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First Love Fly Rod
Post 01 Apr 2022, 11:10 • #1 
Guide
Joined: 03/02/14
Posts: 144
Location: US-peripatetic

What was the first fly rod that you “loved?”
When I first started fly fishing (I was 13 or so), I had to borrow someone else’s rod, usually a metal telescopic or eagle claw. I finally found a Garcia Conolon, which I got with money I earned. I remember giving the cashier $20, and got change back! It was a huge step up though.
On a side note, anyone know anything about the manufacture/building date etc. of my model? I think I got it around 1983-ish.


Last edited by oldriverman on 02 Apr 2022, 10:06, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: First Love Fly Rod
Post 01 Apr 2022, 11:35 • #2 
Guide
Joined: 01/31/18
Posts: 221
Location: Holly Springs, NC
Guess it would be my first fly rod. A Fenwick FL 102-7 that my dad made for me. I've had it over 40 years now and it's still in great shape. I try to take it out at once a year. Throws a nice line, but gets a little heavy now.


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Re: First Love Fly Rod
Post 01 Apr 2022, 13:21 • #3 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/21/06
Posts: 3081
Location: Orygun
My Steffen 8' 5/6wt...pure magic in my hands. When I go trout fishing, I have a tough time fishing anything else, except for when I fish euro-style, which isn't often.


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Re: First Love Fly Rod
Post 01 Apr 2022, 14:13 • #4 
Guide
Joined: 07/07/19
Posts: 221
Location: US-WI
Fenwick FF75-4. It was the first glass rod I tried as an adult. An “Aha!” experience.
First fly rod I ever fished, as a very young boy, was an old beater glass True Temper of my grandfather’s.
Then I spent 30 years running through the boo and graphite circuit until one day casting an FF75-4. Since then, for last 15 years or so, all my 6-weight-and-under rod purchases have been glass…


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Re: First Love Fly Rod
Post 01 Apr 2022, 14:15 • #5 
Master Guide
Joined: 05/01/10
Posts: 364
Location: Pleasant Plains, Il
Had to be a Studio Thinline 7'4" model, second to that a tie between my Barclay Brown Progressive 7'2" 3wgt and a Kenney 733!

Jb


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Re: First Love Fly Rod
Post 01 Apr 2022, 14:43 • #6 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/09/05
Posts: 2524
Location: US-CO
I technically started "fly fishing" in 1967 using my Shakespeare spinning rod with a Pflueger 1494 and a 7 wt line. But my first real fly rod was a Fenwick FF-79, 8 ft 6 wt that I bought in high school with money from my paper route. In college, I lost it off the back of my motorcycle and replaced it with a Fenwick FF-70. Still love both of those rods.


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Re: First Love Fly Rod
Post 01 Apr 2022, 14:51 • #7 
Master Guide
Joined: 07/21/21
Posts: 447
Location: Florida
Old Eagle Claw Sweetheart … Don’t judge!


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Re: First Love Fly Rod
Post 01 Apr 2022, 15:00 • #8 
Master Guide
Joined: 03/20/07
Posts: 849
Location: US-TX
Lee Wulff 2070
6ft 1-piece built by Andy Manchester


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Re: First Love Fly Rod
Post 01 Apr 2022, 15:14 • #9 
Guide
Joined: 02/26/15
Posts: 219
Location: US-north ga.
Not my first but it was a Fenwick fl72-6,that my friend built for me in 1969.Its life ended in a spectacular trail bike wreck in tellico plains. I terrorized the trout for several years with that
wonderful little fly rod.
I replaced it with a ff-70 and that's still my favorite small stream trout rod.


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Re: First Love Fly Rod
Post 01 Apr 2022, 15:37 • #10 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 04/20/07
Posts: 8920
Location: US-ME
A Montague hollow-glass that I bought with lawn-mowing money in the early 1960s. I still use its identical replacement quite often, and rarely since this trip to Jackson Hole has there been a year when I didn't use it.

The more or less standard blue-collar 'glass 8' rod for line C or B (to use the system of the era) works as well as ever.
Nowadays I use it most frequently sitting under a low bridge, easily roll casting 30', sidearming 40 to 50, and stepping into the sunlight for half-way across (about 60') easy casts, the back cast being limited. I'm using the same rod model, an 8' Montague Hollow-glass, that I have used more than any other for this purpose, usually with just a level line, a 7 or 8 weight.

