Distinctly Montana Magazine

4 5 Y E A R S O F H A U N T E D W A T E R S 2 4 freely on an arbor. There was no drag or anti-reverse mechanism. They were usually carved from wood and therefore required careful maintenance to preserve and prolong their lives. But the reels accommodated the longer lines desired. In the early 20th century, Hardy Reels of England introduced reels with drags and quickly dominated the scene. Drags prevented the unwanted unraveling of the line from the reels and provided a method to slow or stop a running fish determined to be the one that got away. Hardy Reels were often paired with the best split bamboo rods of the time, and a Hardy reel matched with a cane rod was an outfit of which to be justifiably proud. For all of their issues, silk lines worked and are still used by some today. Along with silk fly lines came leaders made of silk called "gut." Gut leaders were made from silkworms by making a small incision just behind the head to reveal the silk glands, then submerging the poor silkworm in a solution of salt and vinegar. The silk was slowly drawn from the silk glands, and as it was ex- tracted the material hardened into threads. The longer the silk gut remained in the solution, the stronger it became, therefore increasing the breaking strength. However, the extracted silk threads were not very long, perhaps only 15". This necessitated tying the lengths of silkworm gut together to make leaders of a needed length. Gut leaders came with their own share of problems. Gut leaders had to be wetted before use, or they became brittle and broke easily. Just prior to World War II, nylon was developed, and with it, the birth of modern fly lines and leaders. Leaders could now be made from nylon monofilament for which the silkworm must have been grateful. Essentially made of plastic, braided nylon fly fishing lines were imper- vious to water, solving the problems associated with silk lines and leaders. Later, fly lines were coated with a slick plasticized covering that slid easily through rod guides and allowed a quick pickup from the water's surface when the fly line was recast. The World War II era also birthed fiberglass. Fiber- glass rods were not only far less costly than split cane rods but also much more durable. But once again, a problem surfaced. A particular fly rod became clumsy if the rod didn't match the fly line. This problem was solved by cooperation between fly line and fly rod man- ufacturers. As a result, a standard was developed that is still used today. In the mid-1970s, the first graphite fly rods came on the market. They were lighter than fiberglass, more sensitive and responsive, but were also more delicate. On one river float, I learned just how delicate: feeling the need to put ashore for a few minutes, I laid my graphite rod across the tubes of my inflatable and exit- ed the boat. My dog exited behind me, stepped on my graphite rod, and shattered it. For fly fishers, we are living through the good old days. Today's innovations in fly rods, lines, and leaders have made fly fishing accessible to almost everyone. Fly reels have grown from simple line holders carved from wood to constructions of ultra-light and durable alloys with drags almost capable of stopping a fast freight train. Fishing flies, once made almost exclu- sively from natural materials such as animal hair and feathers, now incorporate such synthetic materials as dyed imitation yarn, mylar, and foam rubber. In addi- tion, in our environmentally conscious times, lead wire has been replaced by lead-free wire for weighting flies designed for subsurface fishing. But regardless of the innovations over the centu- ries, the quest for fly fishers—and all fishers for that matter—remains the same: to find the biggest fish and catch them. TODAY'S INNOVATIONS IN FLY RODS, TODAY'S INNOVATIONS IN FLY RODS, LINES, AND LEADERS HAVE MADE LINES, AND LEADERS HAVE MADE FLY FISHING ACCESSIBLE TO FLY FISHING ACCESSIBLE TO ROBERT RATH Almost Everyone.

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