Sakura Seki Rei

by Logan R.
(Brookfield, Illinois)

My initial thoughts after taking the rod out of the tube, "wow, this thing is light." It wasn't until a couple days ago that I finally got to use the rod at a local lake. There was a bit of a breeze that day, but the rod still casted a furled line like nothing (I read they use quite a bit of fiberglass in their rod construction). First fish was a bluegill, then a noticed all the black crappie right at the shore. Right at my feet. I put my fly in front of them but they wouldn't take it. I tried every fly I had and they wouldn't take it. So, I cheated. I found a dead minnow, and put it on my fly, and you know what? The rod was still able to cast it. After that, all the crappie were hitting it, and the rod handled it perfectly. 10/10 rod. (11/10 with fish)

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten” - Benjamin Franklin

"Be sure in casting, that your fly fall first into the water, for if the line fall first, it scares or frightens the fish..." -
Col. Robert Venables 1662

As age slows my pace, I will become more like the heron.

We've all had situations where seriously chewed up flies kept catching fish after fish after fish. It is no sin to tie flies that come off the vise looking seriously chewed up.