I never saw the need to improve on this rod, except to replace the original guides after I wore them out, then replace the next set when they wore out and improve the spacing. When it was stolen, by the miracle of this group, I got an identical as-new model, refit guides spaced to my liking, and still use it.

Image


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Re: First Love Fly Rod
Post 01 Apr 2022, 16:08 • #11 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/11/06
Posts: 2516
Location: Nature Coast Florida
A Blue Garcia with a red Sears (Bronson) reel.

Rod was probably 8 1/2', but can't remember, and must have been a pretty sweet rod because someone else decided they needed it more than I did.

I do remember it worked great for chasing bass and gills in a local farm pond.

Barry


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Re: First Love Fly Rod
Post 01 Apr 2022, 18:40 • #12 
Sport
Joined: 12/18/15
Posts: 95
Location: Annapolis, MD
An FF70 that I built from a one-piece blank in 1969 while a sophomore in high school. Many years later I "loaned" it to the young son of a neighbor, he carried it around the country for several decades and handed it back to me a few years ago. It's in dire need of a rebuild.


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Re: First Love Fly Rod
Post 01 Apr 2022, 19:03 • #13 
Piscator
Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19078
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
Powell Silver Creek IM6, 8'10" 4/5 wt.
Had a Fullflex A Green Mountain combo before that - handed it down to my nephew when I acquired my Fisher Combo.
After awhile, I missed the glass rod and began searching.


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Re: First Love Fly Rod
Post 01 Apr 2022, 21:59 • #14 
Guide
Joined: 03/02/14
Posts: 144
Location: US-peripatetic
Thanks for all the responses!
I'll mention also that later, my father loaned me his ff75-4 (I forget the exact nomenclature) for 5/6 weight, but I actually preferred the Conolon! I think the Conolon was a little faster (plus it was a 6/7).
Glad to see other Garcia's out there!


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Re: First Love Fly Rod
Post 01 Apr 2022, 22:25 • #15 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 01/26/07
Posts: 1385
Location: Ada, Oklahoma
I started flyfishing in about 1988 or 1989, so my first rods were graphite. I enjoyed those rods, but didn't really develop a lust for a rod until I got my 8' 3 piece 4 weight Winston WT. Went through a lot of rods since then and haven't fished the Winston since I picked up my first glass rods in 2007. Have had several love interests since then, but being somewhat fickle, I have gone through separations and moved on to newer loves. My favorites over time have been Diamondglass 8' 4 weight, Steffen 8' 3/4 weight, CTS 7'6" 3 weight, and most recently a 7' 3 weight ********* and an 8' 4 piece 5 weight Tom Morgan by Graywolf. I still have around 30 rods. Occasionally I pick up one I haven't fished in a long time and my love affair is rekindled. Like I said, I'm fickle.

Larry


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Re: First Love Fly Rod
Post 01 Apr 2022, 23:33 • #16 
Guide
Joined: 03/02/14
Posts: 144
Location: US-peripatetic
Guadalupe Bass;
I assume that was built on a Conolon blank?


Last edited by oldriverman on 02 Apr 2022, 10:07, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: First Love Fly Rod
Post 02 Apr 2022, 09:11 • #17 
Guide
Joined: 02/27/12
Posts: 233
Location: US-AR
The first glass rod that fit like a glove was the CBarclay 8-6. I picked it up at the start of the pandemic, and had been saving my money for well over 12 months to get a new rod. Of course at the time I had my heart set on Chris Barclay's more popular models the 72, 79, 82. I had a phone conversation with Chris about the environments I fish and he suggested 8' 6wt. I remember thinking to follow Chris's advice, and ignore the more popular trout rods and order the 6wt. For the weeks that followed, I would receive many photos and updates on the rods progress from Chris and the process seemed unique and exciting. This was my first truly custom fly rod purchase. Once I had the rod in hand and gave it the first cast I knew it was special and fit my casting style. The next day I got to fish the rod and had a fantastic day. One of those days were fish we're more than willing to accept what ever bug was tied on. I spent a whole summer fishing that rod, and it became my go to rod for just about anything and everything, with the exclusion of salt.

I have to say thanks to Chris for leading me in the right direction when purchasing that rod. It is the one I reach for just about all of the time. It is imbued with special powers from Chris's forge, and has a natural deep loading casting cadence with tons of feel. When it is connected to the fish it almost seems like a natural link from the soul of the angler to the fish. Lol, I know it sounds sappy.


