Kusse, Ron – Elf 7'6" 5wt.

For your consideration is an impregnated Ron Kusse Elf model bamboo fly rod. This is a 7' 6" two-piece for a 5 weight weighing 3.50 ounces. I have been told and read that the Elf was fashioned after the Perfectionist. This rod is reflective of those characteristics of that taper.

Tempered using a Tiger Stripe or Mottling Flame technique, this rod is wrapped with mahogany translucent silks. There is a 1/4" wrap where the very subtle swelled butt meets the cork - true to many parabolic rods this is absent of a winding check. Acting as the check between the grip and reel seat, the mortised walnut spacer is stepped and is fitted with blued hardware. The butt cap has two roll stamped marks – "Ron Kusse Maker" and "The Elf." There is also a small "Kusse" roll stamp on the ferrule. In my hand, the rod is medium-fast and bends deep to the grip. Bag tag reads 3 5/8 ounces, but on my scale, it is 3.50 ounces.

Ron Kusse held the position of Vice President at the Leonard Rod Company for the majority of the 1970s. The rods he built under his name reflected the defining characteristics of Eastern rod building — elegant swelled butts, refined tips, and a crisp, responsive casting feel.