First Fenwick Fly Rod

This week’s Throw Back Thursday post is my first Fenwick fly rod.

Yes, this is a departure from my normal TBT post where I highlight a fly pattern. But these posts are designed to trigger good memories and this is one of mine.

This was my first REAL fly rod, the classic Fenwick 8 1/2′ 7 weight. Did you recognize the Fenwick brown color and case? If you owned one of these rods, I’m sure you did. I loved this fiberglass rod and used it for all my trout fishing many years before I had money to purchase a Sage graphite rod. As I recall, it caught fish.

OK, it wasn’t a classic fly rod when I purchased it in the early 1970’s. But it was very popular. Perhaps you owned one as well.

I’m not positive, but I think I purchased it from Wayne Doughton of Doughton’s Hardware in Salem, OR. He was the one who taught me to tie flies.

This is the first rod I used to fish the Metolius River many years ago. I know I fished one of these flies…

…a Tied Down Caddis.

My first fly rod was a real stick, not literally, but close to it. I think it was an 8 weight and was so stiff I’m surprised I could even cast it.

I saved my money and eventually bought this Fenwick fly rod.

I decided to take it to the Metolius River and fish it a couple of years ago. Remember, it’s a 7 weight. But that’s what everyone used when trout fishing in those days. A fiberglass rod.

I guess I’m used to the newer fly rods, because it really wasn’t enjoyable to fish. It did bring back a few memories of my early days on the Metolius.

You can read more about my early days from a 2014 post entitled My First Flies. Here is what I wrote to introduce my intent of the Throw Back Thursday post.

Let’s celebrate those old flies and reminisce about the many fish that were caught.

I hope you’ve enjoyed them as much as I have.

Enjoy…go fish!