Phoenix Fly Rods
Filed under: Reflections — admin @ 10:48 am
This time I was steelhead fishing in early October, on the Brule River in northwestern Wisconsin. The fishing was lousy (as steelheading normally is….) and the most exciting thing that happened on the trip was the breaking of my trusty old Sage. I built it 20 years ago specificially for drift fishing (dead drifting with monofiliament - only). It was a rather stiff but sensitive slow action rod (GFLRP), state-of-the-art, at the time. Sage does not even support them anymore.
I believe I nicked the rod in my friends jonboat last summer - one good set and she popped a few inches above the ferrule on the tip section of the nine foot rod. Our favorite fly rods are the ones that nearly always break because we use them the most, I suppose. There should be a moment of grieving and reflection as we ponder the wonderful moments of grace and excitement that occurred in the company of that particular fly rod.
I always either build/buy a new one or get a replacement section and rebuild it. But I also like to give the old rod another life. Remember the story about the Phoenix - the mythical bird that dies in flames and is reborn from the ashes ?
Since I break a lot of rods, I transform the tip sections into kick-butt ice fishing “shorty” spinning rods. In the north country, where icefishing is as popular as open water fishing, a broken rod can be reborn as a super icefishing jigging rod.
The “store bought” ice rods are generally too short for my liking. I like them around 36 inches - about a foot longer than normal. I also like them quite stiff. Although we’re vertical jigging, you must drive the hook home and a stiff one will do that for you. I also prefer a longer handle section, 8 - 10 inches long so the handle can lever against my forearm when setting and fighting a fish. Those wimpy little short ones on “the store boughts”, just don’t do it for me.
Depending on what part of the tip section I have intact, I will make the rod action accordingly. An #8 makes a great rod for larger gamefish like walleyes, northerns, etc. A broken #4 or #5 makes wonderful panfishing rod. Kids can even use these small rods during open water, over the side of the boat or off the dock. Just tape on the reel with electrical tape.
You can buy a handle or buy the individual cork and learn how to turn or lathe a handle shape of your own design. You can salvage the guides for future use. Buy a selection of tip-tops (the end guide on the rod) to fit different thicknesses of blanks. You can use these tiptops to repair a broken tip section in a pinch when on the water.
There are a multitude of resources for rod building and components. Do a search on the internet. I like jsflyfishing.com . If you’re new to rod building or repair, salvaging a broken rod tip into a small mini spinning rod can be fun. You can practice on a few of these and prepare yourself to build a full sized rod in the future. Email me with any questions: info@flybass.com.
Oh yeah - you didn’t break a rod like me? Some sporting good specialty stores that carry fly rod blanks and other rod building equipment will have a bin of ice fishing rod blanks. Keep your eyes peeled. When I come across them I usually snarf up a few of different weight and action for a cold winter night’s rod building fun. They make great gifts as well.
