Some of my Uncle's "old" stuff

[dtp916]

I was recently able to acquire my uncle's fly fishing equipment he bought to go with me. He passed away in 2002 of cancer. :( He was my favorite uncle and my godfather.

I got a whole box of flies I tied for him when I was 15 : Rockworms, PTs, Hare's ears, Bird's Nest, Z-Wings, and an assortment of Elk Hair Caddis. I'm very excited about this, since my box was looking kinda empty and I've only been tying San Juans and stone nymphs lately :D

His Sage rod and Ross Gunnison Reel. Neoprene Waders and boots (they don't fit, but should fit my other uncle who's coming up to fish with me this summer).

Question is....All this stuff was used maybe 5 times and has been sitting in the attic of his Los Altos house sine '99. No doubt the tippet and leader material is destroyed, but what do you guys think will be of his fly line? Reel Lubrication??? All his stuff was stored neatly, rod in tube, reel in neoprene case, etc. I'm trying to figure out if I really should get a new line for it - the memory is pretty bad at the moment, but it looks clean and nice. Everything appears to be in excellent condition.

[bigtj]

Even the tippet could be OK. I have tippet that is 15 years old that is just as strong as the day I bought it, because I store it in a cold place out of sunlight. Lefty Kreh did an experiment where he tested 30-year old mono vs. new stuff and found it just as strong. If it was stored in the heat it may not be good. And the old tippet isn't as strong because of advances in chemicals. But I wouldn't just throw it away, you can probably use it esp. for smaller fish.

I own 5 gunnison reels and I have never lubricated any of them, including 6 years of guiding in Alaska. The original instruction booklet from my oldest reel, a G-3 from the late 1980's, says "your reel will require no lubrication, ever". It also says "if you must oil it keep the drag friction surfaces free from oil". I wouldn't touch it, just a wash with warm soapy water and a rinse to get any left-over dirt off it.

If the line looks good and isn't cracked no need to replace it, either. I have a 3-wt line I don't use much, it's 25 years old and still works fine.

Your uncle is somewhere smiling right now his stuff is about to get used again and, some day, hopefully passed on.

PS you can get rid of at least some of the fly-line memory by stretching it. I stretch my fly lines at the beginning of every day's fishing.

[Adam Grace]

James, sorry to hear about your uncle. I have also recently lost my favorite uncle. Have fun with his gear, I bet that he'd want you to enjoy it.