Ok, here goes. My gear junkie nature is going to be on full display now....
My first* fly rod. My Redington Red.Fly 2. Great starter rod. I wasted the reel though, while on the river. I picked up a Ross CLA at The Deschutes Angler first thing one morning.
*
I actually bought a different combo first. A Martin box combo from Dick's. It was a P.O.S. The rod was utter crap, i couldnt cast with it. It was like trying to cast with a limp spaghetti noodle. That rod lasted one day before it was replaced with the Redington.
My brother in law is the manager of the restuarant at the Bass Pro Shops in Mesa, AZ. While down there one day i took advantage of his 40% discount and bought a Hobbs Creek 4wt. However, the rod turned out to be a rather poor set up, imo. Doesn't cast well at all. The little grey puff ball is my little shadow. She is always within arms reach while i am in my room.
Since i dont care for it, i bought a replacement recently. A nice Echo Carbon 4wt. This rod casts great.
My favorite fly rod is my Sage Flight 5wt. This rod has a Bauer Jr McKenzie reel on it. I love Sage fly rods, now i need to start saving for a One. Here you see my Flight with my little sidekick again who has to be right in the action.
Last week i had an itch that needed scratching, so i bought an upgrade for my 6wt starter rod. I upgraded with another Echo. This one an Ion 6wt. I am very fond of these Echo rods. As my casting has improved i have moved away from fast action rods to a more medium/fast action. I put the Ross CLA reel on this rod.
Here we have my first Echo rod, the one that started my Echo obsession. My summer steelhead/Bull trout rod. A 7wt Ion. Awesome rod/reel.
My main steelhead rod, embarrassingly enough, is one of my cheapest rods. I wasn't planning on buying one of these but i happened to be in Dick's Sporting goods when there was a clearance sale on top of normal sale prices for the combo. The reel is junk, but the rod is pretty good. Especially when you only pay $45 for the whole set. Havent gotten around to seriously considering replacing it yet. My time on the winter steelhead rivers has dropped. Partly because of family obligations and partly because the crowds and rampant lousy behavior.
For Christmas two years ago my awesome wife got me this nice TFO NXT 8/9wt combo. The rod is a beautiful green color. The reel is kinda meh.
Now we come to the Goliath of my rod collection. I got this for chasing tuna this summer. My old man is a tuna fanatic, but he is a gear\bait guy. I am going to bum a ride on his boat and give tuna on the fly a shot. The rod is a Echo 3s 12wt. As an added bonus, this rod will double as a Tarpon rod when i finally make it to the tropics.
A few months back my fathers wife gave me a couple bamboo fly rods that belonged to her father. One is in a non fishable condition so it is hanging on the wall of my pc/tying room. The other however is in really good shape. It is a Heddon Deluxe 9' 3pc. The guys at River City think it is comparable to a 7wt rod. I am watching Ebay for an appropriate reel. It seems wrong to put a new or newish reel on it. It will most likely be a Pflueger Medalist.
That is is for my fly rods. Only thing left out is a Eagle Claw Spin/fly convertible backpack rod. I used to have a 3 Forks Cabelas rod that i gave away to a buddy once i got the Echo 7wt. I had some issues with the cork on that rod and kind of soured my taste for Cabela rods. Im sure it was just a one off though.
Since this is a "gear" thread and not just rod thread, i have a couple other pics. First is of my chest packs of choice. I am an unabashed gear whore and retired my fishing vest in the early 90s. The Orvis pack is my general trout pack. Orvis only made this particular pack for a short time apparently. Too bad as it is a great pack. The William Joseph Mag series is my Steelhead/Salmon/Bulls pack. I had been eying this magnetic series pack for months. It is very well made, the magnets work great and it is a decently comfortable pack. My only gripe is the neck/back strap is a bit on the narrow side. A few weeks after i bought my Redington Crosswater on super clearance price i went back into Dick's to find this chestpack on clearance sale as well. It normally goes for about $80. I took mine home for $35. I actually bought two. One for my fishing buddy.
Last summer while fishing and hiking up the Donner und Blitzen i was wishing i had a fishing type backpack. Well, now i do. A William Joseph Coastal. This is a great backpack. Fantastic quality, a ton of storage and pockets. Very comfortable. It is a framed pack.
And last but not least.... my book and movie rack. It is kinda the "fly fishing focus" of my room. A small start on some good books, maps and movies. The large photo pic above the rack i got from Kaufmanns during the liquidation. It is a great one for the room. An anonymous fisherman on the Deschutes near Maupin. The framed pic is from the Vintage Fly Fisherman. I got it at his stand at the downtown Hillsboro Saturday market.
