It's an 8'6" Montague Flash bamboo fly rod from the 1940s! It comes with a tough canvas case, and an extra tip section. All ferrules and guides are rock solid. I have modern Orvis reels and line that match its weight.
Whoever donated this rod, whoever's grandfather's estate this came from, out there in the aether, please know that I will give it loving care and maintenance, and that this rig will catch fish again, as soon as this next year.
I started tossing and tying the dry fly in the Midwest in my youth, catching bluegills and the occasional bass. Once I could drive, I could get north of Green Bay to cold water streams like the Oconto River, to chase rainbow trout and stalk browns. Now I live in the western WA, where the world is my oyster. I think I could even catch oysters with this thing.
But I never thought I could own a bamboo rod, which new today cost as much as a used car. Have we turned a new corner in Trump's America? I think so.
