Special Delivery From Mr. Roughfisher

When Jean-Paul Lipton of roughfisher.com found out I was flying over to Beaver Island for a day of fly fishing for carp and smallmouth with Indigo Guide Service while on our trip to Michigan, he offered to tie up some of his fly specialties in trade for some T.F.M. Swag.  Deal.

The flies arrived yesterday and it didn't take but a couple minutes to have them placed properly in UPG Flats fly box ready to go on the trip.

With fly names such as the Landing Strip and Mustache Ride, I'm sure that these flies are filled with more than enough mojo to connect with a tank carp patrolling the flats of Beaver Island.

Thanks J.P.!

T.F.M. Spotting - Into Valles Caldera

Michael Clayton recently enjoyed a day trip into the Valles Caldera National Reserve in New Mexico on his BMW motorcycle with fly gear carefully stowed in his panniers. 

Mike sent along a few photographs for the T.F.M. Spotting Photo Contest of him wearing his T.F.M. shirt and he gets extra credit points for the T.F.M. decal on his bike as well.

At home on the highway and off road and reminding all that follow him that GLASS IS NOT DEAD.

Mike took along his Steffen 8' 3/4 weight fiberglass fly rod which is perfect for open meadow small stream work with small terrestrials.

The trout may not be large but they are plentiful to the point that the park service asks that a few be taken home for dinner which Mike gladly did. 

To read more about Mike's trip see the full report on the Fiberglass Flyrodders forum.

Montana Salmon Fly - Part 1

Check out the latest flick from DETONATION STUDIOS.

It feels like summer.

Montana Salmon Fly part 1 from Detonation Studios on Vimeo.

Who doesn't like a little mini bike and salmon fly stunting?

No website yet but you can follow along on the DETONATION STUDIOS Facebok Page.

American Angler Article - Glass Act

The latest issue of American Angler hit news stands and mailboxes a week or two ago and features an in depth article on the revival of fiberglass fly rods among anglers.  This article was given a surprising eight full pages and it's neat to see fiberglass fly rods, both vintage and contemporary, get so much print in a mainstream fly fishing magazine.

This article, which was written by David Klausmeyer, mirrors my own initial experiences with fiberglass since I too started fly fishing with a very inexpensive fiberglass fly rod and then spent years fishing graphite before coming back to it six years ago to discover the unreal wonders of this fly rod material. 

One of the commendable aspects of this article is that David Klausmeyer equal spent time covering small custom rod builders and blank makers along with mentions to several of the larger fly rod companies that also offer fiberglass in their line ups.  There are equally exciting things coming from both the basement and garage shops and large fly rod companies alike with new tapers, fly rod series, and ideas being developed as interest from customers grow.  

All this said I do take exceptions with a few lines of the article which center on the idea that fiberglass isn't worth using past the trout weights or in lengths past eight and a half feet.  Though fiberglass certainly has a sweet spot in the lighter line weights there are some very interesting blanks being made that extend nine feet or longer and in line weights up to nine or ten weight.  I don't take offense to his assertions however since this article wasn't written for the "true glass aficionado" but more for those that may have wondered of even scoffed at the fellows fishing with those "whippy" fly rods.

Lastly, both the Fiberglass Flyrodders forum and The Fiberglass Manifesto were mentioned in the article which is quite an honor.  As a moderator for the F.F.R. forum and then the writer of this blog for several years now, it is very neat to be on the radar of what's happening in the realm of fiberglass fly rods.

To check out this article for yourself, look for the July/August 2011 issue of American Angler.

A Perfect Match

This past weekend a lot of time (according to Mrs. Manifesto way to much time) was spent gathering up various pieces of fly fishing gear and making sure it was all ready for the trip to Michigan.

This involved loading up fly boxes, picking out which glass fly rods are going, matching those fly rods with fly reels, and mapping out everything that still needs to be packed.

One of the things on the list was to load the Phoenix Classics Silk Fly Line on The Spey Company Single Spey Trout Reel.

I was a little worried that the entire four weight double taper would have a hard time fitting onto the the Single Spey three inch spool but it was actually no problem at all.

