Vintage Bamboo Fly Rods, Reels, and Tackle

The following are ‘Vintage’ rods and other classic tackle that I have for sale. If you have an interest in any of them, be sure to contact me for availability and any questions you may have, or if you need photographs.. This inventory is subject to change as additional rods & reels are acquired and others are sold. Reasonable offers will be respectfully considered.

Ted Williams' Personal Rod- Paul Young Para-18: Sold

This 9' 2-piece, 3-tip rod was owned and fished by the the Boston Red Sox slugger and Hall of Fame baseball star, Ted Williams. In fact, according to the owner (who was a close friend of Williams), this rod was loved more and fished more than any other rod Ted Williams owned. It was his "go to" rod. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a one-of-a-kind bamboo rod like no other rod in the world. It has been fished all over the United States and in other countries as well. At one point, Williams had the rod refinished so that he could fish it in salt water- taking first place one year in the Islamorada Tarpon Tournament. This powerful rod was made by Paul Young in May, 1948 as a gift from Williams close friend and fellow Boston Red Sox player Bobbie Doerr. The inscription on the rod is: "Ted Williams 'Parabolic 18', 9'-6.41 oz, Paul H. Young, Detroit, May 1948, Bob Doerr". The insciption is not in Paul's hand and might have been redone during the refinishing of the rod. The black anodized butt cap also bears the "Detroit, Mich." stamping. This rod features mottled flaming, 2 carboloy stripping guides, translucent cinnamon wraps with open spirals on the outside edges, black wraps at the ferrules, black snake guides, blued Super-Z ferrules, an 8" front handle with 2 thumb rests, a cork reel seat with black anodized screw down-locking hardware, and a 1" lower cork 'butt rest'. The current owner bought this rod directly from Williams in 1994, and a copy of his check to Ted will be included with this rod. Plenty of provenance accompanies this rod: it was featured in the Fall 2005 issue of The American Fly Fisher (journal of the American Museum of Fly Fishing- Vol. 31, #4) and was prominently displayed at the Ted Williams' Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame Museum in Hernando, Florida for years.
All sections are full length and straight, with one tip having a 3/4" clear repair wrap below the upper most snake guide. The cork is soiled from use (this is Ted's DNA on the handle!) and there is a small paper label on the reel seat which identified the rod in the Museum. It is accompanied by the original cinnamon felt bag (no tube). There is no other rod with this Heritage in the world, so as such, we are pricing this rod at $10,000 plus shipping and insurance. Inquiries will be respectfully answered.--SOLD

Two Garrison Rods

The following Garrison Rods were owned by a dear friend of ours who passed away 2 yrs. ago. They are original Everett Garrison rods and as such, they are rarely encountered for sale on the vintage market.

1). 10' 10" Garrison Model 228. This is a 3-piece, 2-tip rod that features a 4" lower handle, Super-Z stamped ferrules, bronze snake guides, a chrome stripper, brown wraps at the ferrules, red & green wraps at the tip tops, translucent clear wraps over the guides, and a screw down-locking reel seat with a Spanish cedar insert and a yellow brass screw down collar. Both ferrule plugs (one wood and the other plastic) are included along with the original Garrison-made bag and brass-capped tube. Serial number B-10-1 is inked on all sections. All sections are full length and straight, with perfectly fitting ferrules that seat with a velvety smoothness. There are no glue lines visible. The original varnish has been professionally replaced- carefully preserving the original inscriptions. $2900 plus shipping

2.) 9' Garrison Model 230. Apparently made in 1966, this is a 2-piece, 2-tip rod that features a 2" lower handle, bronze snake guides, a chrome stripper, Super-Z stamped ferrules, brown wraps over the ferrules and clear wraps over the guides (with aged varnish they have a nice pumpkin orange hue), and a screw down-locking reel seat with a brass collar (same as the above rod) with a Spanish cedar insert. When assembled, this rod is actually 9' 2 1/4" long. All sections are full length, straight, and have perfectly smooth ferrules that seat fully. Very narrow glue lines are present on this rod. Of note on this rod: the inscriptions on all sections reads: "230- 9'-0", 1966". However, Garrison did not ink his name on the rod. When we showed photos of both rods to Hoagy Carmichael, he assured us this is Garrison's own handwriting and that he has seen a few other rods also not inscribed with his name. Possibly, this was one of Garrison's personal fishing rods that he never intended to sell - hence no need to place his name on it. There is no question that this is an original- condition Garrison rod and as such is quite rare. The original wood/cork ferrule plug, bag, and tube with brass collar and aluminum cap complete this great rod. $3200 plus shipping.

