Below
are the History's of the most common seen rods on the market today
F.E. Thomas / Thomas & Edwards *
Goodwin Granger
Cross Rod Co. * Wright & McGill * South Bend * Orvis * Montague
Heddon * H-I Rods * Phillipson * Uslan * Payne * Hawes * Dickerson * Young
splitcane@comcast.net
In Memory of Dick Spurr & Special
Thanks to Banjo for the info below...
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F. E. Thomas Rod Co.
& Thomas & Edwards
It seems almost impossible to discuss the bamboo fly rods
made by either Thomas or Edwards without mentioning the other; so I have
combined the information and models made by these two great companies into one
edition of the Value Guide. Early on in their careers, F. E. "Fred"
Thomas and E. W. "Eustis" Edwards both worked for the Leonard Rod Co.
in Central Valley, New York, and trained under Hiram Leonard. Eventually they
both left and got together with another Leonard rod maker, Loman Hawes, to form
the Thomas, Edwards & Hawes Rod Co. a short distance away in Highland Mills.
Hawes's either leaves or passes away several years later and was replaced by Ed.
Payne, another Leonard apprentice, so the company became known as Thomas,
Edwards & Payne This enterprise did not last long and the Kosmic rods made
by this company are vary scarce and valuable. A year or so later, Fred left the
company when it was sold to U. S. Net & Twine, and returned to Bangor,
Maine. Within a year or so he was again joined by Eustis and the resulting
Thomas & Edwards Rod Co. built rods mostly under private label trade names
such as Von Lengerke & Detmold or Empire City. After a couple years the pair
split up again and Fred started the F. E. Thomas Rod Company in 1900, while
Eustis started the E. W. Edward Rod Co. a couple years later, also in Bangor,
Maine. Fred was eventually joined by his son, Leon, who then took over the
company when Fred died in 1938. The Thomas Rod Company lasted into the 1950's
when the embargo on Chinese cane and the emerging fiberglass technology combined
to put an end to bamboo rod production.
The history of the Edwards family and their rods is often confusing because it
involved some many different aspects at different times. In 1919 Eustis sold his
young company to Winchester Repeating Arms, moved his operation to New Haven,
Connecticut, and made rods exclusively for that company for five years; some
years later he had a similar lease arrangement with Bristol Rod Co. Eustis had
two sons, W. E. "Bill" and Leon, both of whom became involved in rod
making prior to the formation of the E. W. Edwards & Sons Rod Co. shortly
after the Winchester years. After Eustis died in 1931, his sons continued to
make rods under the Bristol name. Eventually, discontent with the Bristol
operation, Bill went out on his own and formed the W. E. Edwards & Son Rod
Co. where he developed his new four-strip rod technology that became famous as
the Edwards Quadrate; Gene also went out on his own and formed the Eugene
Edwards Rod. Co., but he continued building the traditional 6-strip bamboo rods.
Both of these companies also ceased operations during the 1950 era and were
purchased by Clarence "Sam" Carlson.
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Granger Rod Co. / Goodwin Granger
Goodwin C. Granger began building
bamboo rods commercially in Denver, Colorado, in about 1919 and by 1920 had
formed Goodwin Granger & Co. In 1926 the company was renamed Goodwin Granger
Co. The early model Goodwin Rod, Granger Rod, Colorado Special and Denver
Special were renamed in 1930 and the new names remained relatively consistent
throughout the history of the company. New models such as the Champion and
Victory were added later.
All models were of consistent high quality with the same nickel silver ferrules
and reel seat and the same precise construction. Only the grading of the cane,
the style of the windings and the number of guides per section varied between
the higher and lower priced models. All Granger rods (except the Colorado
Special and Denver Special, which were light colored cane) featured a unique
tempering process with ammonia steam which gave the bamboo a distinct resiliency
of action and a characteristic rich caramel color for which these rods are
famous. Granger referred to each different named rod as grades rather than
models. Models referred to specific lengths and weights within each grade. Only
the grade name, such as Granger Deluxe or Granger Premier appeared on the rod
shaft. The model designation appeared only on rod tubes. Therefore it is
difficult to differentiate between different nine-foot models merely by
inspecting a rod. All rods during the early era were identified with the grade
name inscribed on the reel seat between the decorative knurled bands. With the
introduction of the internal uplock seat in about 1936, the grade name was moved
to the shaft of the rod and the company name was stamped in the reel seat.
