1986.

I'm a poor,starving college student off on summer break. G.Loomis had just introduced their IM6 line and the 1141. Starving or not and with terminal fish sickness....I purchased the rod as a kit to build as a baitcaster. Any of you old-school Loomis guys remember when they sold kits? The good old days.

Anyways, I get the rod built and head to the Kalama to do some summer run damage. Fishing was good. I hadn't had the rod a week and one morning I started at the Red Barn at first light. Landed a fish in short order, bonked it, laid the rod down next to it, stepped away to get my punch card, took one step back and "c-r-u-n-c-h" my left foot did a perfect landing on the tip section. I hadn't set it down but 30 seconds earlier and my absent mindedness already kicked in.

I was beside myself and felt like throwing myself in the river and had I been able to give myself a swift kick in the ass, I would have.

It had a happy ending though. The same day I ran on down to Woodland when Gary still had his little shop up the Lewis. They were open so I go in to explain my lame-ness and none other than Gary himself steps in, takes the bottom half and says "I'll be right back" and returned with a new perfectly matched tip section. On my way out, he gave me wink and says "I feel your pain....I've had a few of those myself."