In the summer of 1952, Paul H. Young fished the Driggs River during a trip to Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Young's beloved eight-foot-long Para 15 was too big a rod for the stream, which measured no more than fourteen feet wide and was canopied by alders. However, the Driggs River provided perfect habitat for large brown trout and was well worth the trouble of designing a new rod to meet its challenges. So Young created the "Driggs River Special," commonly known as the "Driggs," a rod that will delicately fish small flies, but built with the strength to haul a heavy fish away from submerged roots.
The length of 7'2" seems unusual, but Young was already building a spinning rod of that same length called the "Lightweight." The ferrule size is 13/64. My Driggs rod, built circa 1953-55, measures 0.265" at the grip and then becomes very slightly thicker for a few inches before tapering toward the tip. As befits a rod used in tight places, the Driggs is superb for roll casting, driving a fly forward with speed and accuracy.
PHY "Driggs" rod
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PHY "Driggs" rod
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Other rod databases: Dickerson , Orvis , Powell
Other rod databases: Dickerson , Orvis , Powell
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