Rob, Is your Grigg made by the same company as the "Custom Made"? If so, it's a nice rod that casts as well as those sold for 2 to 3 times as much. You just can't slam it in the car door and expect it to be replaced. My grandson broke one and I repaired it just to see if I could and how the repaired rod would work. An old piece of a fiberglass rod about 4 inches long epoxied in the center of the break and the thing works fine. Maybe I should remove the Custom Made label and relabel it Oruis or Soge. :-) -Bob
----- Original Message ----- From: "Rob Blomquist" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, December 09, 2001 7:01 PM Subject: Re: The yuppie issue > I wasn't going to say much about this until I was on the NF Still today > thinking about fly fishing while standing in my Cabela's neoprenes with my > flies in Fox Box fly boxes, with my WW Grigg rod in my hand with an Okuma > Sierra reel on it. > > Then I thought about the crap that I have gotten from shops, and other idiots > that I have encountered. I have had a dunderhead on a lake this spring tell > me how my rod was only suitable for trolling, and that he used only Sage > rods. He thought I should try one. Heck, I've fished all day with them. Then > the time my favorite shop owner was both selling Okuma Sierras and panning > them as I asked for a spare spool for my Sierra. > > And then I think about how a shop that I have decided to no longer frequent > starts their rods out with a low end $300 model. And the reels start at > around $150. No wonder this is considered a yuppie sport. $450 to invest for > a beginning fly fisher? You gotta be kidding. > > I started fly fishing in 1975 with an old Cortland rod that flexed all the > way into the handle. I caught my first steelie on an 8' Berkley rod with a > Cortland 333 Multiplying reel. I caught others on a Martin single action > click pawl reel. The Cortland rod was given to me, the Berkley rod and Martin > reel were bought on a paper boy's wages. > > Compared to what I fished with then, my new gear is far superior. And of the > combo that I mentioned, the line is the most expensive part. > > Many of my friends fish with equipment that is not too different, and word > about how nice Rob's WW Grigg rod is getting out. Not to mention how > reasonable the price is for the Okuma reels. And that's even from the guys > that fish Sage, Orvis and the like. > > Personally, I think that there is too much emphasis on high end gear in fly > fishing. But I understand, the fly shops probably couldn't stay in business > if it weren't for unknowing folks buying gear that is far more spendy than > necessary. > > Now this is not to say that Bill Gates and Steve Jobs shouldn't ante up to > buy a custom Thomas and Thomas Spey rod with an Abel tie-dyed reel. I just > hope they don't get to mad when I cast as well, if not better, than they do. > > There. I finally got that rant off my chest. Thanks. > > Rob > -- > Rob Blomquist > Kirkland, WA > >