I am very excited to fish the Graywolf Rods fiberglass build on some classic and hidden away brook trout water while up in Michigan and using a silk fly line on this clicker fly reel will certainly add to the experience..   

S.F.R.C. Glass 25% OFF Discount

The South Fork Rod Company is offering 25% OFF and free shipping on the first ten orders that are placed for their Fiberglass Series between now and July 10th.

The Fiberglass Series fly rods are just a little quicker than their Classic Series and have a wonderful medium progressive feel to them.  Margot Redington rolls these blanks in Florida and then they are finished by David Redington to each customer's request. 

I am especially fond of the seven foot 2/3 weight, 3/4 weight, and 4/5 weight which are all offered in seven foot in length.  The eight foot five weight is also worthy of a look as well.

If you have been contemplating ordering one of the Fiberglass Series fly rods then now would be a great time to pull the trigger since a completed two piece build should cost just over $200 and a three piece build should cost you less than $250. 

To place an order or to have any of your questions answered, South Fork Rod Company can be reached through their Contact Us page.

The Skagit Master 2 Review

I have had a copy of Skagit Master 2 for a couple months and have watched it close to a dozen times now.   This DVD is a great follow up to Skagit Master which featured Ed Ward.  Skagit Master 2 takes the techniques learned on the first DVD and fine tunes them further with steelhead guide and two hander guru Scott Howell as the instructor.

South Carolina is certainly not a steelhead state so you might think watching this would be a waste of time. The truth is however that this DVD has a lot of the information regarding casting techniques, reading water types, the use of drop weights which are all applicable for pursuing other fish besides steelhead with a two hander rod.



Scott Howell has a great voice for instruction and is easy to understand throughout Skagit Master 2's short segments on the water, at the vise, and even on the couch talking techniques.

I most enjoyed the sections of Skagit Master 2 which centered how to fish and how to tie the Ska-opper.  Taking a surface eating steelhead on a top water fly must be a thrill. 

I am still working on putting a striped bass on the Scott Fiberhammer and this video made a lot of sense to me on methods to present flies so that the fish will get a better look for longer portions of the swing across the river.

If you are planning on purchasing Skagit Master 2, and would like to support T.F.M., then please consider clicking through to the Leland Fly Fishing Outfitters badge on the side bar of this page.  T.F.M. is a part of their affiliate program and I appreciate your support.

Full Recovery

Last Thursday our daughter Hadley had out patient surgery to remove her adenoids and since then she has been taking it easy to heal.  Yesterday she had enough of the couch (but not the popsicles and ice cream) and was ready to get out and play.  She asked at breakfast if we could go fly fishing on the pond which certainly wasn't hard to talk me into.

It took just a few minutes to assemble our gear for the morning.  It's great to have waterproof bags and boxes to use with the kayaks to keep everything dry.

It had been awhile since I had used the Versa Board and had forgotten how much fun this SUP kayak is to paddle and fly fish from. 

For whatever reason the bluegill bed pretty deep in this pond and certainly aren't pushovers.  We were able to tempt a few on a brown Briminator which I am considering as the one fly that panfish just can't refuse.

Hadley working on her "Grip and Grin".

The Briminator does it again.  They're delectable.

Without a doubt my favorite photograph of the day.

I haven't tried to push fly fishing on either of our children and it was neat to have her ask if she could practice fly casting which she did for the last hour we were on the pond.  She was getting pretty good on her roll cast.

Hadley is thankfully on the mend and I can't think of a better way to spend the morning than out on the family pond together.  Catching a few large bluegill was quite a bit of fun too.

T.F.M. Spotting - Bloggers Unite!

A couple weekends ago Christian Fichtel of The Tailing Loop and Owl Jones met up for a weekend of fly fishing, camping, and high jinks in western North Carolina. 

Christian sent in this Instagram tweaked photograph for the T.F.M. Spotting Photo Contest and though it may be one of the smallest fish that they caught over the weekend it is no less beautiful.

Check out The Tailing Loop and Owl Jones for more photos and reports from their weekend trip together. 

The Leiderman Rods Build Continues

The work on the Kabuto white blank 7 1/2 foot four weight build has continued this week in the Leiderman Rods shop with Matt using pennies to create even spaces between the rings to create the ventilated grip.  Matt also turned the tiger maple reel seat and joined the seat with the grip.



Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

 I am really excited to see this build come together and it's certainly neat to see the process through photographs.

Scott | Behind The Scenes

This past week the Scott Fly Rod Company released a short film on their website and Facebook page which was filmed and produced by Felt Soul Media.

I've watched this at least a dozen times and really impressed with the quality of the presentation, the message, and the emotion that this three minutes of digital film possesses.

Scott | behind the scenes from Scott Fly Rods on Vimeo.

Ben Knight and Travis Rummel of Felt Soul Media are certainly showing their skills of creating something so concise and yet worthy in such a short time period.      

The Scott Fly Rod Company is important for it's history, it's commitment for building everything in their shop in Colorado, and for designing fly rods that are exceptional to fish with.

I'm left wishing for a little yellow three weight F2 (It would be neat to have "The Fiberglass Manifesto" inked in black across the blank) and then vanish away to a piece of water where the trout happily rise to dry flies all day long.  

S.F.R.C. Glass Series 7' 4/5 Weight

Over the past couple years David and Margot Redington of South Fork Rod Company have been rolling, tweaking, and rolling some more their own fly rod series of E-glass that they have been offering as the S.F.R.C. Fiberglass Series.

I have been fortunate to get first looks at a few of the different models and overall have been very impressed with the tapers, build quality, and a price point of just over $300 for a completed build. 

Recently I've been out on the pond with a couple of the S.F.R.C. Fiberglass Series models and have found them perfect for casting foam flies to our resident bluegills. 

The new seven foot three piece 4/5 weight model has been in the works for some time now and in my opinion this length and line weight are a sweet spot for fiberglass.  Seven foot fly rods are much more capable then you might first think. 

This fly rod has an action that I would consider progressive with a somewhat soft tip and strong butt section.

These blanks are black, unsanded, and are a great template for the dark red wraps accented with gray and silver tipping that David does on these builds.

I've liked this fly rod best with a 5WF or 5DT line and had no problem airing out a decent amount of line when casting from the kayak.

These fly rods have a great glass feel to them and can cast several different fly line weights on each model so each person can fine tune which works best for them.

There are a lot of neat personal touches on these fly rods that you wouldn't necessarily expect for a custom build at this price point.  One of these is indeed the reel hardware with the South Fork Rod Company name stamped into the ring.

The Z-Reels Natural 5 has been a good match for all the Fiberglass Series glass fly rods and since I have two spools I can keep fly lines switched out as needed when moving from fly rod to fly rod.

From an aesthetic stand point the Z-Reel Natural 5 look pretty neat on black blank fly rods too with the black frame of the fly reel and then spools in dark red and dark gray.

The short note that David wrote on the blank means a lot to me since promoting rod shops and companies producing fiberglass fly rods is the foundation of why T.F.M. was started almost three years ago now.  It's neat to know that it's working.

South Fork Rod Company offers both completed builds in the Fiberglass Series as well as blanks for building your own.

To discuss a custom build or blank purchase use the Contact Us page on the South Fork Rod Company website.

Hook & Hackle Fly Line Sale

It's no secret that T.F.M. is a big fan of the Hook & Hackle Hi-Floater fly lines in both double taper and weight forward varieties.  I've used them for years and they are an excellent and long lasting fly line, have a wonderful taper to them, and made in the U.S.A. as well.

Hook & Hackle has discounted all of their fly lines through Monday at midnight and this is a great time to fill a couple empty fly reels, replace lines that are worn, or try a new fly line.

I am thinking about ordering one of the Clear Intermediate fly lines to use as both a warmwater and saltwater slow sinking line. 

This discount covers all the Hook & Hackle fly lines which include the Hi-Floater, Rise, Clear Intermediate, and Switch 101's in various line weights.

Hook & Hackle have also discounted their Flourocarbon Tippet as well to $8.95 a spool.

Stock up.  These fly lines and tippets are a steal at this price.

Hex-A-Glass Gathering

This past weekend over a dozen fiberglass fly rod aficionados gathered on a piece of property on the North Branch of the Au Sable River in northern Michigan for a day of casting fly rods, fellowship, and food.
 