New- 3 F. E. Thomas Fly Rods

1. 8 1/2' Thomas "Streamer" Rod. This appears to be a "Browntone" model since it has a darkly flamed butt section, blued ferrules, and the elongated butt cap found on streamer rods only. It is stamped "F-411" on the cap, dating it to 1945. The mid and tips are not as darkly flamed as the butt, yet all the ferrules fit perfectly. Everything about this rod says it is original (except one guide on the mid that has been replaced with a chrome snake guide). I believe that given the fact it was made toward the end of the war, the Thomas shop was using spare sections to assemble rods from. I gave this rod a light polishing since the varnish had a few light bag marks on one flat. The cork is sound with light ridging. I have not cast it yet, but it feels like a 6-7-wt. rod. It weighs 5.6 oz. and comes complete with the original green bag and labeled Thomas tube with green felt pad. This is a perfect streamer rod for larger fish. $1050

Dr. Paul Hermann Rod Collection

We are priviledged to have been asked by Paul to sell his significant bamboo rod collection. He was a dear friend and fly fisher. As many of you know, he passed away in November, 2016, and we miss him dearly. Here is a list of the rods he asked me to sell. Please contact me for more details on any of them or if you need photos.

8 1/2' Leonard Salmon Fly rod. 2/2. Red wraps, serial #1525, made during Simroe era, has permanent 2" lower handle. Orig. bag and tube. This would be a great rod for salmon and steelhead on Great Lakes tributary rivers. Priced is reduced to $700.

8' F. E. Thomas "Special". 2/2 with cork handle and reel seat. Agate stripper (has new wraps). Great casting 6-wt. and also does nicely with #5's. c. 1939. Thomas rods, especially these 8-footers, are incredibly comfortable to cast. See why Thomas rods are so cherrished by their owners (and fished)...! The price is a very reasonable $800.

SOLD:
7' Kretchman Dry Fly Rod. SOLD
9 1/2' Payne Model #435 Dry Fly Salmon rod. SOLD
8 1/2' Thomas & Thomas Salmon Fly rod. SOLD
Walt Carpenter, 7 1/2' "Browntone". SOLD
7 1/2' Winston, 2/2. SOLD
8' Winston, 3/2. SOLD
7 1/2' Daryl Whitehead Custom Engraved Rod. SOLD
7' Thomas/Campbell 'Browntone' Fly rod. SOLD
8' Thomas/Campbell 'Browntone' fly rod. SOLD
7' Edwards "Quadrate". SOLD
7 1/2' Edwards Model 50 "Quadrate". SOLD
8' Leonard Model #50. SOLD
9' Paul Young "Para-18". SOLD
8' Summers Model 856. SOLD
8' Summers Model 856. SOLD
7' 3" Summers Model 735. SOLD
9' Gillum Salmon Fly rod.SOLD
12' Olaf Kundrus Spey Rod. SOLD

Above: 7' Kretchman 4/5 wt.

8' Leonard Model 50 - mint restored by Simroe

"Fit For A King?"-2 Salmon Rods Made for Prince Charles & Princess Dianna by T&T for President Reagan to present as Wedding gifts.

President Reagan (during his second term of office) ordered a pair of salmon fly rods from the Thomas & Thomas shop as a wedding gift. Len Codella, owner of T&T at that time, had a short time frame to make these rods, so he instructed Tom Dorsey to build a back-up set of blanks just in case something went wrong with the first set. Fortunately, the first set of blanks were perfectly made, so Len ordered the extra blanks be advertised for sale. Our friend, Dr. Marchant, saw the ad and asked Len to complete them for him. That pair of rods is being offered here as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! These stunning rods are pictured below. They have only been cast or fished possibly once or twice. They are in pristine condition. The only difference between these and the ones made for Charles and Diana are that these rods have detachable lower handles, whereas the Royal Couples' rods have fixed handles. Accompanying these rods is the original letter of sale to Dr. Marchant signed by Codella and Dorsey, and the original advertisement that drew Dr. Marchant's attention. Additionally, a letter from Len describing in detail this whole story is included. This pair of rods will be the centerpiece of your collection. The only other rods like this in the world are housed in the Sporting/Trophy room at Balmoral Castle. This package is priced at $7500 plus shipping & insurance to the fortunate buyer. Please inquire if you have more questions or need addtional photos.

