St. Croix Curse

Do you believe that it is possible for a fly rod can be cursed? Is it possible that a flyrod can be possessed by some evil imp or demon? Well, if you ask me, not only do I believe it is possible, but I own that very fly rod. I am not sure how I came to possess this particular fly rod, but I have it.

At first I thought it came that way from the manufacture. Kind of like a “manufactures defect”. You know, some wayward evil spirit hanging around the warehouse decided to go on an adventure so it bonded itself to my flyrod and headed off to Missouri.

Here’s how it started. After a few years of fly fishing with cheaper fly rods (with out breaking them) I decided that I wanted to buy me a really nice fly rod. A couple years ago I cut out this picture of a St. Croix 4-piece, Legend Ultra, 8-foot, 5-weight and taped it to my wall. This was the rod. I saved money and in a couple years I could afford it. Last March I was able to finally purchase my dream rod.

When the Rod came in the mail I took it out of the rod tube and drooled at it. It was so beautiful and I finally owned it. The first time I took it fishing it was like a dream. The action was so smooth and it really seemed to match with casting style. WOW! I was so happy. Kind of like a kid with his first BB gun. On the second trip fishing with my new fly rod the second and third ferrules slipped apart and the end of the third piece snapped off. It was pure devastation at first, but it is a St. Croix and they have a lifetime warranty. I quickly mailed the fly rod into the company.

WHAMO! On Friday of the next week the rod was back in my hands, repaired and ready to fish.

The very next day after getting the rod back I headed to Bennett Spring for a day of fishing and hanging out at the small conclave they have down there in early June. I left the house at 4:00 A.M. and drove to Bennett Spring. I fished off and on between thunderstorms and hung out with the guys tying under the big conclave tent. About noon I decided to head up to try Roubidoux Creek for a while. Before I left I just slipped the fly rod into the explorer, but rather than break it down and put it in the rod tube I left it together. About half way out of the park I hit the button to lower the window, But hit the passenger side window instead. After realizing the mistake I rolled up the passenger window and SNAP! I screamed in horror. My heart sunk and I was instantly sick to my stomach. How could this of happened? I had my fly rod back for less than 24 hours and I broke it again. This time it was my stupid fault and that made it worse. I was so embarrassed about the whole deal that I waited 2 weeks before I packed it up and mailed it back to St. Croix. This time I wrote a sad sad sob letter that explained how my stupidity had broke the tip and I fully expected to pay for the repairs.

WHAMO! A week later the rod was back at the house with a brand new tip and I was ready to go again.

At this point I was beginning to suspect the rod was possessed and I figured that the demons would get bored and leave if I let it sit for a while before using it again. I placed the fly rod in a rack and let it rest for 7 days.

A few days later I took my friend Mel out to Mill Creek for his very first fishing trip for wild Missouri trout. We had a wonderful day fishing. The new tip was working great, the rod cast great, and I caught two fish. After fishing a couple miles downstream from Wilkin’s spring we headed back to the truck. To save some time we slipped up into the pastures and went to the road. As we approached the road we also approached the barbwire fence that ran parallel to the road. I found what looked like a sturdy corner post, placed my fly rod up in a tree and out of the way. I started over the fence. I was about half way over the fence when a multi-floral rose jumped out and grabbed my leg. I started to wobble. Not wanting to poke a hole in my waders, I flung my arm in the air and caught a small limb to steady myself. I then finished stepping over the fence. SNAP! I didn’t even think about it. It had to be a twig since my fly rod was in the tree. I grabbed the fly rod, but the reel was no longer attached, except for by the fly line. In my flailing to steady myself, I knocked the fly rod out of the tree and down onto the ground. That twig I heard was the fly rod about 2 inched above the handle. Again, I screamed in horror. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to cry, throw up, or have a cussing fit. My friend Mel looked at me in horror wondering what I was going to do. More importantly he was wondering if he should run.

In the end all I could do was laugh. Not because it was funny, but because this was just too surreal. I have fished with my dream fly rod 4 times, 3 of those times it has broken. Again, I am so embarrassed to send it to St. Croix. I figured I would wait around for a few months before I sent it in.  Beside, I needed time to come up with a really good story…I had decided that I would tell them a mad bull chased me out of a local honey hole and I used it to defend my self. 

I never did send in the rod. I didn’t have to. My wife was so sick of me moping around the house pouting over my broke fly rod she decided to do it for me. She wrote a letter to St. Croix and put in the package. She will not let me see the letter she wrote, but she says there were words like “stupid husband”, “steel re-enforced fly rod” and even “unbreakable rubber pieces”. In the end she closed the letter with “here is the tight-wads credit card number…just bill him for the repairs”. I love my wife…she is so great. She saves me from all those embarrassing moments in life.

IRONY!

Here is the irony…I realize that 2/3 of this mess is due to my stupidity, but I have fly fished for nine years now. I have two cheap rods that are nine years old and there isn’t even a scratch on them. I finally buy a nice rod and all I can do is break it. For this reason I am convinced that this rod is cursed by some demon. I am currently in the market for a good priest that can perform an exorcism on the rod. Know of any?