As someone who appreciates history and all things vintage it is refreshing to see the reemergence of some classic styled rods in the midst of constantly evolving technologies to keep customers forking out $500 on new fly rods. When I made the decision to enter the already crowded and oversaturated fly rod market I knew I wanted to introduce an affordable fly rod that has a classic look and smooth action that is such a joy to cast it reminds us of what fly fishing is all about. Make no mistake; the Ruby River while affordable is an extremely well made fly rod which includes Pacific Bay titanium coated single foot guides, AAA half well cork handle with compressed cork ring accents on each end. With a beautiful natural wood reel seat, transparent red finish, burgundy wraps with silver accents I feel this rod is as aesthetically pleasing as it is functional. *** New version of this rod comes with red guide wraps instead of the black pictured ***