Michigan Photographer Gregg Barckholtz of the Fiberglass Flyrodders forum organized the event and did it up right with a combination of a great location, beautiful but hot weather, and an unreal amount of storied fiberglass fly rods brought out from personal collections for everyone to enjoy.

Gregg sent along over forty photographs which give a pretty good insight into the day. 

 

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

 

Gregg wrote...  "The property is very unique in that the cabins are about 400 yards from the river.  I originally wanted the set up to be at the river, but a few people arrived early and the venue never made it to the river.  The day was very hot with a clear sky.  The feeling was the shade at the cottages was best.  Only one person fished.  No one cared about the river.  We could have held it in a park in Detroit and with this group and these rods all would have been happy, but would they have come? 

We had  original Wanigas, Russ Peak, Vince Cummings, Scott, Sage, Steffen, Paddock, Kabuto, and others.  You name it and it was there.  We had about fifteen casters and about one hundred fly rods."

 

Yet another example of why T.F.M. needs a funded travel budget.  This gathering looked like an excellent time.  

Large Retro Fly Vinyl Cut Decals

Yesterday a couple packages from Boneyard Fly Gear arrived in the mail which contained two dozen large Retro Fly vinyl cut decals along with a short stack of T.F.M. logo vinyl cut decals to put on the sides of the kayak fleet.

The price for a large Retro Fly vinyl cut decal is $10.  These decals measure approximately seven inches by nine inches and are available in reflective white or flat black. 

I provide a discount if more than one "premium" T.F.M. decal is ordered along with the large Retro Fly decal.  Their is an added cost in producing, packing, and shipping these large Retro Fly decals which is reflected in the higher price.   

Please send an email to inquire or to place an order. 

T.F.M. Spotting - Brian's Carp Trip

Brian Bradfield sent in this dispatch of a carp trip that he caught on digital film for the T.F.M. Spotting Photo Contest.

Brian wrote... "Here are a few photos from my trip.  I only fished for about forty-five minutes, hooking two carp and a rock bass.  There were hundreds of carp below the dam in Churchville, New York at Black Creek, but only a few were interested in a fly.

I was alone trying to wrestle a slippery carp all while trying to take a solo shot.  It was tough to say the least, but I managed a few nice shots.  The T.F.M. t-shirt now smells like carp and I probably should wash it....maybe!"

Check out Brian's blog, Brianonthefly, for more photos of his fly fishing trips from this spring. 

Ten Days To Michigan

It struck me yesterday that we are only ten days away from our yearly trip home to Michigan to spend the July 4th holiday with my family.

A lot of anticipation and planning goes into these trips since besides spending a few days at my parents lake house, we usually find ourselves up north as well.  This year we'll be spending a couple days in the Petoskey and Grayling area which I am really looking forward to.  Plans are to bike, play at the beach, and kayak one of the rivers as well.

This year's trip has an added twist to it since Mrs. Manifesto and Finn are flying home on July 7th, Hadley is staying with her cousins, and I'll be fish bumming for five days around the Lower Peninsula, the Upper Peninsula, and even a day on Beaver Island before Hadley and I drive home to South Carolina.

Brook trout, brown trout, smallmouth bass, carp, and a few other species all swim in the waters that I'll be on and I will be linking up with a growing list of friends that I have conversed with online since starting T.F.M. almost three years ago.

It should be quite a two week trip and now's the time to gather up the fly gear needed, fiberglass fly rods in three weight to nine weight, ready the kayaks, the bikes, and everything else that makes our yearly Michigan trip special.

There will be dispatches from the road as long as I can find a Wi-Fi signal or tether off of my iPhone to keep T.F.M. updated.

The Leiderman Rods Build Begins

Simply put...I am addicted to custom built fiberglass fly rod builds.  In the end I figure there are much worse vices to spend extra cash on and I am slowly amassing a rod basket filled with some very excellent example's of these rod artists work.

For the past few years have wanted to add a Leiderman Rods build to my collection.  We've gone back and forth on a build project but when Kabuto Rods began offering unpainted white glass blanks I knew that it was the build I'd like him to do.     

The blank is a Kabuto Rods 7'6" four weight in three pieces and will fit nicely in between the two yellow Kabuto Rods demos (8053/7033) that I have.

