Ciemiega, Tom – 6' 3" 4wt, Midge

For your consideration is a Tom Ciemiega Midge bamboo fly rod. This is a 6' 3"  two-piece for a four weight weighing 2.45 ounces. In the late 1950s, Tom Ciemiega started working in Paul Young’s shop tying flies. Paul taught Tom his secrets of the trade on the weekends over a four year tutelage. Tom once traded 80 dozen hand tied flies to Paul for a “Martha Marie." All sections are full length and straight.

The cane has a rich flamed tempering with chestnut brown wraps. Well proportioned cigar grip measures 4 5/8" in length with an all cork seat. There is some mild ridging on the grip. The ferrules completely set and the varnish finish is glass like. In my hand, the action is on the fast side of medium-fast with feeling deep into the rod. A Paul Young collector on the Classic Fly Rod Forum said Ciemiega's rods "should take a back seat to no one." His work is of the highest standards.

From the article "Tom Ciemiega Cane/Bamboo Rod Artisan"

When he (Tom) and his wife Shirley became engaged to be married, Shirley bought Tom a Paul Young, seven and a half foot ‘Midge’ bamboo rod for an engagement present. He continued to visit Paul’s shop every chance that he got. On some of the visits, he even met people like Ted Williams, Joan Wulff, and Ernie Schweibert. Over the years, with the demands of a family, his working career and other pursuits, Tom never quite got to the rod making.

(In the late 1990's), forty years since his association with Paul Young, Tom decided that if he were to ever take up bamboo rod making, it was “either do it now or forget about it.” He poured over his notes from his days with Paul Young. Today, Tom constructs some of the finest cane rods ever to hit a stream in the hands of fly-fishers. To cast one of his meticulously built bamboo poles is to be able to study artwork in form and function. The rods not only perform flawlessly, casting forty or more feet of line effortlessly, they are perfect in their appearance as well.