by Shannon Brown
The modern period has been dominated by the development of new
materials, and there is
no doubt that without
plastics, fly fishing as
we know it would be
unrecognizable as a
sport, although the
basic principles would
be the same.
Glass-fiber rods first
appeared in the late
1940's, but it took a
while for the new
material to be adopted.
Suppliers showed varying
degrees of enthusiasm
for the material.
Hardy's first glass
fiber rod was built in
1954, and after a period
in which glass and cane
uneasily coexisted,
their first carbon fiber
rod followed in 1976.
Rod weights plunged,
reaching the point where
line weight became a
consideration in rod
handling. A modern
fifteen foot carbon
fiber rod typically
weighs around the pound
mark, and a nine-foot
rod three and a half
ounces. If anyone
wonders why fiberglass
did not replace split
cane overnight, the
answer lies in the
table. Glass rods
weighed much the same as
their split cane
equivalents, and offered
the fisherman few
advantages other than
price. Carbon fiber, on
the other hand,
approaches half the
weight of either split
cane or glass. Once the
technical problems of
using the new material
had been solved, carbon
fiber rods entered mass
production and neither
of the older materials
could offer any contest.
Cane was swept away by
the mid nineteen
eighties, although it is
making something of a
comeback on aesthetic
grounds. The Fly
Line. As with rod
development, the
post-war period was
dominated by the
development of new
materials. The taper on
these lines could be
controlled to a precise
amount, and the
invention of methods of
altering the specific
gravity of the PVC
coating (and hence its
buoyancy) gave the
product greater
flexibility than anyone
had ever dreamed of in a
fly line. The Reel.
We are very nearly up to
date on the subject of
gear, but is one small
piece of the jigsaw
puzzle missing. At the
beginning of the modern
period, it was unusual
to find fly reels with
exposed rims. The last
twenty years have seen a
surge of nostalgia, and
it is fascinating to see
the designs appearing
that imitate reels of a
century ago. The
Salmon Fly. In a sign of
growing American
dominance in the field,
hair-winged patterns
didn't take long to make
the transfer across the
Atlantic. The hair-wing
had become a significant
influence on British
patterns by the 1960s,
with many traditional
patterns being adapted
to allow hair-wing ties.
The origins of the tube
fly are less certain. We
know that North American
native people tied lures
for salmon on quills as
long ago as the
nineteenth century, but
the idea seems to have
entered mainstream
salmon fly fishing
during the 1940s.
There is an interesting
post-script to the
development of the
hair-wing salmon fly.
Fishermen took a long
while to give up their
affection for the
fully-dressed 'gaudy'
fly, and it was commonly
stocked by quite
ordinary tackle shops
well into the late 70's
and even early 80's. As
it became harder to find
fully-dressed flies,
collectors moved in, and
a substantial market in
"specimen-tying" began
to emerge.
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About the Author Shannon Brown is a native of Colorado and
an avid fly fisherman.
He has created a new
website just for fly
fisherman. Stop by and
visit him at:
All About Fly Fishing
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