A Marc Aroner Hunt Pattern Special bamboo fly rod, 7'6", 3-piece, 2-tips, and built for a #6 line. DF action. 4.5 ounces. Mint condition, not even lawn cast since it was shipped to the customer in 2000. Perfect varnish with three up tiny pressed nodes and mirrored tips. The main wraps are "may rose" which, when varnished on the flamed blank, turns a rich garnet color. The edges are orange. The swell is decorated with signature wraps and there is a light scheme of three turn intermediates done in May Rose. The stripper is agate and the snakes are antique HSS high arch. The ferrules are slightly truncated swiss style with a collar on the males and an incised slant knurl with two trim marks. The ferrules are oxidized jet black and come with my older style all brass ferrule plugs. There is a small hook keeper on the wrap flat. The grip is 5" long and done in a western style with a hidden pocket cap in the heel. The reel seat is an uplocking black anodized aluminum screwlock made entirely in my shop, and I have taken every effort to make these screwlocks jam-proof. The thread is 16 TPI acme style to channel any grit. The nut is finished tapped with an .005 oversize tap and the interior threads are polished to eliminate any barred edges. The nut is pared off from the slide to avoid binding and a taper to match the hardy foot is inlet so the slide will pull up rather than pitch off when tightened. The slide is stamped "Aroner, Maker" in cartouche. The mortised varnished wood spacer is a stunning piece of pure highly figured Koa. An aluminum black anodized end cap is decorated with an incised slant knurl and a Leonard-style target. The rod is pin straight. I keep one of these tapers among my personal rods and consider it one of the best for fishing the Delaware river when turning over a long leader is important, and this model has also been used to fish for landlocked salmon in Maine as well. The rod packs into a green poplin original bag and the tube is polished aluminum with brass fittings and my stamp on the brass collar.

This rod comes from the collection of Dr. Earl Fleegler, a passionate angler and well-known collector in the fly fishing community as well as a renowned hand surgeon. Dr. Fleegler was close friends with a number of angling luminaries including Tom Maxwell, Vince Marinaro, and Stan Bogdan (among others) and devoted considerable effort to collecting some of the finest tackle available from masters of the craft.