What’s In My Rod Quiver - Pt.2
6wt 9’0” R.L. Winston Alpha+
I received this rod a few years ago as a gift from Winston for hitting some sales goals. The entire shop where I worked was pulling double-time on selling Winston rods. We took Winston behind the woodshed with the amount of green sticks that we sold that year, which is an easy enough task because they are some of the finest casting rods in the world. By the end of the year I believe we had sold over 150 rods, which meant we’d have 15 or so coming back to us.
The Alpha+ was the first high-end rod I had ever owned and it’s going to be staying with me forever, I mean I’ve got my name inscribed on the thing. A perfect streamer rod that I love to use for trout and bass here in the Midwest. Beside have my name on it, I know that my Alpha+ is also unique from other because I was able to pull some strings and get a custom reel seat installed on it instead of the off-green one that it normally has installed.
7wt TFO Mangrove
This is a rod that has built up a bit of a cult following because of its popularity among guides. Extremely durable, user friendly, and high-performance all packed into one rod. It’s got a bit of a weight problem (don’t we all) but it’s one of my favorite rods for bombing out some long-distance casts. I’m not a saltwater guy but if I ever find myself there, I will definitely be bringing the Mangrove.
7wt 9’6” six-piece Hardy Aydon
Here’s a rod that was given to me by a Hardy rep because I wanted something a rod with a bit heavier weight that I could bring with my while backpacking. The
9wt 9’0” NorthFork LMX
The fastest rod in my collection. NorthFork Composites was founded by the legendary Gary Loomis after he sold his company to Shimano and his health took a turn for the better. I’ve built a variety of rods from NorthFork and they are all definitely fast or very fast on the speed spectrum. I’m not into the fast rods at lower weights but I find these LMX rods make excellent bass, saltwater, and big game sticks.
9/10wt 7’11” TFO Hawgleg
A cheap Ebay pickup that is just stupid fun for some reason. An absolute broomstick with no touch but there’s something magical and hilarious about this rod that just makes you smile when you cast it. It’s never going to win a beauty contest anytime soon, but for pike and musky fishing, that’s not something that you need out of your rod.