Kalyn Hogard, December 2025
Recently, I was at the Fly Fishers International get together in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I had a student testing to become an instructor, and our very own Master McVey was taking the Master Casting Instructor examination. I was just there hanging around at the Fly Fest to support them. I did get the opportunity to do a distance casting demonstration to fire-off the event, but otherwise I was posted up with my popup tent next to some good casting grass in a hotel parking lot, casting with Marty, reassuring a student, and entertaining my Springer Spaniel. A laid-back good time.
Here I am minding my own business playing with a whippy stick and string in the grass, when along comes a rep from a major rod manufacturer. He wanted to know which rods I was using, if I was representing any company, or if I had a rod sitting around that I thought he should cast. I told the unsuspecting victim that I had a pretty strong affinity for Douglas Rods. Marty happened to have a 5 wt. SKY G sitting near by, and I thought it would be a good rod for him to cast around. This guy could sling a nice tight loop at 40 to 50 feet. Really mechanical nice loops going fast, straight, to and away from its intended target. I was kind of impressed to be honest. It was almost like this guy made a living casting rods in front of people.
Casting with people as much as I do, you can just tell when someone likes a rod. There’s a little bit of a smile, a little playfulness, a second check of the label to see, “What is this again?” but it can be subtle. A company man, especially one from a different company, will say the right words, “Every rod manufacturer has a great rod anymore, Don’t They?” I kept my opinions on that matter to myself, smiled, and said, “that’s a fun one to play with, isn’t it?” We continued on with our banter as we waited for Marty because I really needed someone who actually knew some stuff to come around. Once we were all three in the parking lot we talked about fly rods for a while, and I couldn’t help but bring up the SKY G 6wt salt. I love that stick and every fly casting nerd I meet knows it. I had made the comment that the SKY G 6wt salt was all around the best fishing rod I could think of for the list of species I rambled off. The rep then makes the comment, “Well, we can’t help but to drink the Koolaid a little bit, can we?”
I suspect he meant that most people would have some sort of bias in favor of the company that pays them. Little did he know, I’m not making any money from Douglas Outdoors. I just genuinely stand behind the rods. They are great rods, the company has always been good to me, and I gladly cast Douglas rods while wearing Douglas hats. Although I know that we don’t all have the opportunity to choose who we associate ourselves with, I really couldn’t imagine standing behind a product that you didn’t truly believe in. I suppose I can count myself lucky.
