All the best in your new venture. Enjoyed the read as well.

I am a fan of the hmg series are they slower? and good luck........Aurelio

I'm a fan of the 9ft #4 format. Got the G. Loomis 490-4 IMX (my favourite), Sage 490-4 LL, Sage 490-4 Z-Axis (a #4.5) and now the MBR 904L. Also had a mint Sage 490-4 RPL for a long time but sold it as I think it's more of a #5 rod (too strong a action for me).

Love the finish. Hope to fish it on the Henry's Fork with the brothers soon. Only the 3 piece is giving me a bit of a head ache as it doesn't fit in my luggage...

Gents, thanks for the kind words. It is appreciated. Grouse, glad you enjoyed reading that stuff.

Cy, I think Paul would be pretty proud .

Tim, thanks for the kind works. That means a lot coming from one of the best bamboo rod builders I have meet. You are very kind.

Aurelio, I think it might depend on the model of HMG you might be referencing. They made a 6’4” 4 weight that was a neat little rod with a softer butt. But generally speaking, I would say that our 904 is softer than the HMGs that I have seen. The L is much softer than our regular 904.

Jay, I know the 3 piece gets in your crawl a bit, but we did not want to compromise the action for another ferrule. When we first started, we were going with a 2 piece but we thought well if we were going to try to sell a few, who the heck would want a 2 piece rod. We went with the 3 piece, and it was a challenge with that extra ferrule especially since they are softer rods. We did some special things to get a smooth transition around the ferrule areas, but it added about 25% to the cost of the blank. But I don’t think your should have any trouble with carrying on a 3 piece rod. I would suggest never packing it in your luggage as the insurance reimbursements from the airlines is pretty low if it’s stolen or lost by them. Doug carried on 12 rods when he went to the Bahamas this year. I thought it was excessive, but that’s Doug. I have no issues either in my travels.

Bob, you are too gracious, and we have appreciated your help in the process. We could have not done it without you.

Thanks Mark. At this point, we are not planning on doing any rods shorter than 9 feet. We are only planning on adding the 9 foot 3 and 5 weights to the lineup. We also want to an 8 weight.

Cy, I only have one crappy photo of the grip of my first PB on my phone. Although hard to tell but it has varnished reel seat. Paul liked this style of grip and seat combo. The island park boys called this the Paul Brown style of grip . I will add some more and better photos to the Fenwick info needed thread above this weekend when I get some more time.

Aurelio, if you will end up in Northern Colorado before Bozeman send me a note and we can go out and cast and/or fish my MBR 904L. Best, Bob

I received a 904L from MBR this fall, just a lovely rod to cast and fish with, it's all business with no fluff but actually a real beauty in hand and on the water. To me it's what graphite rods should be. Dan and Doug are a pleasure to do business with too.

Jay, looks like a very well built awesome travel bag - use it well Sir!

I'm also really curious about the regular 904. John Juracek seems to prefer this above the 904L

Thanks John. Having a great rod but not able to take it along to, say the HF for what the rod was made for (?), just feels stupid. I have several two piece bamboo and fiberglass (like the Winston Stalker) rods and they will never (...) come with me when I travel by air. That makes me sad if I think about it...

It sure gives me comfort I don't have to worry whether the rod(s) I want to bring along doesn't get crushed while the airliners are handling the luggage!

Rsage, thanks for the kind words. It is appreciated.

Jay, that is a heck of nice bag! I think if I was not worried about checking my rods, I would certainly like to have one of those bags. Enjoy it!

Canoeman, I would say that the 904L is closer to the old Paul Brown rods. Please keep in mind that many of my friends and myself included would over line them. So if you could imagine that WC 903 with a 4 on it, the 904L has a stiffer tip that is easier to control and has slightly better range. But, once you start stiffing the tip,, the rest rod has to be stiffened to support it. So, the 904L is somewhat stiffer than the WC 903.

The regular 904 is more of a moderate actioned rod. If I were pressed, I would say it is on the faster side of medium. It is also more or what is commonly called progressive than the L. It a more versatile rod, has more range, and is better in the wind than the L. The L is more of a specialized spring creek type of rod, but it can do some lightweight nymphing if needed. John does prefer the regular 904, while Doug and I prefer the 904L. We fish the Henry’s Fork quite a bit so that does sway our preferences. However, if it is windy I will probably be reaching for the regular 904. But in short. Doug and I would rather sacrifice distance, while John would rather sacrifice a bit of the up close stuff for slightly more range. It is just a preference in style. I hope that answers your question.

Cy, yea it is an interesting group of guys and gals to be sure. We have been lucky to have known them and learned from them. Paul only wrote one small article for Fly Fisherman that I know of. The irony is that Paul could write and was an English teacher in West Yellowstone at one time. It seems with some elite anglers that they would rather fish than write. Paul was probably one of the best, if not the best angler, to ever fish the Ranch.

The only things I could think of is that John McDaniel wrote a short chapter on Dave Shultz in his book on the Ranch or reading some of the Juracek/Mathews books. Fishing Yellowstone Hatches is one of my favorite all time books. While it focuses on the hatches, there is quite a bit on fishing strategy. Someone else may have some more suggestions.