Very Special Spinning Rod

[David Lehmann]

A Tycoon Regal spinning rod in mint condition. It has a 1937 patent. The Regal was a quadrate rod that used a unique laminated construction. Before acquiring this rod, I had never heard of a Regal spinning rod. Why would an American company be making an upper-end spinning rod before WWII? There were very few spinning reels being used in the U.S. and none being made here. This rod is gorgeous in original bag and tube. A very rare rod from one of the best rod makers in the U.S. I will post pictures if there is interest. I would like to sell or trade this rod. Thanks!

[jimbofish]

Why would an American company be making an upper-end spinning rod before WWII? I will post pictures if there is interest.

Possibly the patent is for an earlier feature or process that was carried over to spinning rods years later. If the number is available it can be looked up on-line.

IMHO pictures are always interesting.

[David Lehmann]

My mistake. It is a 1938 patent. US, Canada, and Great Britain patents. It is a 7' rod. Tycoon stopped making Regal rods at the start of WWII, so it must predate that.

[David Lehmann]

[timg]

[Tightlines666]

That is a beautiful rod.

Seems to me like it belongs with a group of Tycoon kindred.

[tpobrien]

Hello,

Tycoon Tackle introduced the Regal Rod right after the end of WWII. Prior to the war the company made several models and the Regal was introduced to fill a certain niche. The Regal Rod was made in several configurations, spinning, bait casting, trolling, and surf casting. All of them were quadrate because it was less expensive to make than the others that had a parabolic cross section.

I would be interested in buying or trading for this rod.

Tim O'Brien

[David Lehmann]

Thanks for the info. This is the first Tycoon cane spin rod I have seen, and I could not find much information about them.

I had heard that these rods were only made for about four years and that WWII brought a halt to Tycoon's ability to acquire bamboo (Tonkin cane). I know that the Regal series continued (actually recommenced) in fiberglass after WWII. See http://siouxcityjournal.com/sports/recr ... 7744f.html. I guess that the bamboo spinning rods made longer than the fly rods, which were discontinued at the start of WWII The spinning rod has only the 1938 patent and the early Tycoon logo. Did Tycoon offer bamboo spin rods from the start of their bamboo rod production and sales?

[tpobrien]

Hello, again,

The company was making casting and fly rods as early as 1937, spinning rods really came to the U.S. after WWII via he returning GI's. The Regal Rod came after WWII and later morphed into fiberglass. The death nail for bamboo rods was the embargo put in place by President Harry Truman against China after the Chinese crossed the Yalu River during the war in Korea. Since all Tonkin cane came from the Tonkin Province of China, for decades the only TK that could legally be sold in the U.S. came from stock piles or other methods. Incidentally, the embargo stayed in place until President Richard Nixon normalized relations with China in the 1970s.

More to come...

Tim O'Brien

[mannishevitz]

what are you asking for the rod?

[OCauto]

Hello,

Tycoon Tackle introduced the Regal Rod right after the end of WWII. Prior to the war the company made several models and the Regal was introduced to fill a certain niche. The Regal Rod was made in several configurations, spinning, bait casting, trolling, and surf casting. All of them were quadrate because it was less expensive to make than the others that had a parabolic cross section.

I would be interested in buying or trading for this rod.

Tim O'Brien

I have a Tycoon Rod that came with an Ocean City Cradle and it only has one flat side, the rest is round. To me, "QUADRATE" is 4 sided flat and I have one that is only one sided flat. Is there a time period thing going on here?

[tpobrien]

Good morning,

What you have is a fishing rod that has a parabolic cross section, in essence "heart-shapped." These rods were laminated in different configurations, depending on application. Please post or send me photos of your rod and I will identify it for you.

Many thanks,

Tim O'Brien

[OCauto]

Okay, I know what parabolic or parabola is. I also know that there is no parabolic shape to my Tycoon Rod. It is very round except for the flat upper surface. The McDonalds Arches are Parabolic, eggs are Parabolic, etc.
Maybe, just maybe that is what they called it back in the day but that is not what my eyes see when I look at the shape of my TYCOON ROD.

[john elder]

turn it upside down and have a look, Al. Flat on one side...rounded on the other....I believe that is what tim is referring to when he says "parabolic in cross section".

[OCauto]

I have studied it to an extreme trying to find anything parabolic about the shape. one side flat and the remaining surface is round. no parabola shape to it. Maybe it is the term they used but when searching parabolas or parabolic, the resulting images are ovate, not round.
I will let this go and be satisfied that I have the Rod to begin with.