Anyway, this brings me to an old subject: Are there rods you prefer for for
different kinds of fishing? And if so, which do you consider the best?
I'm a bit spoiled. I made some money a few years ago (all gone now) and bought a 9' 4wt on a Lamiglass blank, a 7' 3 wt on a Pacific Bay blank and got my son a 9' 8 wt Signature HM blank steelhead rod. All were hand made by Dave Lewis who has a booth at a lot of FFing shows. These are in addition to my off the rack Orvis and custom Loomis IMX rods. Dave doesn't charge quite as much as the same rod bought retail but he offers no lifetime guarantees.
If you find a good rod builder like Dave, visit his booth at a show and he'll rig you up some line so you can go outside and test different blanks. The last time I did this Jack Gartside came out and watched me cast. We had a humorous conversation but he agreed on my choice (the Lamiglass) as it fit my style of casting. The point is to match the rod with your style and preferences. If you believe in the rod, you will cast better and catch more fish.
Murf
Dave Murphy
