Paul Hermann's post at The Classic Fly Rod Forum

When I looked down at the shattered rod in my hands my heart sank...I had just destroyed such a thing of beauty. It took me several days after I got home to get up the courage to email and tell Marcelo the tale.... The Golden Salmon was like no other cane rod I had ever had in my hands. It cast like no other. A good fishing friend who lawn cast it just a few weeks before was amazed by the way it cast and plans to contact Marcelo for a rod built with the same taper...This same friend has only used Young para's for salmon for years..I watched him break one just as mine did a few inches above the cork and just at the end of a long battle down threw 1/2 mile of rapids with a 36 pound bright salmon on the Cascepedia 10 years ago...I remember how his emotions were mixed...elation for his biggest fish he ever had on,, mixed with terrible saddness over the what happened to the rod....But he said then,,and still feels the same,,,that the makers of these wonderful masterpieces created them to use...not sit in a display rack.....I know I have always felt the same about my reels...they deserve to be used..That's why I made them......the dings and dents can always be be fixed or rebuilt...I have been blessed to catch many large salmon in my fishing life....The Golden Salmon withstood a lot of pressure ....as anyone on this board who has caught a few bright salmon over 25 pounds in a big high water spring river will surely know....Why the rod chose to break at the end I don't know...perhaps just a bit too much pressure,,.... there comes a time in a fight with this size fish that it needs to be landed or lost ....My hope is that Marcelo will forgive what I did to his masteriece and rebuild this wonderful rod for me.........rm

Again, thank you very much my friend.

Sometimes something must be sacrificed to win a battle

This story really shock's me... with a mix of proudness and deception.
Some months ago my dear friend Paul Hermann, maker of one of the best and beautiful reels in the world, ask me to make a special rod for Atlantic Salmon fishing.
This was a real challenge because this was my first rod with so special purpose... fight with the king of the rivers!. The Atlantic Salmon. I designed a special taper using some of my experience I got, fighting and fishing another king of the rivers... our "Fresh water Dorado".
Because of that and trying to honor this spectacular fish I called it, the Golden Salmon.
It is a 8' 6" hollow build rod for a #7 line. A light Salmon rod, that cast wonderful, I love it and also Paul love it so I feel very happy with the new taper and the new rod..
A week ago my dear friend send me an email with a mixing of good news and bad news and you will understand why...

The following are some pictures that Paul send me and part of the story on his own words.



Marcelo...I am feeling very very bad...I broke the Golden salmon at the very end of a long battle with an almost 30 pound bright ,fresh from the ocean, very, very strong salmon. "Opening morning I drew a very good pool and on our fifth boat drop threw the pool I hooked this monster...The Golden salmon was casting perfectly...I love how it casts...fits my style to a tee.....I had a light tippet on so I knew I would have to play any fish carefully....the fish came to the fly and didn't take...left just a huge swirl...I rested it a minute and cast again...huge hit and pull...played the fish for about 45 minutes..it made 5 long runs well into the backing...one of which had us taking the canoe down threw a set of rapids to follow the fish......my guide Kevin moved the 26 foot Gaspe canoe to shore twice to play the fish from more slack water...The Matapedia is a big river with heavy water with the spring runoff early in
June....Kevin had the net ready as I turned the head of this strong fish into the net...I heard a cracking sound and looked down to see the the rod literally explode just above the cork handle and inbetween the intermediate wraps...it looked as if the strips all came apart at once...I grabbed the upper section of rod and tried to play the fish ..but it must have been weakened by the fight as well....in desperation I grabbed the line and turned the head of the fish into the net...if the rod had broken even 5 minutes earlier in the fight it would have been lost....



"I usually don't kill salmon anymore...I did plenty of that in my younger days,,,but this was a special fish....my first salmon on the Golden salmon and the first salmon of the year at Cold Springs Camp....a feast was prepared the next noon of fresh fiddleheads and salmon for the whole staff and all the fishermen....the story of this fish was told and will be remembered for years to come....my only hope is that you will be able to rebuild this wonderful rod for me....of all the fish I have ever caught,,I will remember this one forever..."



Thank you Paul... thank you for this great story. That was an incredible fish and an incredible battle, I will also remember it forever!!! We will make it next time, I will work for that...