Mr. Granger died in 1931 but the company continued to produce high quality rods
until just before World War II. Bill Phillipson was production superintendent
from the time of Granger's death until the company closed because of the war.
After WW II the company was purchased by the Wright & McGill Rod Co. which
continued to produce Granger rods until the mid-50's.
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Cross
Rod Co.
Wesley D. Jordan deserves an honored place in history as one of the truly
innovative bamboo rodmakers who had a major impact on the bamboo fly rod as we
know it today. Jordan was involved with producing bamboo rods for more than 50
years, first with the Cross Rod Co. of Lynn, Massachusetts, then with South Bend
in Indiana and finally with Orvis in Manchester, Vermont. His innovative genius
and natural talent for craftsmanship turned all three companies into recognized
leaders in the bamboo rod business.
Jordan began his rod making career quite by accident shortly after serving two
years in World War I. While on a fishing trip to Maine with William Forsyth, Mr.
Forsyth broke his fly rod and talked Wes into making him a new one. Jordan was
an accomplished fisherman and was familiar with good bamboo rods, so he spent
nearly a year studying the construction of bamboo rods and reading all the
literature he could find. Through trial and error he finally produced several
acceptable hand-planed rods of Calcutta cane. Mr. Forsyth was so enthusiastic
about the results of Jordan's efforts that he proposed a rod making venture. In
1920 they formed the Cross Rod Co., named for Bill Cross, a friend of Forsyth's
who bought stock in the new company and also joined in learning the rod making
trade.
Within a year Jordan had designed a milling machine and built it with the help
of his brother Bill, so rods could be produced faster and more economically to
compete with companies such as F. E. Thomas and H. L. Leonard. The Cross Rod Co.
built fly rods, tournament rods and saltwater rods for trolling and surf
casting. Most of the larger rods were double-built models for power and
strength. The company established a reputation for producing quality rods at
reasonable prices. Cross also produced rods under other brand names, such as
Abbey & Imbrie in New York.
Mr. Forsyth died suddenly in 1925 and his heirs sold the Cross Rod Co. to the
South Bend Tackle Co. in South Bend, Indiana. As part of the agreement, Jordan
moved to South Bend to set up the machinery, organize a rod production facility
and train the employees. This temporary arrangement lasted almost 15 years.
During this period Wes designed methods and equipment to facilitate making rods
with very low production costs, to compete with Montague, Union Hardware,
Horrocks-Ibbotson and Wright & McGill. One such device was a power-driven
ram for splitting bamboo culms destined for mass-market rods. South Bend also
made rods for other companies, such as Sears Roebuck for as little as 83 cents
wholesale. Cane for the higher quality rods built by South Bend and all the
South Bend-Cross rods were split by hand or sawed. Rods and blanks of this
higher quality were also marketed to other companies, most notably to the Paul
Young Co., for several years prior to 1930.
In 1939 Wes Jordan went to work for Charles F. Orvis Co. in Manchester, Vermont,
shortly after the nearly defunct company was rescued from receivership by Bart
Arkell and D. C. Corcoran. He worked for Orvis until his retirement in 1970,
during which time he helped resurrect the company and take it to the forefront
in rod production. During his tenure at Orvis he developed the process for
making impregnated rods, and designed and patented the famous Orvis screw lock
reel seat.
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Wright & McGill
Rod Company
Shortly after World War II, the Wright & McGill Co. of Denver, Colorado,
acquired the Goodwin Granger Co. Wright & McGill had been in the tackle
business since the 1920's, but had never produced rods. The Wright & McGill
Rod Company was formed in 1946, and rehired many former Granger employees as
well as many new employees to meet the post-war demand. The first year, there
were no changes in the rods themselves. All Granger rods built by Wright &
McGill Rod Co. were clearly marked and were referred to as Wright & McGill
Granger Rods, not Wright & McGill Rods. From the very beginning of the rod
company, the patented internal uplock reel seat used on all rods was stamped
Wright & McGill Rod Co. and the Wright & McGill name was applied to the
rod shaft two flats above the Granger model name.
Production of Wright & McGill bamboo rods eventually reached between two and
three times the number of rods produced annually by the Granger Co. In 1947
W&M began to make changes. The Champion model was dropped and replaced by
the Stream and Lake. Other changes by W&M were simply cosmetic, but can be
used to help tell the earlier rods from the later ones. At some point, probably
about 1951, the rod shaft markings were changed. The direction of the lettering
was reversed so that it read toward the grip, rather than away from the grip.
