Top Secret Covert Black Ops - Page 6

Jerry Andrews · 10-02-2010, 09:35 PM

Fantastic cartoon! Charlie Kroll ( he wrote Pools of Memory and Squaretails ) was Fred Bear's son in law, and a very dear friend of mine. I have many of Fred Bear's personal items Charlie sent me through the years. I have both of Fred's Hardy reels along with a lot of other really neat items. Charlie and Fred were close friends of John's. John actually bailed Fred out financially at least once. Charlie was 87, had cancer 5 times, was not doing too well and decided to cash in his chips so he put it. I still have the letter he wrote me the day he took his own life. It sends chills up my spine every time I read it. I had so many good times with Charlie. He was a lot of fun and turned me on to the Cooke City area of Montana. In his books Pools of Memory I read about his trip there in 1950. He suggested I look up Bill Summers in Cooke City for a guided trip. I reminded Charlie it was 1950 and Summers may not be around. He called me a young smart axe and told me to call him when I got there. I did, and darned if Summers wasn't not only around, but spry as a young rooster at 70! He remembered taking Kroll up in the Bear Tooth range, they couldn't get Charlie to leave! Jerry

Old and Reliable · 10-02-2010, 10:43 PM

John Voelker, son of Irish-German brewer and tavern owner Nick Voelker- his mother's maiden name was Traver- so that's the "nom de plume"- but never got to drink whiskey sours and fly fish at his "Frenchman's Pond" retreat. He came down (someone held a gun to his head the rumor has it) from his beloved U.P. and was guest speaker at a TU Banquet- I got to chat with him briefly- when I mentioned I had owned a Morris Kushner "Excelreme" dry fly rod once, he light right up- I have several of his lesser known books as well as Trout Madness-- Danny and the Boys and the book detailing his start in the legal profession as a P.A. with Judge Belden in the 1940's-quite a writer, even before Anatomy of a Murder--

I also met Bernard "Lefty" Kreh, Mel Kreiger and even Ernie Schweibert, all from being a TU member back then- all these gentlemen anglers are gone now-

IMO- the best story John Voelker wrote about fishing and his hard fisted harder headed father Nick was featured years ago in an early Gray's Sporting Journal- 1977-78 maybe-- "Fishermen at Night"-- I still use his father Nick's term for a double shot- a "Doubler" was what he called a two of anything apparently- even a double header in baseball. Believe my favorite story of all, "The Measure of Silent Spirits" by Art Lee also was featured in that issue- both are great reads and I highly recommend them.

Heddon rods were made in MI- Dowagiac and Heddon, like Granger- (both Goodwin and later W&M- and even Phillipson as well) all had various grades, the main differences were cosmetic- the wraps, blued ferrules, reel seats, bags and tubes--I still have a 8 foot 3/2 W&M Granger Aristocrat 5 wt- also a pre-fire Leonard 7 & 1/2 foot 3/2 49 4/5 wt. I am keeping- I love the Leonards, but the comparable Grangers and Heddons were their equals in casting, function and fish fighting abilities. I have never owned a bamboo steelhead or salmon rod however.

I have known Bob Summers, as most all MI fly fishermen seem to-his rods are equal to the great Paul Young rods, but Bob apprenticed at the Young Rod Co. in Detroit. Lyle Dickerson rods, from Bellaire area of MI (near Bob's location on the Boardman, South of TC- are also "Steinways" but like the Paynes, Gillums and Garrison sticks, you'll write a big check to get an original one of those=- and the Parker Loman Hawes--wow, so few made over such a short time frame, and made when only bamboo was used for fly rods, whether a South bend or a Garrison-- I wish you the best of luck in your search my friend.

Bruce Day · 10-02-2010, 11:02 PM

What a thrill it must have been to meet Charlie Kroll, Fred Bear, John Voelker, only Bob Summers remains. All right, another Parker guy and I went shooting today, him shooting a lightweight Mod 21 16 in high condition, early 30's gun, 26" splinter forend, DT, nothing bulky about it.....and we were making plans to backpack into the Bechler River ( SW corner Yellowstone) for a week come a year from now. Maybe a couple adventurous others?? Native cutts.

