There's More Than Just A Line, Leader And Fly Attached To Some Rods

So recently I purchased another "vintage" fly rod. A Wright and McGill Eagle Claw Featherlight 6 1/2 ft fiberglass fly rod and I absolutely love it! I recently took up fishing with "glass" in the sport of fly fishing and have been using a 9 ft glass road that I found in the corner of an old antique shop. It casts nicely but for anyone who has ever cast one of these rods all day, you would know that swinging nine feet of glass around can get quite tiresome!

So I'm pretty much infatuated with old fly gear and old glass rods so I figured I'd treat myself to a new "old" rod and see how the shorter glass rods handle. Now without diving to deep within the technical specifics that is the "glass class", I just want to take a moment to say there are a fine number of old fiberglass rods out there. And just like anything else there are some well known names withing the market that are reputable for their fine craftsmanship within this glass rod world.

Now like I've said before my blog isn't a fly fishing forum on technical gear, terminology and vintage gear reviews (if you would be interested in those specifics check out the blogs of some of my friends @the fiberglass manifesto & @the fiberglass fly rodders) but my blog is more centered around the feelings/experiences of a modern day fly angler reconnecting to the golden age of fly fishing through vintage and antique fly gear. So with that being said, I'm pretty sure I could've gotten a better fiberglass fly rod out there with a reputable name like fenwick, south bend ect. Although the name eagle claw is also pretty reputable in itself.

But no, none of these prior descriptions are the reasons that swayed my motion towards the rod i now hold. But like many other aspects in my life, my decision was persuaded by emotion. By the love and admiration of this rod maker that was instilled in the heart and eyes of a young boy by the admirable qualities of a fisherman father figure. And a young boys ambition to mimic that in which he saw a hero when on a stream, a lord of trout.

For even though my father was not a fly fisherman (nor was I at the time) every spring when the snows began to melt, the water temperatures rose slightly, and the afternoon sun warmed the earth as well as the soul. We as children knew it would soon be trout season. A time of year that where I grew up, only was seconded by Christmas itself. The excitement and anticipation flourished within me as each day grew closer to the eve of opening day. I remember there would always be a trip to the local mom and pop shop (that in later years would be replaced by Kmart, and then even later Wallmart) to stock up on supplies hooks, sinkers, a box full of worms, a new lure or two, and if you were really lucky a new trout rod. Usually the store special, a Zebco or something along that line with push button caster and usually accompanied with accessories themed around a childhood icon like batman or the ninja turtles.

Now as a child there was nothing better! And I probably went through a dozen of those "kits" eventually upgrading with age, loosing the themes (in which was just to impress your friends) to better equipment (a Shakespeare rod and reel perhaps) and a stronger focus on the tools that would be more precise for catching fish. But all along this journey, through the different whimsical themes that changed with childhood growth, through all the lines cast and rod tips broken. Through all the newly bought waders that changed yearly with childhood foot growth, my father had one rod. A sole rod all those years. A eagle claw 7 ft spin rod, and it was the center of admiration within my young heart and eyes.

For as I've said I'm now a fly angler and even though my father wasn't, the angler in me can appreciate all the "fisherman" lessons learned throughout life taught with patience, knowledge and angling experience from "my old man". That rod was his as far back as I can remember. I remember my brother and I sneaking into the garage sometimes just to admire it! The yellow glossy finish on the rod blanks seemed to reflect the bright eyes and smiles of a boy holding such a trophy, the feel of the weathered cork grip on my palm. My tiny hand only mimicking a third of the length from where my father frequented his grasp. The metallic rod guides and reel seat in which my father always kept routine maintenance on, slid so smoothly to tighten against the reel without squeaking like melted butter along my tiny fingertips. It was his eagle claw rod. Even the name brings a smile to my face. For back in the day as a child I imagined one could do no better, could not achieve a higher end, more desirable fishing rod than that of an eagle claw! Year in and year out my father fished that rod. At a young age teaching us with it, more lessons pertaining to life than simply catching a trout. Ill never forget the first time he let me cast it, grinning from ear to ear a young boy couldn't be happier with all the riches in the world. I knew one day I would own one of my own!

Well life changes and as a boy growing into a teenager with sibling rivalry in full swing, and with the modern advances in fishing equipment and rods. The name eagle claw was slowly lost within my dreams, my pursuit to keep up with the latest trend and newest rod styles. My brother and I casting the latest and greatest that the world of spin fishing had to offer, neglecting my fathers rod allowing it to collect dust in the corner. He still used it every now and again. And despite our efforts to persuade him to upgrade to the latest newer rod models, he always stayed true to his old eagle claw that had been so reliable to him throughout the years. The old rod usually out fished us anyway, my brother and I often stood along the bank cloaked in hundreds of dollars of new rods and tackle only to see the old man time after time reel in trophies with the old trusty rod. A rod that each time with the bending from fighting a fish seemed to wrap around the silhouette of my father like a halo. And we thought for sure that each time the tip would snap underneath all the strain. But the rod stayed true and so on he fished it.

The years have passed now and I don't fish with my father as often anymore, mostly just due to life. Living in different states and leading a busy life and now I am a fly fisherman. But when I first saw this rod, this eagle claw fly rod, I was immediately transformed back to my childhood. To that boy hood admiration for the name eagle claw. I thought to myself what better way to embody both aspects of my past memories and love for a new sport. What better way to form a connection between my new passion for fly fishing and yet reminisce about the life lessons I learned alongside my father catching trout. For even though my eagle claw is a fly rod and his a spin rod sometimes there's more than just a line, leader and fly attached to some rods...