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The Well-Appointed Angler
You've got cigars, now here's the gear every fly fisherman needs to land the big one and to keep on casting for the one that got away
Mike Spinney
Published in: December 1, 2004
Reflecting a battleship gray sky, the foreboding water carries the angler and his guide downstream to the next run, where a gravel bar parallels a steep embankment and the river narrows along a deep channel. The pair beaches the craft and the angler walks the water's edge, surveying the current through polarized spectacles and measuring its breadth with a brief series of false casts.
The angler identifies his target—a seam of water adjacent to the main flow where a boulder roiling the surface forms a slick the size of a picnic table before disappearing into a choppy riffle. He drops his fly at the head of the slick and is focused as the imitation floats delicately along. There's a hint of motion and a flash of pink, then a speckled snout breaks the surface.
With deadly accuracy the fish parts the water and snatches the fly, then rolls its body back into the river. Lifting his arms, the angler abruptly halts the fish, which hurls itself out of the water in peril, arching completely airborne and shaking violently. Droplets of water shower from its glossy scales before a splashing reentry. Acting on survival instinct, the fish bolts one way, then another, then bursts out of the water again, shaking and contorting to rid itself of an unknown menace. Finally, the fish resigns itself to its fate and allows itself to be drawn to the bank.
With one arm the angler holds his rod up, and with the other cradles the fish in the soft mesh of a landing net while plucking the hook from its jaw. Holding the fish submerged in the shallow current, he waits for it to regain its strength, then releases the fish to dart back into the depths of the river, unseen.
Satisfied, the angler sits on a hunk of driftwood, reaches into his vest pocket for a cigar he has stashed there, and clips off the end. Scratching a match along a dry stone, he cups his hands and puffs the corona to life, watching the smoke tumble along with the river.
There's no doubting that for many fly anglers a streamside cigar is the ideal complement to a day afield. There's something about a fine cigar that completes the experience. A cigar rewards you when you reel in a lunker and calms your nerves after an encounter with one that gets away. It's also true that carrying cigars on a fishing trip greatly increases your chances of having a satisfying and successful day on the water.
Of course, you'll need some other equipment, too, and there are many choices for anyone wishing to outfit himself and participate. Like cigars, there are choices that will enhance the experience and others that will simply be an experience. Here's a closer look at some gear and accessories to keep in mind:
Cane Rods
Rods come in two basic materials: cane or graphite composite. Die-hard traditionalists will tell you that there's nothing like casting with a cane rod, and there's certainly no comparing the aesthetics of a finely crafted cane rod with any modern stick.
"Like cigars, sometimes it takes a discriminating palate to tell the difference between a good rod and a great rod," says Tom Dorsey, co-founder of the famous rod maker Thomas & Thomas. "But to the people for whom it matters, it matters."
Dorsey started building rods with his brother-in-law Thomas Maxwell as a hobby in 1967. Unsatisfied with the action of commercial rods that he'd used, he set out to build one he liked. Today, Thomas & Thomas is the standard by which all other cane rods are judged. Its long list of customers includes George Carlin and Eric Clapton, and during his term in office, President Reagan gave Thomas & Thomas cane rods as gifts to the British royal family and other heads of state. A Thomas & Thomas rod is an investment that can cost $3,000 or more, but like any good investment, it pays dividends when you drop a line into the water. For more information, call 413-774-5436 or visit www.thomasandthomas.com.
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