Regarding bamboo fly rod repairs; As the fishing season winds down, now is a good time to contact me about repairing your bamboo rods before next year’s fishing season opens. I would recommend contacting me now to get your project into my line-up sooner rather than later. Often, people wait until the Springtime to ask me to repair their bamboo rods, and I’m normally booked with a 4-5 month backlog of repair orders, so let me know now what rods you need worked on.
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Autumn is a wonderful time of year. Not only do we get to enjoy the gorgeous foliage, but we also can enjoy memorable times fly fishing before the Winter snow sets in. This month, I had the pleasure of spending 2 days fishing in New Hampshire for landlocked salmon with friends of mine. The temps were chilly, water levels were perfect, and the male salmon had already started to enter the river. These were perfect conditions for fishing bamboo. I chose my new model #P-206, which is a 9’ hollow built 3-piece rod that is patterned after a wonderful Payne model 206 from the 1930’s. The rod is so easy to cast and is perfectly suited for #5 lines. This particular river has been a favorite of mine for over 30 years, and it was nice to share it with my friends. Both days, I managed to land 3 fish: two were in the 20” range which is normal for this river. However, the other 4 fish were in the 5-6 lb. + range. The largest was over 6 lbs. and was so long that I couldn’t fit it in my net, so I tailed it. All fish were carefully released which is easy with barbless hooks. The second day was windy- bringing down more pine needles and leaves on the water- just a reminder of the Wintery weather to come. What a treat to celebrate the end of the fishing season with a super-casting bamboo fly rod.
One of the Boston Red Sox’ most important players in the past was Ted Williams. I now have his personal Fly Rod, a Paul Young Para-18, for sale. The owner was a close friend of Williams, and he bought this rod directly from Williams in 1994. This rod was on display in Florida at the Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame in Hernando. It is also described in The American Fly Fisher (publication of the American Museum of Fly Fishing) in the Fall 2005 edition. There is plenty of provenance to accompany this rod. In fact, Williams even had it refinished so he could use it in salt water. He won the Islamorada Tarpon Tournament one year using this rod. Out of all the rods Ted Williams owned, this was by far his favorite one. Check out my Vintage Tackle page for more details.
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Fred Kretchman
An avid fly fisherman for over 60 years, and a craftsman of some of the finest split bamboo rods in the world for 32 years... Working daily on the coast of Maine. Archives
February 2025
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F. D. Kretchman Rod Co.
46 Crockett Neck Rd. Kittery Point, ME 03905 Open: By Appointment only. |
[email protected]
603-801-5745 |
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