Is there a Fly Rod that you wouldn't part with?

[Pocono]

We've had some recent threads talking about high-end and low-end gear, and probably everything in between. As I was thinking more about that topic, I started to slice it in a different direction and began to focus on the rods that I really like; regardless of price or manufacturer. Those are the rods that I wouldn't give up. It's a short list; here are my "keeper" rods:

1. Diamondback Diamondglass 7'6" 3 wt. (ideal for native Brookies in small freestone streams)
2. Sage Z-axis 9'0" 5 wt. (the best all-around rod that I've ever fished)
3. Sage TCX 9'0" 7 wt. (level lined, overlined for Bones on the windy flats or underlined for a sleepy Smallmouth fisherman, this is one nice stick)
4. Scott S4S 9'0" 9 wt. (a new rod for me, but it looks like love at first bite: this one shoots more line than you carry in the air on your backcast; great for quick, accurate deliveries of prarie dog-sized flies in coldwater salt fishing conditions)

That's it for me. The rest; outside of the sentimental keepers, could all go........if they really had to.....

What are your keeper rods; the ones that you simply wouldn't give up?

Pocono

[Rip Tide]

I'll play

First and foremost would be my Lamiglas 7'6" 4wt that my father built for me in 1972. It was a good rod then and still is. For sentimental reasons it will always be my favorite.

number 2, my late 1950s Phillipson Eponite Royal 8' for a HDH, a top of the line vintage.
Nice looking if slightly heavy. Casts great

the rod that I probably use the most is a home rolled PacBay Rainforest 9', 8wt.
Graphite spinning reel reelseat, bottlecork fighting butt. It might not be much to look at, but it's very light weight and a great rod for a $60 investment

There's a couple of others, but I could live with those 3

[axle27]

Sheesh, that's tough. If I had to have one...it'd probably be the 9ft. 7wt Hardy Demon...followed closely by either the 6'6" 3wt Bamboo Gem or the 9ft, 5wt St. Croix Avid....

[gt05254]

Just two - and no one would want them anyway they are so used! I built them both in grad school in Tennessee. An 8.5 foot 8wt Orvis "Powerhouse" and an 8', 6wt Orvis. Both are the old unsanded blanks, are incredibly slower than anything I have today (mostly Loomis NativeRun GLX's), and are a mess. The corks look like the oil changers at Midas used them to wipe their hands on.

But I still use them on occasion, and they're quite comfortable hanging around right where they are.
Gary

[Noiso]

Mine is a 3 piece 4W with Winston blanks (I think) that one of my best pals whom I've known for 25+ years built for me over ten years ago and was my first fly rod.

He just charged me for the parts and emblazoned it with the title, "The Muse," which is my last name.

I showed it off to the nice old fellows who hang around at the casting ponds (you know those guys right?). They all smiled and said, "Nice action."

The cork now has a nice warm patina and so do I. I intend to bring it into the afterlife and do some angling in Valhalla or The Happy Fishing Grounds or whatever, where the hatch is always on.

[gila steve]

My old 7' 6" 7wt Wright Mcgill trail master,Its not really that great of a rod and its well used but i have had it since i was 11 and have got to know it pretty well over the years and i still use it often.

Then there is my go to rod and its a 8'6" Lamiglas 5 wt blank built in the early 70s i think and i dont have a clue who built it its not much to look at either but i sure like it.
Im going to rebuild this rod one of these days ,maybe this winter.

And here lately i got a 8'6" 5wt Graphite Cahill rod from Cabelas thats finding a place in my heart.
Steve

[Jackster]

Right now I like to think I won't part with several of my Winston BIIx's. I thought that about my old Loomis GLX classics too so that might possibly change. With the economy the way it is I am one of the huge number of people who were once buying what they liked but now have to be satisfied with what we got. Needless to say, I think I bought right when I could and I am quite satisfied.

Two known keepers that stood the test of time are my Winston IM-6 TMF and my 6' 10", 3 weight Scott G. Both bring huge smiles to my face when I use them.
I've hung on to an Orvis 2 weight One Ounce purchased when they came out and used it a lot at first. Nowadays I just don't get to the places that rod shines in so it is in gathering dust mode. I actually bought this same rod twice but that's another story.

[MoscaPescador]

Of my rod collection, there are four that I would not replace.

• Sage SLT 8'3" 3 weight - The length and action works for the small stream waters that I fish.
• Anderson Custom Rods Steelhead 12'9" 6 weight - It is a great all around Steelhead rod for Northern California and Southern Oregon.
• Sage TCR 9' 8 weight - It is a smooth casting rod with lots of power. This is my main Striped Bass rod.
• Scott S3S 8'8" 10 weight - This is my favorite saltwater stick. It is deadly accurate with lots of power. I also use this for freshwater stripers when I need to use heads in excess of 400 grains.

Dennis

[FrankB2]

I worked in retail while in college, and was a partner in a highly profitable bike shop during the early 1990's. EVERYTHING IS FOR SALE! .....Seriously! One of my two partners brought a brand new Schwinn tandem to the shop on a Saturday morning. Schwinn had stopped making tandems, and this was made in the USA. She was wrenching on a bike, and I wheeled the tandem onto the showroom floor, assuming it was for sale (I took care of 95% of all sales). It only took 30 minutes before I had a customer, and he agreed to buy at collector price. While I was writing up the bill, my partner asked what I was doing. "Making you quite a profit", I said. She tore up the bill, and said the bike wasn't for sale. We argued for the next hour about the meaning of retail, but she wouldn't part with it.

As far as I'm concerned, everything has a price. Body parts might sell for much more, but make me an offer.

[oarfish]

The rod that I would never part with is my old Fenwick 6wt glass I built 25-30 yrs ago, still fishes with the same period knuckle buster. Second would be a Sage graphite II 8wt.

Rick