American Made Rods
The last rod from the previous page has been carried over here to give a sense of continuity to the progression.
The rods in this section are grouped by manufacturer so that different models from the same stable can be compared more easily. The guiding plan here was to try and obtain two rods from each of the major manufacturers, and this page represents the progress to date! The rods in this section are purely American in origin, made for and sold in the American market, but they represent the height of production and distribution of bamboo rods in the "Golden Age" from the late 1920's to the point when the Communist revolution in China led to an embargo on the imports of Tonkin cane in the early '50's. It was this period that saw the end of rattan and sheet cork grasps, with cork rings allowing for a wider range of grip styles. Reel seats became more robust and some of the best known names in the making of bamboo rods emerged into the limelight. |
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Rods from "The Golden Age" of Bamboo
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Another Horrocks Ibbotson rod. The only mark on this rod is the simple legend, "Made in USA" but the wraps and conical winding check are strongly suggestive of a HI product. Ironically this rod was purchased in Dundee, the very town in which Thomas Chubb's agent had begun importing and brokering American bamboo in the 1880's
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Horrocks Ibbotson "Utica" 9' 3/1.
This rod sports one of the most attractive of the HI decals. Originally believed to be used between 1923 and 1926, the "Trout" decal has been seen on rods made as late as the 1940's, which is probably the date of this rod. Wrapped with scarlet silk with widely spaced intermediates in green, this rod has at some time had an additional stripping guide fitted, perhaps to act as a hook-keep. The screw-lock reel seat has a painted resin spacer. Not one of HI's higher grade rods but still someone's much loved fishing stick. |
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Horrocks Ibbotson "Lucky Ace".
A very good and clean example of a less well thought of rod, - don't let the two-colour guide wraps fool you. Produced at the lower end of the HI range, the stripping guide is simply a snake guide and there are no intermediate wraps. The reel seat is largely moulded plastic with lightweight furniture. |
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Horrocks Ibbotson "Spinner".
This 9' 3/2 rod is a horse of a different colour. This was a much better quality rod than the preceding two examples, placed in the upper mid range of rods offered by HI. It has an agate-lined stripping guide, intermediate wraps and a finely chosen colour scheme. The decal was used up until about 1950. This particular rod suffers from a short tip and the loss of its original bag. |
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Horrocks Ibbotson "Tonka Prince" is one of a whole group of two piece rods styled variously as as "Tonka Prince", Tonka Princess", "Tonka Queen" and "Tonka King".
Though pitched fairly low in the HI hierarchy, these two- piece rods have achieved a significant following for their fishing qualities, an aspect that simply underlines the importance of taper. Get the taper right, and even the most humble rod can become a favourite. This particular example has a slightly short tip with a visible repair wraps below the tip top. Despite the limitations, the use of brown silk without colour preserver really does make this an attractive looking rod. This may be a re-wrap as many Prince rods were offered with blue wraps, though the "Tonka Queen" appeared with similar wraps to this example. |
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Montague "Flash".
While Horrocks Ibbotson may have been the biggest manufacturer of fishing tackle in the world, The Montague Rod and Reel Company as it became in in the early '30's, made more rods and in more variety. Bait rods, boat rods, sea-fishing rods, casting and fly fishing rods were produced in the thousands, appealing to almost every angling style and pocket. This "Flash" probably lies quite close to the HI "Lucky Ace" (above) in terms of its original market placing. In a direct comparison, the only tangible difference is the presence of a bridge guide as a stripper on this rod. Even the colour and presentation of the rods is very similar. |
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Montague "Rapidan" c/w bag and tube 9'.
