6 Bamboo Rods For Sale

[kevinhaney1]

Here is a nice grouping of six bamboo rods for sale on my Vintage Angers web site. For pictures or to purchase them, go to https://www.vintageanglers.com/store

1. Leonard Mills Standard #208 Bamboo Fly Rod, 8’, 3/2, 5-6 wt., $850
This beautiful little 4 1/8 oz. rod shows almost no signs of use! Made by Leonard for the Mills Standard Co., the fit, finish, and varnish are perfect! It has a full flexing action, right down to the handle, and can handle either a 5 wt. or 6 wt. line very nicely. It is beautifully wrapped in black and gold, and comes with the original tube, bag, and hang tag. The butternut reel seat is unmarred. You don’t find them in this condition very often.

2. Shakespeare 1308T (South Bend) Premier Bamboo Fly Rod, 9’, 3/2, 6 wt., $225
Extremely choice and quite possibly unused 1946-1947 Shakespeare Premier Split bamboo fly rod, and one that would be tough to upgrade. The No.1308T "Premier" was actually a trade rod built for Shakespeare by the South Bend Bait Co. The "Premier" represents the highest-grade fly rod that Shakespeare offered after WWII. Rod shaft carries the post-war "Shakespeare Honor Built - Honor Sold" green decal and is stamped "A1308T - 9' ". The "T" stands for "Trout" action. Weighs 5.8 oz. Made with choice Tonkin cane and comes equipped with extra tip section, garnix stripper, (14) hardened steel snake guides, pear-shaped tip tops, welted & serrated ferrules, flip-ring hook keeper, exposed winding check, solid cork grip, the interesting "Snap-Lock" reel seat and wound in red silk tipped in yellow. Rod is in Extra Fine condition, about as nice as can be found, with no obvious indication of use. Bamboo is absolutely perfect. All four sections are the correct equal length and are arrow-straight. Varnish, decal, rod shaft markings and wraps are pristine. All guides, tip tops, ferrules, hook keeper and winding check are untouched. Reel seat works perfectly. The solid cork grip still has the velvety feel of brand new cork. Put up in a newer bag in nice condition. All this goes into a period fiber tube (possibly of South Bend origin), which is damage-free, straight and solid. The cap screws on tightly and securely. An extra choice post-war package from Shakespeare/South Bend.

3. Unmarked 10’ Bamboo Fly Rod, 5-6 wt., 3/1, $145
This rod has a beautiful swelled mortised butt, with what looks like walnut mortised in. The tip is 4” short, so the rod is actually 9’ 9’ long. The rod has been rewrapped (including all of the many intermediaries) and revarnished by Mark Frey of Bamboo Rod Works. The ferrule fit is good, and it comes with a wooden form that is not original and no bag or tube. Even so, it is a nice, inexpensive and usable trout rod that is over 100 years old. If you even wanted to try a swelled butt rod, this is the one!

4. South Bend Model 55 Bamboo Fly Rod, 9’, 3/1, 6-7 wt., $115
This rod has a solid walnut handle (like the Heddon Model 60), which I feel gives better feedback and control over what the rod is doing, compared to a soft cork handle. It doesn’t have a bag or tube. The varnish is perfect and the ferrule fit is good. The negatives are that one tip is 1.5” short, the stripper guide has been rewound, and there is a slight set in the mid-section. All in all, however, this is a solid, inexpensive rod for heavy trout or bass use.

5. Unmarked Bamboo Fly Rod, 9’, 3.2, 6 wt., $125
This 100-year-old-plus rod is unmarked except for a 5/15/1908 patent date on the handle. Ferrule fit and cork handle are good. One tip is 6” short so you can also use the rod as an 8.5’ rod, which could come in useful in some situations. It does need a varnish job. It comes with a later (I think) Herters bag and no tube. It has a nice dry fly action and it attractively wound in red, gold, and black.

6. Unmarked Bamboo Travel Fly Rod, 8.5’, 5 pieces with extra tip, $115
This very interesting rod probably dates from the 1890s since it has drop rings instead of the later snake guides. It has 5 pieces and an extra tip, which is 2” short. The cool handle is perfect and gives you a very good grip. The bamboo and varnish are good but the ferrule fit is loose on some of them, so this is probably more of a collector rod than a user. Comes with a later aluminum tube.