Tuesday, January 2, 2018

Lure Building

     After Allan and my last trip to Manitoba I realized that after better than forty hours on the water we'd only used one type of lure, an in-line spinner. And of those a red and white blade was the most successful. We caught nothing but pike and walleyes but what the hell, that's all that swam in the water of Elbow Lake. So why not next time only pack a dozen red and whites each plus snap swivels and backup line? Sounds foolish to show up at the float plane with all our lures in a hip pocket but I sure do like the idea.
     So, yesterday I ordered enough parts to tie up and assemble thirty spinners between pike and musky sized. All will have red and white blades with trebles heavily dressed in red and white or yellow and white buck tail. That's it, keepin' it simple.

Monday, January 1, 2018

What's the Point?

     Call me an ebay, voyeur junkie. Can't help it, I just like to look. Mostly my personal porn consists of vintage fiberglass fly rods. Admittedly bamboo has more mystique to it but not for me. Besides the price for a decent rod being out of my league, I simply can't see myself in the solo canoe waving a fancy asian, grass stick back and forth. Don't know why but I just can't.
     Fiberglass however, would be in my price range if I had a price range. Also carries the weight of nostalgia since I grew up on glass, both spinning and fly rods. Its action tends to be slow and forgiving and Lord knows I need forgiveness. A couple of years back I broke down and bought a couple on ebay. Both were of quality though neither was off-the-wall exotic. And I do love things and people with an aura about them. So, over the years when I need a fix, I fire up ebay, scout what's available and occasionally find a rod that calls to me. Most are from the '50s and tend to look like they were rarely used. Untouched is neat but a little palm sweat on the cork has more appeal.
     A couple of years ago I wrote a coming-of-age novel. In it my fictitious Uncle Emil owns a single fly rod, a three piece, eight and a half foot Shakespeare. Not a great rod by any means but it fit the man. Wouldn't mind owning one myself. Don't need the sock nor the tube, just the rod.
     To name a few of the others, Conolon's Royal Javelin, Browning rods from the '60s and most any Phillipson. However, the Phillipsons tend to be pricy and those selling them know it.
     Last summer, while he and his family were vacationing on the north shore of Lake Superior, my son came on a couple of fiberglass fly rods at a consignment store. One was a South Bend of no interest, the other was a Johnson Profile 600 Phillipson in excellent shape. The Phillipson is for all practical purposes, as good a production fiberglass rod as has been made. Doesn't have the gold plating of the 800 but shares the same blank. The price was reasonable but since I had no use for another rod, particularly one I wasn't worthy of, our conversation went no further.
     Well, come Christmas, guess what I got? The rod needs a revarnish of the ferrule windings but that's about it. Still has part of the tag on the handle but the cork is slightly soiled. Yeah, it's a rod I would have lusted on line, said to myself, "That'd be a fine one to own," then passed on to other listings.
     So, now I own one of my icons. Hardly seems worth looking at ebay any more and truth is, I don't. Guess there's no point, eh?