Post by Chee Yung on Apr 9, 2007 21:18:23 GMT 8
Rod Story # 7 : Homer L. Jennings Signature
Hi Brothers of Bamboo,
My last Elven Rod Story is hard to beat and so I will keep this tale simple as I hope Homer would like it…
My interest in fishing a HL Jennings rod started 9 years ago when John Gierach wrote an article in the September 1997 issue of Flyfishing Warmwaters about fishing ‘affordable’ bamboo rods for bass and panfish and how (at that time before his seminal work Fishing Bamboo was published) some production rods like 9ft 6wt Grangers and Heddons were actually affordable…. Well…like revealing a secret spot.. John’s wonderful cane story and buying tips became an open secret and Granger prices crept out of reach. I didn’t end up buying long, expensive and heavy Grangers but the pure looking HL Jennings rod pictured in the article stuck like glue and I had to get one! More so when I found out it is common knowledge that Homer is considered by many as the most affordable master rodmaker in the league of Charlie Jenkins, John Bradford and Tom Moran.
The opportunity came when Rick Sorensen of Westslope Tackle sent a notice to me early March that a rare new Jennings was available without the long wait. I quickly decided that this was it… bite or regret! After a wonderful transaction (Rick’s a great guy!
), I sat in my office staring at a blonde Jennings…Serial #628, 7.5ft, 2/2, 4wt DT olive burl reel insert, amber agate, bright nickel silver hardware, golden lemon clear wraps tipped in cardinal, delicate spiral signature wraps, mirror tips, bamboo ferrule plug, immaculate writing, perfect ferrule fit, perfect gluing and smooth semigloss thin coat finishing… it is the nicest finished minimalist rod I have ever beheld! 
I fished the rod the very next day with Uncle Wong. The fishing was good with Uncle hitting an Arrowana and myself almost
nabbing a Sebarau … the rod was light, smooth casting, almost overpowering the 4wt WF used, sending out line 60ft with no problem… a feisty blonde indeed! Compared to the Drow, it required less false casts and was more point and shoot but the Drow is more relaxing to cast… Sigh! I couldn’t pry the Drow from Uncle’s hands! 
He obviously preferred brunette to blonde in this case ;D ;D.
That night I managed to call Homer to praise his handiwork and to learn more about the rod. He was very soft spoken, humble and thanked me for purchasing his work. He remembered the rod and said that the person who ordered it from him could not use the rod due to surgery and he was glad I ended up with it… he asked about my fishing and was a little amused that I caught exotic tropical species with bamboo rods in Singapore. He said the rod is best on 4wt DT and his favourite matching reel was an LRH. All in all, the conversation was very pleasant and afterwards gave a sense of spiritual calmness to the rod as I held it and thought of Homer.
Excited by the near misses during the previous session, Uncle and I returned to NZ to stalk the Sebbies two days later… but a funny thing happened… Uncle brought the Jennings rod butt section all right but in the darkness of early dawn, he mistakenly took his own ‘Leo-made- in- Singapore’ blonde Garrison tip ;D! We had a great laugh at NZ ;D ;D!!!! ..especially when I proclaimed that Uncle’s rod is already Jennings quality!
So it was that this humble rod remained quietly silent that last session… sans tip. I stood holding the immaculate blondes (both Homer’s and Uncle’s)..watching and learning as Uncle cast his favourite Drow at those stubborn Sebbies. I was still smiling about the rod mix-up and really happy to be part of it all. Homer would have smiled too… he was too humble to react otherwise.
Till the next rod story… see you all at the water!
Cheers
CY
Hi Brothers of Bamboo,
My last Elven Rod Story is hard to beat and so I will keep this tale simple as I hope Homer would like it…
My interest in fishing a HL Jennings rod started 9 years ago when John Gierach wrote an article in the September 1997 issue of Flyfishing Warmwaters about fishing ‘affordable’ bamboo rods for bass and panfish and how (at that time before his seminal work Fishing Bamboo was published) some production rods like 9ft 6wt Grangers and Heddons were actually affordable…. Well…like revealing a secret spot.. John’s wonderful cane story and buying tips became an open secret and Granger prices crept out of reach. I didn’t end up buying long, expensive and heavy Grangers but the pure looking HL Jennings rod pictured in the article stuck like glue and I had to get one! More so when I found out it is common knowledge that Homer is considered by many as the most affordable master rodmaker in the league of Charlie Jenkins, John Bradford and Tom Moran.
The opportunity came when Rick Sorensen of Westslope Tackle sent a notice to me early March that a rare new Jennings was available without the long wait. I quickly decided that this was it… bite or regret! After a wonderful transaction (Rick’s a great guy!
), I sat in my office staring at a blonde Jennings…Serial #628, 7.5ft, 2/2, 4wt DT olive burl reel insert, amber agate, bright nickel silver hardware, golden lemon clear wraps tipped in cardinal, delicate spiral signature wraps, mirror tips, bamboo ferrule plug, immaculate writing, perfect ferrule fit, perfect gluing and smooth semigloss thin coat finishing… it is the nicest finished minimalist rod I have ever beheld! 
I fished the rod the very next day with Uncle Wong. The fishing was good with Uncle hitting an Arrowana and myself almost
nabbing a Sebarau … the rod was light, smooth casting, almost overpowering the 4wt WF used, sending out line 60ft with no problem… a feisty blonde indeed! Compared to the Drow, it required less false casts and was more point and shoot but the Drow is more relaxing to cast… Sigh! I couldn’t pry the Drow from Uncle’s hands! 
He obviously preferred brunette to blonde in this case ;D ;D.That night I managed to call Homer to praise his handiwork and to learn more about the rod. He was very soft spoken, humble and thanked me for purchasing his work. He remembered the rod and said that the person who ordered it from him could not use the rod due to surgery and he was glad I ended up with it… he asked about my fishing and was a little amused that I caught exotic tropical species with bamboo rods in Singapore. He said the rod is best on 4wt DT and his favourite matching reel was an LRH. All in all, the conversation was very pleasant and afterwards gave a sense of spiritual calmness to the rod as I held it and thought of Homer.
Excited by the near misses during the previous session, Uncle and I returned to NZ to stalk the Sebbies two days later… but a funny thing happened… Uncle brought the Jennings rod butt section all right but in the darkness of early dawn, he mistakenly took his own ‘Leo-made- in- Singapore’ blonde Garrison tip ;D! We had a great laugh at NZ ;D ;D!!!! ..especially when I proclaimed that Uncle’s rod is already Jennings quality!
So it was that this humble rod remained quietly silent that last session… sans tip. I stood holding the immaculate blondes (both Homer’s and Uncle’s)..watching and learning as Uncle cast his favourite Drow at those stubborn Sebbies. I was still smiling about the rod mix-up and really happy to be part of it all. Homer would have smiled too… he was too humble to react otherwise.
Till the next rod story… see you all at the water!
Cheers
CY
