An old Garcia

[gpwhitejr]

My dad died in 1992 and he had tons of fishing tackle, which got dispersed here and there. A couple of weeks ago my brother gave me a fly rod that had been collecting dust in his closet since then. It is a Garcia Conolon 2535T, 6' 6", "dry fly action," D-HDH-HDG, and it also has "6F 7S" printed on it.

Am I correct in assuming a 6 weight line might work on this rod? Coincidentally I have been looking for a short 6 weight to use for bass fishing in my kayak, and this might fit the bill. If it isn't raining I will try it out this evening.

Any other info would be appreciated.

 

[spm]

Using this chart, you are correct; 6wt line should work.
AFTMA Conversion Chart Silk Lines - Bamboo Part 136 - volume 12 week 8
I emphasize "Should", as nothing is hard and fast with fly lines and older rods. But D, HDH, HDG all convert to AFTMA 6 weight.

Several of us on here like vintage tackle and would love to see this. Post a few pictures.

Thanks,
steve

 

[gpwhitejr]

Several of us on here like vintage tackle and would love to see this. Post a few pictures.

Thanks, I will try to figure out how to do that this weekend. I have this other funky thing from my dad's collection, I think it is a combo fly-spin rod. It has three different tip sections, and it has some nice Japanese sort of designs on it. I will try to photograph that also.

 

[Rip Tide]

My dad died in 1992 and he had tons of fishing tackle, which got dispersed here and there. A couple of weeks ago my brother gave me a fly rod that had been collecting dust in his closet since then. It is a Garcia Conolon 2535T, 6' 6", "dry fly action," D-HDH-HDG, and it also has "6F 7S" printed on it.

Am I correct in assuming a 6 weight line might work on this rod? Coincidentally I have been looking for a short 6 weight to use for bass fishing in my kayak, and this might fit the bill. If it isn't raining I will try it out this evening.

Any other info would be appreciated.

I have one and yes it's a 6/7wt

Mine's a 2535-D (1969-'71) 3 star
Before the "D"s there were earlier "B"s and "C"s and the original 1965 model, the 2027,
may have later been re-labled as a 2535-T... I'm not sure how that worked.

It's not my favorite I have other 6'6" glass rods that I like better
It's fine for casting in close, but all the action is in the tip
Other people like them just fine so your mileage may vary

 

[glacierjohn]

Growing up in the 60s we didn't have a lot of money to buy gear, I used a JC Higgins spinning rod and cheaper Mitchell 304, but every year my Dad and I poured through the new Garcia Conolon catalog. That was our evening form of entertainment, we pined over the rods, both fly and spinning, but I never got a chance to try one.

By the late 60s I had convinced myself the Browning-Silaflex was better so bought into that line then moved on to Fenwick a few years later. I'd sure like to try one of the better Conolon six weights.

 

[Rip Tide]

You're not missing out
I have a Conolon 8ft.6wt, the Garcia 6'6" described above and a Garcia 8'6" 9/10.
Out of the 3, the 9wt is the only one that I use with any regularity
And even then...
It's a good rod for fighting big fish from the kayak, but for casting any distance, it wouldn't be your first choice.

 

[glacierjohn]

You're not missing out
I have a Conolon 8ft.6wt, the Garcia 6'6" described above and a Garcia 8'6" 9/10.
Out of the 3, the 9wt is the only one that I use with any regularity
And even then...
It's a good rod for fighting big fish from the kayak, but for casting any distance, it wouldn't be your first choice.

It just goes to show how good we have it now, with dozens if not hundreds of really nice fly rods to choose from at every price point. Also the Internet to use as a resource.

Back then all we had was word of mouth, your local sporting goods store and the Garcia catalog. I never heard of Philipson, our local shop carried Garcia Conolon and Wright McGill, and my friends dad owned an old Pre Browning Silaflex which I thought was very sweet.

 

[overmywaders]

Your rod may be a 5wt, 6wt, or a 7wt.
You can't get from diameters to line weights; there are too many variables.

Think about it, the difference in weight between silk, Nylon, and PVC is tremendous. Then, the silk or Nylon braided line would have been "oil finished". Since different manufacturers used different oil/varnish/resin mixes, there is another weight variable. Tight braid or loose braid?

The taper itself is the greatest factor to consider. Silk, and later Nylon, lines might have up to twelve feet of level line at the tip. Then the front taper might have been four feet or fifteen feet. If it was a WF, the belly might have been six feet or thirty feet. Then you have the "holding line", the back taper, and the running line... all variables.

So, how can HDH translate into a weight? It can't.

"You can't get there from here."
__________________
Best regards,
Reed

 

[gpwhitejr]

Thanks for the info. I tried it with a 6-weight line in the backyard and it seemed to work fine; not huge distance but adequate range and accuracy for kayak fishing. But when I put a fairly large popper on it (this one: Bass Popper - Green Frog - Allen Fly Fishing) I couldn't get any distance against a gentle breeze. I will have to experiment with it a little more. (I have been using my LL Bean Pocket Water 4-weight quite a bit and that has really grown on me. It is 6' 10". But I am limited in fly size and can't keep the little bluegills away.)

 

[farfyter]

I have one of the Abu Garcia conolon combos. Still a great little package for its age.