While I certainly had a hand in the work, the real credit needs for G-series rod design has to go to Harry Wilson who, until his stroke in 1987, was the company's driving force. Other people were involved, of course, including guys who worked with us, people who showed up at the Golden Gate Park casting ponds in San Francisco when we were test-casting rods, shop owners who had particular requests, like Harry Murray of Edinburg VA who pushed for long graphite bass rods (we already had a line of glass bass rods). The G907B, which was the first of the graphite bass rods, introduced in 1981, was indeed based on the butt section of a G906 with a heavier #7 line tip. The stronger, straight taper tip, mounted with relatively heavy Fuji single foot guides, slowed down the rod to deliver slow moving hair bugs with authority and accuracy. Later models changed back to snake guides and I'm guessing it was as much for cosmetic reasons as anything else since those Fujis were so ugly. On the multi-piece front, Harry had a pretty good reputation for multi-piece fiberglass rods by the time we incorporated in 1974, our long 2-pc. 9 foot #4 and #6 line graphtes were taking off, so it was natural for us to work on multi-piece designs in graphite. My recollection is that our first multi-piece graphites, which included the 6'10" G706/3 and the 9 ft. G906/4, were introduced in 1980, but I don't have a brochure from that year to be certain I'm right. By 1981, we'd expanded the multipiece graphite line to include models G704/3, G705/3, G754/3, G755/3 (both at 7'7"), G905/4 and G907/4. We were having trouble keeping up with orders but were having a lot of fun working out new models and, because we'd been successful with our 5-piece fiberglass rods (the first in that configuration I believe), figured we could do something in 5-pc in graphite. The result was the G845/5, introduced in 1983. 5-pc. models in that 8'4" length for #6, and later #4 lines followed. I'm still not able to decide whether I prefer the G905/4 or the G845/5 as an all around Western trout rod.
I have, by the way, finished design and prototype work on fly rods of my own. All 3-pc fiberglass in lengths and line weights that I think hit some sweet spots for glass: 7'3" #3, 7'9" #4 and 8'3" #5. To keep the project enjoyable and leave me time for fishing and writing this is going to be a real small-time project ... maybe 20 rods a year. If you're interested, email me at ***email address removed*** and I'll send you details. Larry Kenney
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