Also, the rubber stamp was changed to a heavier and larger script which made the
marking much easier to read.
The only major addition by the Wright & McGill Rod Co. came in 1952 with
introduction of the impregnated series of Water Seal rods. The company called
the impregnated bamboo for these rods Densified Cane. This was the only bamboo
rod model marketed by Wright & McGill that was not called a Granger rod.
Water Seal rods were produced in two grades, the F. A. and the less expensive F.
B. 1952 was the last year bamboo rod blanks were produced by the Wright &
McGill Rod Co. There were still bamboo rods cataloged in 1953 on a limited
basis, and bamboo rods were available during 1954 in limited lengths and
weights, by special order only. Water Seal rods were available for several more
years, in fact, as late as 1960.
The Granger Registered rods were the epitome of the rod makers craft in
Colorado, and the one model that represents all three major Colorado companies.
The Registered rod was designed by Bill Phillipson, produced first by Goodwin
Granger Company and later by Wright & McGill Rod Co. The special features
that set the Registered rods apart from all others include a serial number on
each rod, white trim wraps at both ends of the black wraps, chrome plated
internal up locking reel seat rather than the normal nickel silver type, and a
hook keeper. They were the only Granger rods fitted by the factory with a hook
keeper. The serial numbers ran consecutively from the first one built until they
were discontinued in 1953. The first four digits of each serial number are the
year the rod was built and the remaining numbers are the chronological number of
the rod; numbering did not start over each year. No company records exist of
exactly how many Registered rods were manufactured, but based on serial numbers
of rods we have inspected, it appears fewer than 400 were built. Each rod came
in a black bag and a black tube with an inscribed medallion attached to the
tube. The tubes for Registered rods were aluminum for all years except 1942,
when World War II forced a switch to plastic tubes.
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South Bend Rod Co.
Wesley D. Jordan deserves an honored place in history as one of the truly
innovative bamboo rodmakers who had a major impact on the bamboo fly rod as we
know it today. Jordan was involved with producing bamboo rods for more than 50
years, first with the Cross Rod Co. of Lynn, Massachusetts, then with South Bend
in Indiana and finally with Orvis in Manchester, Vermont. His innovative genius
and natural talent for craftsmanship turned all three companies into recognized
leaders in the bamboo rod business.
Jordan began his rod making career quite by accident shortly after serving two
years in World War I. While on a fishing trip to Maine with William Forsyth, Mr.
Forsyth broke his fly rod and talked Wes into making him a new one. Jordan was
an accomplished fisherman and was familiar with good bamboo rods, so he spent
nearly a year studying the construction of bamboo rods and reading all the
literature he could find. Through trial and error he finally produced several
acceptable hand-planed rods of Calcutta cane. Mr. Forsyth was so enthusiastic
about the results of Jordan's efforts that he proposed a rod making venture. In
1920 they formed the Cross Rod Co., named for Bill Cross, a friend of Forsyth's
who bought stock in the new company and also joined in learning the rod making
trade.
Within a year Jordan had designed a milling machine and built it with the help
of his brother Bill, so rods could be produced faster and more economically to
compete with companies such as F. E. Thomas and H. L. Leonard. The Cross Rod Co.
built fly rods, tournament rods and saltwater rods for trolling and surf
casting. Most of the larger rods were double-built models for power and
strength. The company established a reputation for producing quality rods at
reasonable prices. Cross also produced rods under other brand names, such as
Abbey & Imbrie in New York.
Mr. Forsyth died suddenly in 1925 and his heirs sold the Cross Rod Co. to the
South Bend Tackle Co. in South Bend, Indiana. As part of the agreement, Jordan
moved to South Bend to set up the machinery, organize a rod production facility
and train the employees. This temporary arrangement lasted almost 15 years.
During this period Wes designed methods and equipment to facilitate making rods
with very low production costs, to compete with Montague, Union Hardware,
Horrocks-Ibbotson and Wright & McGill. One such device was a power-driven
ram for splitting bamboo culms destined for mass-market rods. South Bend also
made rods for other companies, such as Sears Roebuck for as little as 83 cents
wholesale. Cane for the higher quality rods built by South Bend and all the
South Bend-Cross rods were split by hand or sawed. Rods and blanks of this
higher quality were also marketed to other companies, most notably to the Paul
Young Co., for several years prior to 1930.
