The Contemplative Angler

"And about time, too", I thought. Just two days ago Eve had broken the tip of my favorite 9' 5wt. rod, a masterpiece in split cane, while trying to knock some fruit out of a tree. As if there wasn't plenty of low-hanging fruit; but the fruit salad surprise she made for us that evening had been delicious. Then yesterday she grabbed the other tip for a "curtain rod".

"What is a curtain for?", I asked.

"It keeps people from looking in our house."

"But there is no one to look."

"Go fishing, Adam...", she sighed. That I understood. She's a good woman, I suppose, though I don't have any others for comparison. So, I went fishing.

I usually try to catch the evening rise on the Pison, there is a medium size mayfly that is quite dependable for a two hour hatch. My fishing buddy, Jehovah, enjoys the Garden in the cool of the evening. He will sit on the bank for hours, watching His bobber and talking about all manner of things, as I work the slightly faster water with a #16 Sulphur (dry, of course). I realized yesterday that Jehovah is a bait fisherman - funny I never noticed that before. I must talk to Him about that, I'm not sure I want to be seen in the company of a bait fisherman. Hey, there I go! Who would see us?...

We hear of the joys of casting cane fly rods, and some even wax poetic about the sound of a silk line slipping through the guides, but many fly fishermen believe that cane rods and silk lines can't cast a long distance. Olaf Borge of Viroqua, Wisconsin (a.k.a., "The Silk Line Pimp") felt it was time to enlighten the new breed of fly fishermen to the tremendous casting abilities of the silk line/cane rod pairing.

Taking advantage of the Cane Rodmakers Gathering at the Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum, Livingston Manor, NY on September 8th and 9th of this year, Olaf threw out a challenge to the assembled makers and cane enthusiasts to counter the challenge presented by the Cortland Line Co. (see 1st International Rodmakers and Casting Challenge Rules.)

Here were the rules:

Phoenix Silk fly line
Bamboo Rod Maker, casting, Challenge Trophy held
at the Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum
September 8th and 9th, 2007

Since Silk fly lines were, and often still are, the natural choice of cane rod fishermen; and since the plastic fly line provided for the “1st International Rodmakers and Casting Challenge” is named “SYLK” it would seem appropriate that a counter challenge should be offered by a true silk fly line manufacturer.

That challenge is to cast a true modern oiled-Silk fly line of the same AFTMA weight designation, further, under the same conditions, than the modern plastic “SYLK” line.

The rods used will be the bamboo rods selected for the “International Challenge Finals”. The casters and casting format will be the same as the “International Challenge Finals”.

Casters will use a Phoenix WF 5 silk fly line, with appropriate leader and fly, provided by Phoenix Silk Fly Lines and Olaf Borge.

The Phoenix silk fly line award will be presented to the caster, rod combination that casts the furthest in this endeavor.

And furthermore a Phoenix Silk Fly Line, of the winners choice, will be awarded to the rodmaker and caster combination who casts further than any rod cast with the “SYLK” fly line in this contest.

And now (drumroll) the results of the competition...