If we consider the "Lucky Ace/Flash" to be a fair comparison, then it probably doesn't stretch the imagination too much to compare the "Rapidan" here with the HI "Spinner" though to be entirely fair, my impression is the "Rapidan" is of higher quality. That may be down to this specific example which is made up of alternating blond and flamed cane segments which has created a very dramatic effect. Wraps are the correct yellow silk and the rod comes complete with the original bag and tube. |
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Heddon No. 14 "Thorobred" 8' 6"
James Heddon and Sons of Dowagiac, Michigan may not have produced the same dazzling variety of rods as Montague or HI, but they did produce consistent, quality rods for both fly and bait fishing. The first Heddon rods were bait casting rods, made to complement the range of lures made by the company, but the first fly rod, the No.35 was introduced in 1924. The first version of the No. 14 followed in 1927 and it was in the late 1920's that names were added to better distinguish each rod. This example of a "Thorobred" dates from some time after 1939 as indicated by the lack of black tipping on the wraps and the style of script on the shaft. All else is correct and as expected, - the coral Pyralin reel seat and the "velour effect" finish caused by the typical Heddon varnish "melt down". (There are plans for this rod to be refinished) |
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Heddon No 10 "Blue Waters" 9'
From the same period, this No. 10 Blue Waters has been refinished, retaining the original correct blue and white jasper wraps and scripted legend. Both rods have the characteristic Heddon swelled butt and general build quality. |
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Granger Champion GC9050
Goodwin Granger believed the dry, stable climate of Colorado was ideal for making bamboo rods, a belief still shared by some of the best rod makers of today. The rods he made varied in two respects, taper and quality of finish/price point. The former is defined by the model number of the rod, this is his 9' 5 ounce model, hence 9050. The name of the model defines the quality level, of which there were ultimately seven, ranging from "Registered", individually numbered rods using the best materials and fittings, to the "Champion", of which this is an excellent example. Like the Heddon rods above, this rod has a subtly swelled butt. The red, tipped black, wraps are consistent with the Champion quality level and the rod is completely original and un-restored, even including the original bag made from WW1 surplus olive drab fabric. |
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Gene Edwards trade rod for Shakespeare, "Tony Accetta Model 3017"
Like Goodwin Granger, Gene Edwards was one of the "named" rod builders of "The Golden Age". His father, Eustis, had been one of the pioneers of the modern split bamboo fly rod, working with Hiram Leonard in Bangor. This is a "trade rod" made to be sold under another manufacturer or retailer's brand, in this case, The Shakespeare Company of Kalamazoo, Michigan. The rod can be attributed to Edwards product by the white script on the rod shaft, now turned golden yellow with the aging of the varnish, Although this tod is by Edwadrs, it is worth remembering that other makers did use white script, notably Horrocks-Ibbotson. This is a "Premier" grade example, as indicated by the label on the rod tube. Edwards also supplied a "De-luxe" grade with beautifully flamed cane and characteristic maroon wraps tipped gold. The third name in this odd little "fishy triangle" is Tony Accetta. He was something of a celebrity in the late 1930's, a professional casting champion who went on to establish his own brand "Tony Accetta and Son" making a range of his own endorsed fishing baits. |
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South Bend/Cross Model 28 Doublebuilt
In similar circumstances to Heddon, The South Bend Bait Co. began marketing a range of rods to complement their bait and lure offering. Until 1925 these were supplied by the Winchester Rod Company, and made by Eustis Edwards. When this arrangement came to an end, South Bend acquired the rod making operation of the Cross Rod Company and their rod maker in chief, Wes Jordan. Though not as prominent as some of the other named rod makers of the age, Jordan went on to produce some excellent casting and fishing rods under the South Bend banner. This is one of the original Cross designs. Doublebuilt rods had two layers of cane and comprised of twelve strips, each face of the rod consisting of two strips laminated together. This resulted in double the number of power fibres per inch of the rod and was believed to produce a more powerful rod as a result. This particular rod has had the reel seat and handle replaced at some point, but does benefit from its original tube and bag. The pictures include pages from the 1937 South Bend catalogue, showing the original appearance of the handle and reel seat and confirming that the rest of the rod is as manufactured, with orange jasper wraps tipped orange, a very handsome combination on the dark cane. |
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South Bend Model 59
This is one of the rods that Jordan devised for South Bend. South Bend rods are defined by the model number. These take the form 1XX, XX and 3XX, where XX defines the finish, wrap colours and fittings of the rod, and the prefix, or lack of, defines the taper. A "1" indicates a Trout taper, no prefix, a Bass taper and the "3" indicates a Dry Fly taper. Hence this rod is a Model 59 in a Bass taper. This rod was restored in 2001 and although many rods of this type were wrapped in jasper silks the plain brown is consistent with some factory finished rods. |
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South Bend Model 359
This is the faster and lighter sister to the above rod, this time in factory finish orange jasper. Both rods share the Litelock reel seat with an anodized aluminium insert and the "Comficient" ventilated half-wells grip with the thumb indent. The "comfortable and efficient" grip style was another Wes Jordan innovation. It should be noted that after his tenure at South Bend, Jordan went on to help revive the fortunes of another venerable and historic US fishing brand, he became rod maker, workshop manager at Orvis in Manchester, Vermont. |