Look for a follow up post in a couple days which will make more sense what that stack of pennies are all about.

Matt Leiderman is building very limited numbers of fly rods this year so if you are interested in a build it's smart to contact him sooner than later.  

Father's Day Morning On The Pond

Since I woke up yesterday morning at 04:00 a.m. for some reason, I figured that I might as well sneak the kayak out on the pond for a couple hours.

It wasn't an overly productive morning since I only touched one and busted a few others on failed hook sets. Oh well.

It was nice to start my Father's Day on the water and hope that all the dad's that read this blog had a great day as well.

A Father's Duty

(It's very early on Father's Day morning as I write this and in an hour I'll be pushing the kayak out onto the pond for a couple hours of fly fishing.  I'll hopefully touch a few bass before breakfast.)

As summer has started and the children, Mrs. Manifesto, and I are spending large parts of our days outside together, I have been thinking about how important it is as a parent to teach and be an example for our children. 

It is in a child's nature to want to explore and learn and all to often we're replacing their childhood experiences in the outdoors by letting them burn out their senses with a piece of electronics in their hand while sitting on the couch.

I really think it's the simple things that we do naturally that speak to our children most.  Taking the time to teach is undoubtedly important.  They want to learn.  Take the time to show them how it works.

Yesterday Finn and I were home for a few hours in the afternoon outside playing.  I decided that the kayaks needed a quick wash down and Finn was really into helping.  Finn scrubbed each kayak with the soapy brush, rinsed them off, and played in the waterfall as the water was rolling off the deck and onto the ground.  In the end he was soaked, covered in mud, and happy.  I'd like to think that even as a two year old he's starting to consider that it's important to keep our "toys" in good working shape and if not we still had a good time getting wet.   

So that this post doesn't come off to long and preachy it all comes down to this.  Spend time outside with your children.  Let them play in your fly boxes, catch stuffed animals with your landing nets, tie a funky fly on your vice, practice fly casting in the yard, and catch bluegills with crickets.  They will love all of it.     

To often fly fishing and other outdoor pursuits end up being what dad does and the children never get the chance to try it out for themselves.   Who will do it when we're gone if we don't take the time to teach them and let them try it for themselves?  

Dr. Shade Ascencion Bay Gloves

I've mentioned it before in a few T.F.M. posts that I don't tan at all. Instead of pushing the issue and ending up burnt after being out on the water I am careful to cover up. This typically means wearing a long sleeve microfiber shirt, a wide brim hat, and lightweight gloves to stay sun free.

A couple months ago Glacier Glove sent me a demo pair of their Dr. Shade Ascencion Bay Gloves to review.  These gloves are 50+ UPF and constructed of lycra with a polyurethane palm.

I have been using the Ascencion Bay Gloves on full sun days while paddling and fly fishing on the pond and have been very impressed.

These gloves provide excellent sun protection and fit like they should.  The glove sizing guide was spot on and these gloves feel comfortably snug on your hands.  After a few minutes you'll likely forget that you even have them on. 

The polyurethane palm gives them some stick which is excellent while paddling since these gloves provide a bit of grip on the paddle shaft.

Besides being a great glove on the water they have also withstood washing machine cleanings to get the fish stench out without issue.  I air dry them and they are ready for the water again.

The Dr. Shade Ascencion Bay Gloves are reasonably priced at $22.99 and available on the Glacier Glove website for purchase.

For members of the Outdoor Blogger Network, Glacier Glove is involved with this week's Gear Review Opportunity and two pairs of the Dr. Shade Ascencion Bay Gloves will be given away next week.  Read the guidelines and leave a comment before 5 p.m. MST on Sunday, June 19th for your chance to participate. 

A Tight Loop - June 2011

Yesterday I came across a link to A Tight Loop which is a new online magazine which focuses on Midwest fly fishing.

Growing up in Michigan for the first twenty-five years of my life has certainly given me a soft spot for what some consider the "fly over states" and the fly fishing opportunities that exist there. 

The June 2011 Issue is worth a look and I'll be interested to see how A Tight Loop grows over time. 

