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Date: November 12, 2002 at 12:10:14
From: John Kelsey, [h0050da2e6057.ne.client2.attbi.com]
Subject: Salt Water Fly Fishing, Dec. 2002, Deceptive Fly Rod Article....


I thought I'd post my letter to the editor of SWFF in case it is deemed too "inflamatory". Check the article out. It promotes light, tip action, high line speed rods, yadah, yadah, yadah... And the one photo in the article is of Ken using The Stick. I had to comment. Maybe a whole bunch of other people should too. SWFF email address to Art Sheck, Editor is: sffmag@flyfishingmagazines.com. Here's my letter:

Mr. Art Sheck, Editor
Saltwater Fly Fishing Magazine

Dear Mr. Sheck,

I found it to be ironic that the only photograph in your article "Tougher Sticks", Dec. 2002 issue, is of Ken Abrames using a rod of his own design and manufacture, called The Stick (I hope there are no copyright infringements here...), fishing somewhere on the Rhode Island shoreline. This same photo was used in the Dec. 2002 issue of Fly Fisherman as the feature two page shot in an article about Ken written by Tom Kerr called Fresh Water Tactics for Stripers. In that article, The Stick is discussed at length as being a long, supple slow action rod that loads deep in to the butt of the rod. As an owner of one of Ken's rod, I can tell you first hand that high tip speed, tighter casting loops, less weight, etc. are not necessarily the only desirable qualities in a fly rod. With The Stick, I can cast with less effort and more control while having a rod that allows me to fish in many different ways depending on the situation. I can cast a tight loop with high line speed if I choose to, but I'm not stuck with it. What is crucial in this equation is balance and a rod in which one can control/manage the flex of the rod. A balanced/controllable rod will not feel nervous, nor will you have to physically force it to accomplish your intent, which leads to vibration, poor technique etc.. The rod will load and complement your efforts. In short, there are more ways to skin the cat when it comes to rod fly rod design and manufacturing. To present a fly rod that is light, designed for fast tip action and line speed as THE solution is doing fly fishermen a great disservice and one dimensional. Maybe it's time you contacted Ken and had a chat with him about The Stick and did an article about other fly rod designs and solutions. Check out his website, stripermoon.com, it's very enlightening.

Sincerely,
John Kelsey


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