J.T. Manley?Brookfield, Mass.

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dbummee
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J.T. Manley?Brookfield, Mass.

Post by dbummee »

Can someone give me some info about this rod maker?
I know that he was not well known and there might have been some
connection between him and the Montague Rod company, but am not
sure. Thanks.


T. DuRose
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Dustnstuff
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Post by Dustnstuff »

:) There was a bamboo rod company in Brookfield, MA that operated circa 1900. The Standard Rod Co. was closed around 1907 and the plant was sold to Montague which ran the operation for a few more years. This may not be the answer your looking for, but Brookfield is a very small town. There was some research done and an article was posted on Classic Fly Rod Forum about this company.
Dustnstuff
dbummee
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J.T.Manley

Post by dbummee »

There's not a heck of a lot out there about him. But I believe most, or
not all his work was in wood. Thanks for trying though.

T. DuRose
BruceHandley
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Post by BruceHandley »

Its my understanding that T.J.Manley was a "stand alone" rod maker. There is a short write up on him in A.J. Campbell's book, "Classic & Antique Fly Fishing Tackle". AJ didn't think much of his rods, however I think he missed the boat big time.
I have one of his rods and its outstanding. Its a 7'9", 3/2, lancewood in the orig.form case and outer bag. If you think of it a rod this short during the time period that this rod was made is not the norm.
The rod has flip ring guides wrapped in dark red, the grip( turned burch?) and reel seat are a stand alone(removable ) item. The form case, which is also very well made, has slots to except each of the sections with a slot for the reel/grip asssm. on the back of the case.
I have no idea how he turned the tips down to about 1/16" at the tip tops while working with lancewood, but he got it done, not once but twice.
By the way, this rod is a fly rod, not a boat or bait rod.
We have had a problem putting pictures up on this board, why , I have no idea. If we figure it out I'll add some pictures of this rod.
If it sounds like I'm very pleased with this maker, your right.
Bruce
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Steve
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Post by Steve »

Thomas J. Manly (Campbell misspelled the name.) was born in Vermont in 1850 and was a railroad engineer at the age of 19, living in Rutland. I don't know when he moved to North Brookfield, but he became a railroad conductor, and by the mid-1890s, he was an unpaid Deputy Commissioner for the Mass. Commission on Inland Fisheries and Game, a post he held through the turn of the century. Ironically, he was fined $5.00 in 1901 for fishing on Sunday. jester

Manly and his wife brought up 3 daughters in N. Brookfield, where the family was still living in 1910. Twenty years later, Manly was living alone in Athol, Mass.

I have no conclusive evidence that this guy was the rodmaker, but it seems a pretty safe bet.
BruceHandley
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Post by BruceHandley »

Steve is correct, both A.J. and I misspelled his name. The reel seat on my rod is clearly marked T.J. Manly, no e. But his location is correct.
Could the person that Steve located be the rod maker in question-- perhaps.
If the two are one in the same, that might explain why there are so few of his rods around today, perhaps he made rods part time while working else where full time.
One thing that is clear, he made a very nice wood rod. Also his solder work on his fittings is first class.
Bruce
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Post by BruceHandley »

One other thing about Manly rods, I've been working with rods for about 40 years and in that time I know of only 2 of his rods. The one I have and one other, and each of these rods are fly rods and both are made of lancewood.
Bruce
dbummee
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J.T. Manly rod

Post by dbummee »

I'm awful glad I asked the question. I have an opportunity to buy
one to put into my collection. I mentioned to Dr. Todd that I thought
the owner might be a tad high in his asking price. $200. I might have
been tempted if it hadn't been refinished. And I wouldn't have been quite so skeptical, only that I thought that in the time frame, (1898/1900),
that there would have been folding guides on it, or at least, tunnel guides, instead of snake guides.
Of course, never seeing a Manly rod, I could be all wrong in my assumption. The other issue is a tip that is an inch and a half shorter than the other one.
At anyrate, I've enjoyed reading everyones opinions.

T. DuRose
BruceHandley
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Post by BruceHandley »

T. DuRose,
Are you sure that the rod had been refinished? In the time frame you mention snake guides aren't out of the question. Perhaps something in Ns (small for a silk line) and open to the left. Also a lancewood rod with one tip down a bit is no surprise, although 2 full length tips is a big plus.
As to price, $200 isn't all that far out of the ball park, you don't see these rods very often. The owner of the other rod I know of wants $500, now thats a bit over the top, which is why he still owns the rod.
If the rod you looked at is still for sale you might want to take another look at it. Or get someone you know and trust to check the rod for a refinish--- just a thought.
Bruce
dbummee
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J.T. Manly rod

Post by dbummee »

Hey Bruce,

I haven't seen the rod itself, but going on the info the owner gave me,
the rod has ben completely refinished and all the guides replaced
with snake guides instead of the circular folding guides.
I agree that the rod is probably rare judging from the lack of
information about it, but with the short tip and the fact that it has been refinished leaves me a little cold. I refinish rods myself, although I wouldn't begin to say I was a pro at it, and that is where the rubber meets
the road so to speak. A refinish by myself or a refinish by a professional
are 2 different things. Thanks for your input though.

Tom DuRose
kitesfamily
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Re: J.T. Manley?Brookfield, Mass.

Post by kitesfamily »

I came upon this discussion on T J Manly fly rods back in 2011 while searching for information about him. I own a rod (T J Manly maker North Brookfield Ma.) that was originally my great grandfathers, Clifford Lewis Kites 1875-1964 passed on to me many years ago. He was a avid sportsman - wrote articles for the local paper and authored Reminiscence of an Old Sportsman, copyright 1951, on hunting and fishing is the Western Mass region. The rod is 3pc 8' 2" in a aluminum tube and drab green fabric sleeve. I have always wondered what it is made of so I was fascinated to see the reference to lancewood. I have never fished it but feel quite confident based on the fine craftsmanship, condition and action it is sound. So to that end there are now three of T J Manly rods known to exist.

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kyreels
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Re: J.T. Manley?Brookfield, Mass.

Post by kyreels »

Not that we reel collectors don't appreciate a good fly rod, but the experts over at Classic Fly Rod Forum have many posts on Manley http://classicflyrodforum.com/forum/sea ... rds=manley
Matt Wickham
Collector of Casting Weights, KY Reels and KY Tackle
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