{"product_id":"mccloud-bamboo-fly-rod-73-3-wt-medium-fast-gary-howells-taper","title":"McCloud Bamboo Fly Rod 7'3\" 3-wt Medium | Gary Howells Taper","description":"\u003ch3\u003eA refined 3-weight that packs down.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe McCloud runs off Mount Shasta through deep canyon and forest. The best of it is not the water you park next to. It is the water you walk into, where wild trout hold in flat runs and watch a fly land before they decide. That fishing rewards a light rod and a soft touch.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt 7'3\" in a 3-weight, the McCloud puts a small dry exactly where you want it. The medium action loads with almost nothing out past the tip, so the short cast to a close fish still bends the rod and lands soft. It breaks into three pieces, so the rod that fishes technical water is also the rod you can carry in to it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThree Pieces, About 30 Inches\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA two-piece 7'3\" rod travels in a tube around 46 inches long. That is a closet and a truck bed. Broken into three, the McCloud rides in a tube just over 30 inches. It straps to a pack, lies flat in a duffel, and goes in an overhead bin without a conversation at the gate.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe will be straight with you about what that does and does not mean. This is not a rod that disappears inside a daypack. That takes four pieces, and on a rod this light the extra ferrule costs you more feel than the packing is worth. Three pieces is the point where a 3-weight still casts like a 3-weight and still goes where you are going.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Howells Taper\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGary Howells built rods in California and came up through E.C. Powell's shop. Collectors know his work for its precision. He built for anglers who fished western water and wanted a rod that simply worked.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a medium 3-weight. It bends deep and comes back unhurried, and that is exactly what saves a fine tippet when a good fish turns at the net. It loads on a short line, so the quiet cast at close range is the one it does best.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHowells never numbered his tapers the way Payne and Dickerson did. His rods are known by length and line weight, so this one is what it says it is: a 7'3\" 3-weight Howells.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eBuilt the Way a Bamboo Rod Should Be\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe McCloud is hand-planed to the standard that has defined Headwaters rods since 2002.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe fittings:\u003c\/strong\u003e A finely knurled double-locking downlocking reel seat with stabilized burled maple insert. Ultra-fine cork grip. Red agate stripping guide. Hard chrome guides wrapped in deep burgundy thread with a narrow black tip.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe tube:\u003c\/strong\u003e Cordura rod tube with rod sock included.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eChoose Your Version\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Favorite | $650\u003c\/strong\u003e - Single-tip version for the angler who wants to get on the water first. Same rod, same fittings, same hand-planed cane. Clear upgrade path to the Deluxe when you're ready.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Deluxe | $750\u003c\/strong\u003e - Two tips, two sections of extra security. The complete rod as it was meant to be fished. A second tip on its own is $150, so the Deluxe is the cheaper way to own both.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAdd the matching reel at half price.\u003c\/strong\u003e At checkout you can add a Clark Fork 2.5 fly reel, sized to this rod. It sells for $275 on its own, and it's $137.50 with the rod. Line it yourself, or add Line It and we'll spool it ready to fish.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"background: #EDE3D2; border-left: 3px solid #8B6420; padding: 16px 20px; margin-bottom: 28px;\"\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin: 0 0 4px 0; font-family: 'Source Sans 3',Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: 600; letter-spacing: 0.15em; text-transform: uppercase; color: #8b6420;\"\u003e3-Piece Travel Design\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin: 0; font-family: 'Source Sans 3',Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.6; color: #3a2a10;\"\u003eJust over 30 inches broken down. Straps to a pack, lies flat in a duffel, fits an overhead bin. The lightest rod in the line is also the easiest one to bring along.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAction:\u003c\/strong\u003e Medium\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLength:\u003c\/strong\u003e 7'3\"\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLine weight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 3-weight\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePieces:\u003c\/strong\u003e 3 (Deluxe includes extra tip)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eConstruction:\u003c\/strong\u003e Solid\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTaper:\u003c\/strong\u003e Gary Howells 7'3\" 3-weight\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReel seat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Downlocking, double-locking knurled nut, stabilized burled maple insert\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGrip:\u003c\/strong\u003e Ultra-fine cork\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eStripping guide:\u003c\/strong\u003e Red agate\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGuide wrap:\u003c\/strong\u003e Deep burgundy with black tip\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTube:\u003c\/strong\u003e Cordura with rod sock\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eNo Risk. Our Promise.\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFish it for 30 days. If it's not the rod you hoped it would be, send it back for a full refund, no questions asked. The lifetime warranty covers the original owner for as long as you fish it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n","brand":"Headwaters Bamboo","offers":[{"title":"Deluxe | 2-tips","offer_id":47632651878571,"sku":"BB-MCCLOUD-2","price":750.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Favorite | 1-tip","offer_id":47632651911339,"sku":"BB-MCCLOUD-1","price":650.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0442\/7982\/4551\/files\/enhanced-mckenzie-fixed_4084c8f8-62e4-4f37-abfe-7e0f2f82b04c.png?v=1786820326","url":"https:\/\/headwatersbamboo.com\/products\/mccloud-bamboo-fly-rod-73-3-wt-medium-fast-gary-howells-taper","provider":"Headwaters Bamboo","version":"1.0","type":"link"}