Bill, you make for what I have always asked. I own a Cortland 8wt and Cortland Reel, a Fenwick 6wt and Pfleuger reel, A LL Bean 4wt and reel. All are made in USA and I have fished with them for many years. They perform well and I catch many fish including freshwater trout and all that the Chesapeake Bay has to offer. I use Cortland 333 and 444 lines. The most expensive of the rods is the Bean which was about $90. The Pfleuger 1495 reel is the most expensive of the reels about $25. My philosophy has always been that the reel only holds the line and the rod only helps to get the line out. The most important ingredient is the line.
I still have and use my Thompson A vice to tie my own flies which include both freshwater and saltwater patterns. I also prefer to whip finish by hand rather than use a tool. Am I old fashioned? I don't believe so, but I am frugal. George, God grant me the senility to forget people I never liked anyway, The good fortune to run into the ones I do, And the eyesight to tell the difference! "Inanimate objects rock with glee as they conspire to baffle me." - (Ogden Nash) "Life is a mystery to be lived, not a problem to be solved." - (Van Kaam) "Duct tape... the handy man's secret weapon" (Red Green) "Work is for those who do not know how to fish" Growing Old is Inevitable, Growing Up is Optional! I used to have a handle on Life, 'til my fishing rod broke. "God created fishing to keep the truly gifted from ruling the world." "Imagination is not a talent of some men but is the health of every man." Ralph Waldo Emerson