Singlebarbed's Free Range Dubbing

A couple weeks ago a white plastic puffy envelope arrived in the mailbox from Keith Barton, a.k.a. Singlebarbed.com, which was filled with dubbing goodness.

Keith has come up with some seriously cool weird scientist blends of animal hair mixed with spectral and special effects added for flash.

It's also of note that Keith's father penned the artwork that he's using in his packaging.  I think it looks pretty sharp and it's easy to see where Keith's artistry of words and on the vise come from.

Check out the Singlebarbed.com eStore for nineteen flavors of dubbing and the Sixth Finger Scissor models as well.

T.F.M. Spotting - Idaho Stillwater

Joni Tomich spent a recent weekend representing in her T.F.M. t-shirt while enjoying some time up on a piece of Idaho stillwater.

If there's one thing that Joni knows, and she knows a lot, it's stillwater fly fishing.  Joni and her husband Alan have their North Fork Outdoors pontoons decked out for serious fly fishing.

Joni...thanks for the T.F.M. Spotting Photo Contest entry.  I could use an out west fix right now. 

Cabela's C.G.R. Series Review

I'll be the first to admit that this review has taken longer than it should have since I have been holding on to the entire series of the Cabela's C.G.R. fiberglass fly rods for whats going on months now.

The other side of it is that spending time on the water and casting each fly rod with several different fly lines does take time and it has certainly given me an opportunity to get a good feel for what each fly rod is about.

Last week I planned a morning off from work and spent it in the front yard with the five C.G.R. Series fly rods, a stack of Hook & Hackle fly lines, and two LOOP fly reels.

I enjoyed a couple hours snapping photos and casting each fly rod with different fly lines to confirm what I liked best and it was a good way to wrap up this long term review.

THE FLY REELS
When thinking about fly reels to use for this review I really wanted something versatile that would be easy to switch out fly lines on, not a budget breaker, and would look cool in photographs as well.  I had been wanting a set of the now discontinued LOOP CLWC fly reels and this seemed like as good of an excuse as any to pick them up for the review.

The LOOP CLWC fly reels are made of clear resin, are certainly different looking, function great, and balanced each of these fly rods nicely.  The CLWC fly reels are priced around $125 each if you can find them in stock.

At last check Castaway Fly Fishing Shop still had a few left in each size.

THE FLY LINES
As this review was coming together I figured that most people reading T.F.M. likely use weight forward fly lines and decided in order to keep this review simple to use these type of fly lines throughout the casting evaluation.

I also wanted to use the same brand of fly line across the entire review since it would be hard to feel the differences that a fly line weight would make when casting each fly rod in this series if it wasn't similar in all respects besides a line weight rating up or down.

Hook & Hackle was gracious to send a few Hi-Floater fly lines which filled in the gaps in between what I already had in their weight forward fly lines in my gear stash already.

I chose the Hi-Floater fly lines since they are an exceptional value (especially when on sale), durable, and generally cast great on fiberglass fly rods.

THE C.G.R. SERIES
As the rumors began circulating early last year about Cabela's reintroduction of fiberglass back into their line up, I was able to get in contact with Joe Wolthuis who was a big help in filling me in on the upcoming series, emailing me a few sneak peaks as the rods went from prototype to production, and then handed me one of the C.G.R. four weights at IFTD last September to give me the first complete look at the upcoming series.

The C.G.R. Series is made up of five fly rods ranging from a 5'9" three weight to a 7'6" 7/8 weight.  Each fly rod in this series comes in three sections and are priced at $100 each.  E-glass blank construction, solid components, a cordura covered rod tube, and a one year warranty all complete this fly rod offering.

Where some who produce what would be considered a very reasonably priced fly rod (let alone fiberglass) would have slapped a generic low grade cork grip, reel seat, and hardware on a fly rod blank, Cabela's went the opposite way and put quite a bit of time in creating this series fly rod by fly rod. 

The lightweight models are slender gripped and feel like a three, four, and five weight should.  The 5/6 weight has a fighting butt and it's obviously capable of getting work done.  The 7/8 weight comes with a full wells grip that isn't overly pronounced, feels good in your hand, and the aluminum hardware is a great match in this powerful fly rod.  

