Early British Made Rods
Before the advent of split cane, rods were made of a wide range of woods. Ash was a frequent choice, especially for butt sections, but the most commonly seen wooden rods are made at least in part of Greenheart.
Greenheart, sometimes called "Greenheart Willow", was one of the most persistent and popular materials for fly rods throughout the nineteenth and into the twentieth century. Chlorocardium rodiei, to give it its Latin name, is native to Guyana in South America. As a tree it grows to a height of 30m, and yields one of the hardest, most water-resistant woods known. Hence its popularity for fishing rods. Even after the introduction of split cane in the late nineteenth century, greenheart remained a frequent choice for British made rods. One reason for this may be that, although it was difficult to cut and machine, it was still easier to work than cane, and many provincial tackle shops had lathes for turning greenheart, making it possible for them to supply replacement or supplementary rod sections to customers.
Greenheart, sometimes called "Greenheart Willow", was one of the most persistent and popular materials for fly rods throughout the nineteenth and into the twentieth century. Chlorocardium rodiei, to give it its Latin name, is native to Guyana in South America. As a tree it grows to a height of 30m, and yields one of the hardest, most water-resistant woods known. Hence its popularity for fishing rods. Even after the introduction of split cane in the late nineteenth century, greenheart remained a frequent choice for British made rods. One reason for this may be that, although it was difficult to cut and machine, it was still easier to work than cane, and many provincial tackle shops had lathes for turning greenheart, making it possible for them to supply replacement or supplementary rod sections to customers.
This lathe is in the collection of Falkirk Community Trust's Museums and was recovered from the basement of Scrimgeour's Fishing Tackle shop in Newmarket Street, Falkirk where it was used to turn hardwood rod sections. It is probably typical of the machines used to make many of these mid to late nineteenth century Greenheart and Lancewood rods.
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This film clip shows the process of manufacturing a greenheart rod and was filmed somewhere in Scotland just before the Second World War..
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Ebenezer Creed was one of the minor players in a cast of London tackle makers that had been slowly growing since the time of Izaak Walton. Creed worked out of an address in Wilderness Row in Clerkenwell from about 1839 to 1865, though he appeared in a Debtor’s Court in the city in 1842. To put Creed’s career in context, it is worth noting that Farlow’s was founded in 1840.
The rod is of six sections of varying length, with two tips. Almost all the sections are of Greenheart, with the exception of the tips, one of which appears to be Lancewood, but the other is made up of three strips of cane, glued and rounded. Ferrules are doweled and these and the reel seat are of brass, typical for UK made rods. The rod follows a pattern typical of many London-made rods, some of which had a hollow butt section in which the tips could be stored and bears a considerable resemblance to a rod owned by the artist JMW Turner in the collection of the Royal Academy. |
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Unmarked Greenheart with Drop Ring Guides. This rod has drop-ring guides as does the Creed rod. It also shares the same constant taper, but the important difference is that the sections are now much longer and of almost equal length (tip sections were often slightly shorter than butt and mid, a practice that continued into the 20th century with makers such as Hardy’s). The rod itself makes up to 12’, which seems long for a trout fly rod by today’s standards, especially a single-handed rod, but it must be remembered that methods were very different. Almost all fly fishing was down-stream wet fly and casting and false casting were really not as we understand them today.
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An anonymous hardwood rod with drop ring guides. Doweled ferrules and the use of copper wire to secure the additional ferrule "tags" also imply a date before 1880. At 13' it still fits into the category of "trout rod" for this time frame! You will notice that this rod has much more of the appearance of a "modern" rod, with a defined handle and a butt button.
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William Blacklaws was born in 1820 in the small town of Kincardine O'Neil on the River Dee and pursued an official and successful career as a gardener. However, from an early age he demonstrated a remarkable talent for the making and mending of fishing rods and, in time, was prevailed upon to open a shop for his wares, into which he was soon followed by his son, a notable fly dresser. This sets this rod apart as one of the few rods that can be said to have been made by a particular named individual.
