fish with him. Alas he was an old school pre depression fly fisherman, located to the west coast. To him a fish was either a Salmon, Steelhead or Large Mouth Bass. Anything less was junk fish. So his bamboo fly rods were and are 7-8s long heavy and cumberson. I kept quite a few, just becuase they were his and because they can still cast with modern plastic lines, about 25 for silk lines went fast all heavy long rods.
Moving on to more modern times, my father retired in 1974, and again tried valiantly to convert me to fly fishing. We had bought our weekend summer home up here on the Kern River and now he could influence me on the merits of fly fishing vs spin fishing which is what I was doing at the time.
My first fly rods were some really good ones he bought me, I still have them too. By the time he was buying me tackle it was all or pretty much so early Orvis Graphite. The fishery here was and is Bass, Trout and panfish. with his liking of Bass most of my early rods are bass rods. Moving on a few years, and my fathers passing.
So now Im in prime trout country, mostly the best fishing at the time is up river especially the golden trout wilderness. What to do. Early on they have restricted it to fly fishing, artifical flys only barbless hooks and can you believe catch and release only. Whats a guy to do for breakfast anyway?
So I buy myself an early Orvis 2wt graphite and off we go. Guess what I liked it. Damnation, now whats a guy with tons of spin fishing gear to do.
Over the years Ive found that living here 5-6-7 wt rods fit almost all my requirements based on fast currents, high winds and the fishery. I still love Winter, no winds, no pressure and low flows and small pocket water and sight fish them with my light lines exclusively. Fact is I havent picked up or worked a spinning rod sense I retired 9 years ago. I still have them, wife is a spin fisherperson, but Im just having to much fun with my fly rods.
For me here a fly rod can do it all, and Ive been having fun with alot of the very best glass rods.
To you Swalker, welcome, I think you will find Glass is not a phase, more a quest for the perfect rod for you. I think you had a taste with your first Phillipson. My friend there are alot more out there to open your eyes to glass, both classic and some expensive and modern made, slow and full flexing is not bad, the feel of a small fish fighting for his life, catch and release, the feeling of catching a fish in a private spot on a rod you made, a fly you made, not quite like spin fishing.
Richard