A Tom Morgan Rodsmiths 8′ 6″ 4 Weight Fly Rod – Part Three
During Tom Morgan’s lifetime he gave several interviews, often expressing his opinion on designing a proper trout rod. For one thing he felt many commercially available graphite trout rods were too stiff. More specifically he favored progressive action rods that performed best inside what he considered “normal” trout distance. Here’s Tom’s own words on the subject.
“I have really strong convictions that you need to make a rod that is going to fish for trout in the 20 or 25 foot to 50 or 55 foot range. If it doesn’t really bend or flex in that area, then you have got the wrong rod.”
Okay, lets see how this rod matches up with Tom Morgan’s goals. After rigging up it with a floating Cortland 444 DT, I worked out line. Nice. This rod is silky smooth, a real pleasure to cast. I’ll call the action moderately progressive. Not stiff at all. It is near weightless in the hand, tracks well and instantly responds to your lightest commands. After 30′ I saw a single shock wave, so small as to be virtually invisible. And without major effort or double haul, I continued on, reaching 40′ plus leader. (This rod looks near black indoors, but in strong direct sunlight it is a rich red.)
Next I shortened up. I wanted to learn how this rod worked in close. With 10′ of fly line out, the rod formed a fine loop and was quite happy. With 5′ of line the same results, a testimony to the rod’s sensitive tip. Working my way down, the rod proved capable of forming a loop and unrolling the leader with only 24″ of fly line out the tip top. That’s impressive folks. Amazing. In those evening hatch when trout rise right under your nose, this rod is your friend.
All in all, Tom Morgan’s wishes are alive and well in this beautiful rod. It is bright, fun to use, and ready to take on trout near and far. I love it.
**** The owner has expressed some interest in selling this rod. If you have any interest drop me a line (ed@edmitchelloutdoors.com) and I’ll put you in touch with him.
