Writing On The Fly: Collecting Fly Rods

By George Liset, Writing on the Fly, InDepth NH

I don’t know how it happened. I woke up one morning and all these amazing fly rods were in my office. They just appeared. The problem, if you can call it a problem, is that I am a collector of fly rods, among other things. It is hard to pass up a beautiful fly rod when the price is right or if you need it. As my wife will remind me, “You don’t need it, you want it.” O.K. that works too.

With fly rods, there is a rod for every situation. Big rods for big fish and big water, small rods for small streams, special rods for spey fishing and nymphing. Golfers understand a different club for every situation. When the technology changes a new club or rod to help you knock a few strokes off your score or another rod to catch more fish.

This fly rod was in a booth a friend of mine had in an antique shop in Rochester. The rod belonged to a Rochester athletic legend and long-time educator, Bob Broadbent who had recently passed. Bob and I would talk sports and fly fishing every time we would meet. We would share where we had fished and what flies seemed to be working. Bob turned me on to a number of great local spots.

When I walked in the booth I noticed the silver Orvis fly rod tube. I ran over and grabbed the tube. The tube contained an Orvis 7’9”, 5 weight Far and Fine. I opened the tube and it was in pristine condition. I knew it would be because Bob was a meticulous person. I jointed the rod and gave it a little wiggle to check the rod action. It had a sensitive tip for small stream dry fly fishing, but enough backbone to handle a larger fish, if I ever caught one.

Needless to say, I brought it home. I texted my son that I had picked up another fly rod and he sent me the laughing with tears emoji. We set a time to meet up on a tributary of the Winnipesaukee. We knew the water would be low and warm, great for panfish and too early for salmon and trout. When I arrived I checked out the river and was not surprised, the water was low and warm.

The ride up to Winnipesukee is always pleasant. The Fall colors were starting to come out. They were even noticeable on this partly overcast day. The air had a taste of that fall crispness that you enjoy. As your senses are triggered, a vision of apple picking and apple pies were dancing in my head. I love the Fall and Fall fishing.

I jointed the two-piece rod which I had paired with an Orvis Battenkill II reel with a 5 weight floating line. I then tied on a size sixteen foam hopper with wriggly legs, a fly no pan fish can resist. I hit a pool on the river close to the truck so my son Reed could find me when he arrived. On my first cast the fly landed and water exploded. At first I thought I had caught a monster. The fish gave me a battle on that small rod for about ten seconds and then I easily reeled the fish in. A muscular Rock Bass about the size of my hand.

I started laughing. It was so much fun. On my next cast the fly hit the water and nothing. I let the fly sit for a few seconds and then gave the line a little jiggle and the water exploded again, and I had myself another bass. This time it was a small mouth. Fishing for pan fish is great Fall fun. My son Reed soon arrived. “You found me O.K. ?” “Yeah” he replied, “I just heard you laughing.”

Reed set up at the other end of the pool and started catching the little guys. Reed was into the Black Bass and Perch right away. He started with an ant pattern and then tied on a Blue Wing Olive pattern. I let Reed try out my new rod and he loved it. “You are leaving this one to me, right?” I said, “Sure, but I'll need to teach you how to catch small fish.” We both chuckled.

I know Bob would enjoy that his fly rod would be passed down to generations. He would have enjoyed fishing with us. If Bob has any pull with the Big Guy, I could use some help in the big fish department.

George Liset of Dover is an award-winning outdoor writer and avid fly fisherman who shares insights of his time on the water exploring New Hampshire streams and rivers as well of those around New England. George is a graduate of Wheaton College, Illinois, and the University of New Hampshire. His column Writing on the Fly has been honored by the New England Press Association and the New Hampshire Press Association.

This article first appeared on InDepthNH.org and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.