Last edited by magicmike on 02 Apr 2022, 10:10, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: First Love Fly Rod
Post 02 Apr 2022, 09:12 • #18 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 04/20/07
Posts: 8920
Location: US-ME
Magicmike, save that post, maybe print it out and stash it with the rod tube. Decades from now, when you dance with the one that brung ya, it will be fun to know why that rod was and still is so special to you.


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Re: First Love Fly Rod
Post 02 Apr 2022, 09:31 • #19 
Master Guide
Joined: 03/20/07
Posts: 849
Location: US-TX
Oldriverman:
There is a better thread on these out there that I can’t find at the moment.




See this thread…. unfortunately the photos did not survive but some of the info is there.

Someone else may be able to find a better thread where Andy describes the provenance of these blanks.

viewtopic.php?f=8&t=40567


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Re: First Love Fly Rod
Post 02 Apr 2022, 09:34 • #20 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 08/14/06
Posts: 1227
Location: Panther City, Texas
Steffen 8' 5/6. I knew on the first cast that fly fishing was going to be a lot more fun.


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Re: First Love Fly Rod
Post 02 Apr 2022, 09:54 • #21 
Guide
Joined: 05/22/16
Posts: 159
Location: US-Eastern KY
Mine was a Heddon Golden Mark 50 Pro Weight, 7-foot, 5 weight. As seems to be common in this thread, I bought it with lawn mowing money back in '68 or '69 before I had a driver's license. I still have the rod, now on its third handle iteration and single foot guides. I don't use it much anymore because of a possible crack in the butt section and minor addiction to vintage Fenwick and the newer Fenglass rods. I still remember the time I took a fat 12" smallmouth on a dead drifted #12 Professor wet fly. What a sweet rod.


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Re: First Love Fly Rod
Post 02 Apr 2022, 13:41 • #22 
Guide
Joined: 05/04/14
Posts: 118
Location: US-WA

My first fiberglass rod was a Cabelas CGR. I had both the 2 and 4 wt which I liked a lot, but then I got the Fenglass 3 wt and that’s a rod I really love. To me it was like when Harry Potter got his wand ( "The wand chooses the wizard, Mr. Potter”). I’m not giving this one up and you can’t have it unless you pry it from my cold lifeless hands when I’m dead.


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Re: First Love Fly Rod
Post 06 Apr 2022, 09:40 • #23 
Guide
Joined: 03/02/14
Posts: 144
Location: US-peripatetic
Thanks again, eveyone, for your replies.
Sorry Cyguy;
Didn't mean to grumble about eagle claw (or anyone else's "first love" brand, really). The one I could borrow was a 7 1/2' spin/fly combo. I personally would've chosen one of the metal telescopic rods over it, as I could cast better with it.
Guadalupe Bass, thanks for the link on those Wulff rods.
I'd also like to share a thread on the Conolon's;
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=5537
In this, flyfishing4goldentrout says, "the internal fiberglass spigoted models from 1976 (N547) 7 1/2ft five piece 6-7 lines, this is really a cherry." I don't know if mine was made in 1976, but this was my "first love" rod.


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Re: First Love Fly Rod
Post 09 Apr 2022, 03:33 • #24 
Guide
Joined: 03/14/19
Posts: 102
Location: Scotland
I would say it’s all relative to budget. I had any number of fly rods as a youngster all firmly in the cheap end of the market. I tried to trade, swap and improve rods constantly but can really only remember what the limitations were of each! I definitely suffered from fly rod envy and often felt embarrassed about my gear. Years later I got my first Hardy rod a basic graphite one that was and is lovely but was not all I thought it would be after all those years.
A few years back I got into vintage rods and in particular glass. I have now found true ‘love’, in rods on a hollow glass Fibatube blank. The ones I have were not finished by Hardy, though I will get one sometime ! My favourites are 1960-1970 era rods on the old brown Fibatube blanks which I have at 8, 8.5, 9 foot 6 wt and 7 wt . Effortless casting , delicate and sensitive to handle, traditional styled, reliable and affordable.


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Re: First Love Fly Rod
Post 09 Apr 2022, 08:19 • #25 
New Member
Joined: 03/24/13
Posts: 16
Location: US-GA
Going way back, I used and had fun with old 9 foot fiberglass and cane fly rods that were passed down to me. But these were a bit heavy (and tip heavy). The first rod I really liked the feel of was an 8 1/2 foot rod I made from an early Fisher-Kennedy graphic blank (still have it). The first fiberglass fly rod I really liked was a Fenwick 807 (got it from a board member and still have it). I haven't tried many Fenwick rods, but if the FF 807 is typical they these certainly are nice smooth casting rods.


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