Jerry Andrews · 10-02-2010, 11:03 PM

The Bob Summers I speak of is a different Bob Summers. This Bob Summers used to own the AAA Auto Court in Cooke City back in the 50's.
It's hard not to love or appreciate fine doubles and not bamboo fly rods. They are almost " bourn " out of the same fire. Jerry

Jerry Andrews · 10-02-2010, 11:04 PM

I too will be back in that big country next year God willing. Maybe we'll have to cook up a trip eh? Jerry

Bruce Day · 10-02-2010, 11:07 PM

Damascus barrels and bamboo rods. Two anachronisms. Maybe we are, too.

Old and Reliable · 10-03-2010, 09:06 AM

So much hand work and craftsman ship in our beloved older doubles, especially the Damascus barreled and also true with the bamboo fly rods- each maker had their own "secret" finish, other items we are still eager to know today in a world of graphite rods (aka- "lightning attractors") and autoloading shotguns with plastic stocks-

Big D · 10-03-2010, 09:50 AM

I was in Bob Summer's shop this summer. How anyone can turn out such works of art in such a cluttered, dusty shop is beyond me. Bits and pieces of rods scattered about - some new production, some old rods in for repair. How he keeps it straight is a mystery. Cast one of his 4 wt rods. If I wasn't so impatient, and unwilling to wait 3 years for delivery, I'd sure like to put one of them in my rod rack

Jerry Andrews · 10-03-2010, 11:05 AM

There is a great mystery that surrounds the bamboo rod world and I must say, as maker, and a very anal retentive one at that, a lot of it is bunk. It's a fishing stick. A very pretty one, and one with class and style, but it's still a fishing stick. The tapers which seem to be such a secret are only a set of numbers. No patents can be applied, they are simply a set of numbers. I'll have customers ask me if I can build them a rod with the numbers they provide. I'll gladly do that, but once I run the " moments " mathmatically on that rod, see stress curves, etc, sometimes I'll advise against that particular taper. Often they want it anyway. I can see from the taper it's just not going to work. Usually the butt is too small to handle the tip dimensions. As much as I hate to say it, I find that situation in some pretty well known production rods, I'm not naming names.
I bought a Hardy 7'3" off Bob Summers, the thing has been used a bunch on brookies. I also cast silk lines, I just can run a poly line through a cane rod, plus, I love the sound & feel of silk coursing its way through a set of snake guides. Jerry
PS. My wait time is 6 months. I'd stack my rods against anyone's in the country. Not tooting my own horn, I'm just a careful builder that understands the value of craftmanship. Not really any talent, just gotta be hardheaded! Plus, I hand plane, do all the work myself, know my product when it's finished, as I've handled it from culm to finished rod. Hmmmm, sounds like a Bear Achery advertisement Kroll wrote for Fred in the 60's!

Richard Flanders · 10-03-2010, 11:42 AM

After reading the posts here on them and after decades of not having any bamboo fly rods I decided to remedy the situation. I first commissioned Dave Fuller to build me a 5-wt "Parker" rod. It will be oil finished and I am quite excited to get it some months down the road. In the interim I picked up a mint condition 7' Orvis Madison 3-wt complete with an Orvis CFO reel off Ebay for a what seems a good price. I was hesitant to buy something like that off Ebay but the seller convinced me I would like it once I felt it.... and they were right. I am in love! It is incredible. Very soft action, softer in fact than my 1-wt Orvis graphite fly rod, more like my 00-wt rod actually in power. I will likely try my 00-wt reel/line on it. It is absolutely gorgeous. Unfortunately, it was snowing and windy prior to leaving the mine for home so I didn't get to try it out on the grayling in the Tulaksak River at Nyac. I am glad to be back in the bamboo game after all this time away.

Along another line, I was very anxious to get home to have a last visit with a very close friend who has bravely fought growing brain tumors for 8 years. I spent most of yesterday sitting by him with a hand on his shoulder and softly talking to him, telling him that things would be ok. 3.5 hrs after I left he opened his eyes momentarily and smiled at his wonderful wife then closed his eyes and slowly stopped breathing. She is convinced that he was waiting for me before leaving. What an honor it it's true. Losing such a close friend is painful but I can't help but feel very very happy for him right now. He fought the good fight and beat the odds for at least 6yrs past what anyone expected and died very well, at home surrounded by his friends and on is own terms. We should all be so lucky.