The quality of the cork used on this series is pretty decent with some filler visible on each of the test rods I was sent.  It will be interesting to see how the cork holds up over time but all in all no complaints.

For whatever reason the quality of the cork in the three, four, and five weight fly rods feels just a bit nicer with less filler over the 5/6 and 7/8 weight models but maybe that's just because I've spent most of my time with the 5/6 and 7/8 fly rods on the water this spring and they are the most soiled.

My only real exception with the C.G.R. Series fly rods is that for whatever reason Cabela's decided to have them all made with the same size stripping guides.

The three, four, and even the 4/5 weight fly rods could have used this size stripping guide but in my mind the 5/6 weight and 7/8 weight models should have been built with a larger stripping guide.

This certainly should not be a deal breaker in considering a purchase of one of these fly rods but if you have the skills to replace the stripping guide on the 5/6 weight or 7/8 weight models I think it would increase the performance of those fly rods quite a bit.
 

With having the entire series to look over and compare side by side, I am really impressed with the guide wrap quality and epoxy work done.  For a mass produced fly rod they all look very good with no bumps or sharp spots where a piece of thread was left sticking out.   

I also happen to really like the dark green blank color matched with the black over green wraps and silver tipping.  These are details that you'd not necessarily expect on a fly rod with a $100 price tag.   

The spigot ferrule fit across the entire series is appropriately tight with correct spacing between the fly rod sections.  I like the spigot ferrules and it's a neat feature of these fly rods.

CASTING NOTES
Having spent time on the water and in the yard with each model has helped decipher the strengths in each of these fly rods.

It is interesting to me that someone could pick two or three fly rods from this series and effectively fish just about any type of water they wanted to from exploring hidden blue lines, to hucking streamers from the bow of a drift boat, to working a top water popper around the lily pads on a pond.  All of this is possible without having to break the piggy bank in the process.

Overall I've found that while you might not air out an entire fly line with any of these fly rods that they are effective tools in close and at typical casting ranges.  These fly rods have a progressive taper with a tip that is not to soft and a butt section that makes these great fish fighting tools.

Below are few individual notes on each fly rod model.  Overall I liked each of the split weight fly rods with the heavier fly line since they loaded easier, I was able to get more distance when casting, and they turned over larger flies with less effort.  

5'9" Three Weight - This little three weight would be as happy catching native brook trout or cutthroat on a small stream as it would be casting foam spiders on a farm pond for bluegill.  It roll casts nicely as well for close quarters situations.

I was able to get surprising casting distance out of this sub six foot fly rod and certainly more than you'd ever need to on most step across creeks where you'd likely be taking this little three weight.

6'6" Four Weight - This four weight would be a very decent all around light trout rod which is happiest casting dry flies, swinging soft hackles, and small nymph setups.  It can likely do more but this is what it will do best in my mind. 

7' 4/5 Weight -  This dual line model has two different personalities.  With a four weight fly line it felt delicate but with a five weight fly line it felt much more powerful.  If technical presentations were needed I'd recommend lining it with a four weight fly line and if you were planning on using larger flies, even up to bulky hopper and stimulator patterns, then I'd recommend the five weight fly line.  A great all around fly rod that I wouldn't be afraid to take on larger waters as well.

7'6" 5/6 Weight - This is the lightweight workhorse of the line up and again if you're looking for lighter presentations then go with a five weight fly line but if you're needing to turn over larger flies or load the fly rod easier than jump up to the six weight fly line.

This fly rod can do big dry flies, streamers, and nymph work with relative ease.

7'6" 7/8 Weight - With a seven weight fly line this fly rod performed great casting medium size warmwater flies but really excelled with larger flies and creating distance on the casts with an eight weight line.

This is an excellent all around warmwater fly rod to use in a kayak and I wouldn't be afraid to take it along on a salt trip if needed.  

In summary this entire series is a heck of a value for the price, quite a bit of fun to fish, and Cabela's got it right on a lot of levels.  I like that they didn't offer up a watered down fly rod series just to say that they had a commemorative fiberglass fly rod available for order.

This was a smartly designed series borrowing old school fly rod lengths and upgrading the material and components used to create a very usable fly rod series which will appeal to dedicated "Glass Geeks" and our graphite waving (but curious) brethren alike.