This is a typical Blacklaws rod, a big rod for big fish in big waters, it is a three-piece, all Greenheatrt with doweled ferrules and snake guides, which are original. Everything about this rod is big, and although it is almost the same length as the previous rod, it is a wholly different animal. One interesting aspect of this rod as it was received into WVFFM,-it was covered in a thin layer of powdered graphite, which SEEMS to have been used as a dry lubricant for the ferrules. Graphite is known to have been used as a dry lubricant by locksmiths, avoiding the dust-gathering properties of oil in the home setting. |
You can find out more about William Blacklaws on Colin Innes web site, "Feathers, Flies and Phantoms" (You will need to scroll to the bottom of the page.)
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This rod was marketed by the renowned Glasgow tackle dealer William Robertson. Robertson's benefited from having their own rod making shop in the west end of Glasgow. Sited in the "drying green" of a tenement on Sussex Street, the rod shop kept the business supplied well into the twentieth century.
St. Mungo is the patron saint of the City of Glasgow. Both this rod and the "Dunkeld Princess" sold by Anderson's (below) date from the 1880's. Fly rods of this time were consistently long and heavy, the majority of anglers still fishing teams of wet flies downstream. False casting was little known and the flies were delivered by the simple action of "whipping" the line. The action of both these rods is very soft, lending them to the practice of "butting" - turning the butt of the rod towards any hooked fish so that the rod bends through almost 180 degrees, a practice believed to exert the maximum pressure on the fish. |
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The "Dunkeld Princess" is interesting because it is likely to have been intended as a Ladies rod. It is very lightly made, and clearly care has been taken in the design of the reel seat to avoid any unnecessary weight. Although the sections are not of equal length, it seems that he rod was designed in this way as all the ferrule stations and whippings seem original. This is a very elegant rod that shares the same very slow and soft action as the contemporary, though more heavily made, offering from Robertson's.
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Combination rod by Anderson of Edinburgh. In many ways this rod could not be more different from the previous example. Combination rods were a popular choice for sportsmen expecting an opportunity to fish different environments, especially if travel was involved. Such rods, by varying the combination of components, could serve as fly, trolling, boat or sea fishing rod. This particualr rod is a good example, and may include components bought from the retailer at different times.
Anderson's began trading at Dunkeld in Perthshire some time in the early 1800's but relocated to Edinburgh in about 1880, having various premises on Princes Street, the New Town's premiere retail address. |
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Another anonymous rod, but this time very much of its type. So many rods of this pattern were made, it is probably Scottish, three piece 12', brass sliding band reel fittings and snake guides. Whipped in plain black, this is probably the sort of rod that was being made on the lathe featured in the introduction to this page.
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Farlow's of London Greenheart trout rod. The combination of addresses on the butt of this rod indicate it was made some time between 1895 and 1906. Possibly another ladies rod because of the elegance and economy of design. This rod comes complete with a bamboo tip tube but only one of the two tips with which it would originally have been supplied.
Farlow's is one of the longest surviving of the London rod and tackle makers, and though much changed, is still trading today. There seem to have been two sides to the London fishing tackle community, one based on "bottom fishing" techniques for river species (Sowerbutts, Eaton and Deller, for example), and another community catering to fly fishers, Bernard of Jermyn St., Gillett and of course, Farlow's. The wandering guide in the last picture has since been replaced. |
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This next rod remains a puzzle. On one level it is probably a late nineteenth century Greenheart trout fly rod. However, look more closely, and almost everything about this rod is unusual. Firstly the shape, the "waisted" element between the reel seat and grasp is atypical. The guides, though they have some resemblance to Parker patent wire guides, are unlike anything else that has been identified and finally, locking ferrules with a spring-clip that locates in the opposing ferrule. Each of these elements suggest care and quality in the making of this rod, but there are no makers marks or details at all, save the fact that the reel seat is not unlike those supplied on some of Farlow's rods.
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