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This past spring I wanted to take a photo of a special trout I had caught. After some maneuvering, the trout was in a perfect position for a photo, and I touched the camera button to get the photo. Unfortunately while maneuvering to get into position to snap the picture, I stepped onto the butt section of what is my favorite large-stream fly rod, crushing it. I had broken the tip section the year before; so when I finally received the replacement butt section this summer, the rod was essentially a new one. I had bought the rod “used”; but with the money it cost to replace the two broken sections, I had more money in it than a new one would have cost.
You’d think I would have become more cautious about handling my rods along the stream, and I thought I had.
This summer I was enjoying fooling around with some exquisite split-bamboo fly rods on my fishing adventures, especially on small trout streams. One of these bamboo rods was particularly beautiful; the craftsmanship made it a pleasure to carry. I actually was careful when handling the rod. When using my old graphite fly rods, I occasionally mistreated them in fits of frustration after losing or missing nice trout. Sometimes these rods ended up ten feet in the weeds, having been thrown there as I pouted over losing a nice trout. I also had no compunction about yanking on a rod when trying to dislodge a fly from a tree branch after making a poor cast. These were not smart things to do.
I did not treat the beautiful bamboo rod in this manner. When I stuck a fly on a tree branch, I generally broke it off without placing stress on the rod. After missing or losing a nice trout, the rod remained in my hand while nasty thoughts ran through my mind. I even wiped the rod down after each fishing expedition. The rod received better care than any other in my arsenal.
In late August I had an afternoon to fish. I’d chosen a shaded section of stream. The fishing wasn’t very good, but then a large trout inhaled my nymph. After I’d set the hook, he zoomed off and into a root tangle while I tried to “give him the butt” to stop him. He broke my fly off. His dive into the roots and my attempt to prevent it also caused the tip of the expensive rod to shatter. I procrastinated for weeks before deciding to have it repaired.
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