“Paul Young, Ted Williams, and the Parabolic Bonefish Rods”: TAFF Summer 2026 article by John Feldenzer

The Summer 2026 issue of The American Fly Fisher, published by the American Museum of Fly Fishing, contains an article written by John Feldenzer titled “Paul Young, Ted Williams, and the Parabolic Bonefish Rods.” In this article (the fourth that he has written for TAFF), John describes the friendship shared by Paul H. Young and Boston Red Sox legend Ted Williams, and several Florida Keys bone fishing trips that they took from 1949 to 1951. Their angling experiences on these trips led to development of a series of saltwater fly rods by PHY, which are described in the article. Bob Summers reviewed the draft manuscript and added a great deal based on his knowledge of and experiences at the Paul H. Young Company. I also reviewed and made additions to the manuscript, sharing with John much of the research that I have developed over the years, as well as photographs, reference material, and information that developed from posts and conversations on the Classic Fly Rod Forum.