9' George Halstead

Priced at $700

Made by the renown George Halstead, this 3/2 rod is probably suited for #7 lines and has a strong dry fly action. It features richly flamed bamboo, random nodes, an agate stripper with early wire frame, a screw down-locking reel seat with Halstead's stamping on the locking ring, a curly African wood spacer, lightly blued ferrules that seat fully and pop when taken apart, and a 7" slightly tapered cigar shaped handle. A few cork rings have ridges but are far from needing to be replaced. The wraps are translucent brown and appear to be re-done since some of them have threads over-lapping. There is also one snake guide missing from the mid section. All sections are full length and straight. Completing this rod is the original dark green bag and brass-capped tube. One 'ventilation' hole has been drilled at each end of the tube. One tip has a pair of 1" pieces of bamboo spliced into it, using resorcinol glue (see photo below). This type of repair was professionally done and I don't detect any weakness there. Under the nearby snake guide is some rust stain from the previous guide. While not perfect, this is an opportunity to own a Halstead that is fishable as is or can be repaired if you prefer.

REELS

Revised: Bogdan- "Wide Spool Baby" Trout Reel- SOLD

I just received this reel back from Steve Bogdan and he replaced the front plate with a new one. This reel now is close to mint condition- the only blemish is a hairline shallow scratch in the back plate which is difficult to see unless the lighting is just at the right angle. One of the most desirable reels Stan & Steve ever made... This one is in excellent condition with no marks/nicks on the rims or foot. It has the black anodized side plates, aluminum frame, and un-mared foot. This reel is currently set for RHW, but I can reverse it if you want... Stan showed me the process years ago. Stan rated this 2 3/4" diameter reel for a #4 WF line plus 25 yds. of backing. It weighs 4 1/2 oz. and comes with the original suede leather bag (proudly made in New England). This is a great reel for #3 & 4 lines on your classic bamboo rod!!!! Priced far below other dealer prices. This one is $2300 plus shipping.

Hardy 3 3/8" Perfect

This classic reel has the early satin enamel finish, straight line stamping, ribbed brass foot, and tension adjustor. Although it's been fished and has some finish wear, it remains in excellent mechanical condition. The number '24' is stamped inside the face plate. Included is the spare spring and clicker. It weighs 6.9 oz. This reel is designed for #5 & 6 lines with plenty of backing. $375 plus postage

2 9/16" Hardy St. George Jr.

This reel has been used and has light wear on the rims and side plates. It also has a smokey agate line guard (without cracks), straight line stamping, ribbed aluminum foot (un-modified), and line tensioner. It has the 1950's enamel finish and a light brown handle. It is also mechanically sound /tight. This wonderful reel model is ready for more fishing adventures and comes with a brown leather pouch with draw string which fits this reel perfectly. Priced reasonably at $450 plus shipping.

Books

Schmookler & Sils' Rarest Limited Editions

This spectacular book is #5 of only 30 copies ever made! It is: Rare and Unusual Fly Tying Materials: A Natural History. Housed in a blue leather slip case designed to look like a book. It measures 15 1/2" x 13" x 4 3/4". When opened, there is an index inside the front cover of 117 different feathers featured in the book. The book itself is simply breathtaking- gold gilded edges, royal blue leather trim and matching blue cloth covers, and is loaded with exquisite photos & text. Stored under the book are 14 panels of actual feathers- numbered to match the index inside the front cover. This "book" has lived for years on the original owner's bookshelf- away from direct sunlight, and is in excellent condition. Several prominent book dealers have told us they have never seen one of these editions, so this is a very rare opportunity to own one of the most desirable books by Paul Schookler and Ingrid Sils. Priced at $2700

The Salmon Flies of Major J.P. Traherne: (1826-1901). This copy is #5 of only 28 copies made. It is in excellent condition and features gorgeous leather binding with gold embossed lettering, cloth covers, gold gilded edges, and matching slip case. The photos inside are Paul Schmookler's spectacular quality. Inside this book (behind the text), is an actual Major Traherne Salmon Fly. It is approximately 3 1/2" x 2 1/2". With only 28 copies in existence, this represents perhaps the rarest of Schmookler's works, and it is in excellent condition. Priced at $1300.