A while back, a friend told me that he had an old bamboo fly rod, and later added an old Pflueger reel, that he was probably not going to use. He suggested that he would part with them, if I actually made use of them. That time is fast approaching.
Through a local Fly Shop, I found a gentleman that refinishes rods for fun (ok, also for Beer Money), and had the rusted guides replaced and the rod generally touched up. It’s a Weber, and likely from the 1930’s – 1950’s, and in good shape. He did a great job on the refinishing, and I cannot wait to give it a try. I’ve never cast a bamboo rod, so I am interested in experiencing the difference in feel and performance. Also have to admit that I like the ratchet sound of the reel, although we shall see if that remains, after using it for a while…
I had built a line cleaner, some time ago, that allowed me to mount any reel to it, then feed the line over an open space (where I can pass it through a cleaning cloth, line dressing on cotton balls, etc) and onto a spool at the opposite end. The build was crude, and the receiving spool little more than the core around which wire had previously been purchased, and used up over time. When I received the rod/reel, I thought it best to find a quick solution to a fly line of it’s own, that would also look and (possibly) feel appropriate for the experience. What I found was an inexpensive reel that came with line on it, that was light brown and the right weight. I wrapped the line onto the old reel, added a loop tip (I know – cheating), and took the new / inexpensive reel the line came with, and added it to the line cleaner.
End result: new, albeit inexpensive, line on the old reel, and a line cleaner that has a better hard-mounted spool for moving the line back-and-forth during cleaning.
Also….Ready to fish the classic gear!
I need to also call out my thanks to KK, again! Very nice cap to wear and remember my first fishing trip to VA/TN! Many thanks, KK!
p.s. the “Virginia Creeper” is a trail … not a nickname anyone I know has picked up…really…
Tight lines!