In 1939 Wes Jordan went to work for Charles F. Orvis Co. in Manchester, Vermont,
shortly after the nearly defunct company was rescued from receivership by Bart
Arkell and D. C. Corcoran. He worked for Orvis until his retirement in 1970,
during which time he helped resurrect the company and take it to the forefront
in rod production. During his tenure at Orvis he developed the process for
making impregnated rods, and designed and patented the famous Orvis screw lock
reel seat.
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Orvis Rod Co.
Wesley D. Jordan deserves an honored place in history as one of the truly
innovative bamboo rodmakers who had a major impact on the bamboo fly rod as we
know it today. Jordan was involved with producing bamboo rods for more than 50
years, first with the Cross Rod Co. of Lynn, Massachusetts, then with South Bend
in Indiana and finally with Orvis in Manchester, Vermont. His innovative genius
and natural talent for craftsmanship turned all three companies into recognized
leaders in the bamboo rod business.
Jordan began his rod making career quite by accident shortly after serving two
years in World War I. While on a fishing trip to Maine with William Forsyth, Mr.
Forsyth broke his fly rod and talked Wes into making him a new one. Jordan was
an accomplished fisherman and was familiar with good bamboo rods, so he spent
nearly a year studying the construction of bamboo rods and reading all the
literature he could find. Through trial and error he finally produced several
acceptable hand-planed rods of Calcutta cane. Mr. Forsyth was so enthusiastic
about the results of Jordan's efforts that he proposed a rod making venture. In
1920 they formed the Cross Rod Co., named for Bill Cross, a friend of Forsyth's
who bought stock in the new company and also joined in learning the rod making
trade.
Within a year Jordan had designed a milling machine and built it with the help
of his brother Bill, so rods could be produced faster and more economically to
compete with companies such as F. E. Thomas and H. L. Leonard. The Cross Rod Co.
built fly rods, tournament rods and saltwater rods for trolling and surf
casting. Most of the larger rods were double-built models for power and
strength. The company established a reputation for producing quality rods at
reasonable prices. Cross also produced rods under other brand names, such as
Abbey & Imbrie in New York.
Mr. Forsyth died suddenly in 1925 and his heirs sold the Cross Rod Co. to the
South Bend Tackle Co. in South Bend, Indiana. As part of the agreement, Jordan
moved to South Bend to set up the machinery, organize a rod production facility
and train the employees. This temporary arrangement lasted almost 15 years.
During this period Wes designed methods and equipment to facilitate making rods
with very low production costs, to compete with Montague, Union Hardware,
Horrocks-Ibbotson and Wright & McGill. One such device was a power-driven
ram for splitting bamboo culms destined for mass-market rods. South Bend also
made rods for other companies, such as Sears Roebuck for as little as 83 cents
wholesale. Cane for the higher quality rods built by South Bend and all the
South Bend-Cross rods were split by hand or sawed. Rods and blanks of this
higher quality were also marketed to other companies, most notably to the Paul
Young Co., for several years prior to 1930.
In 1939 Wes Jordan went to work for Charles F. Orvis Co. in Manchester, Vermont,
shortly after the nearly defunct company was rescued from receivership by Bart
Arkell and D. C. Corcoran. He worked for Orvis until his retirement in 1970,
during which time he helped resurrect the company and take it to the forefront
in rod production. During his tenure at Orvis he developed the process for
making impregnated rods, and designed and patented the famous Orvis screw lock
reel seat.
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Montague Rod &
Reel Co.
If you ever wondered why there are so many Montague rods available on the used
rod market, it is because The Montague Rod Company was the largest volume
producer of split bamboo rods from shortly after 1900 when they purchased the
Chubb Rod Company and merged the two operations in Montague City, Massachusetts,
until they closed down operations in 1955.
The company built everything from casting, spinning, trolling and ocean rods to
the many fly rod models listed below. These rods were built and priced for the
average fisherman of the era; they were not overly fancy or elegant but they
were durable, which is why so many remain on the market. But most were fished
hard; nice original examples in excellent condition are becoming scarce and hard
to find.
The rods below are listed in decreasing order of their original selling prices,
and the quality of hardware, ferrules, cork and bamboo decreases the farther
down a model is listed. Some models are quite common; others are quite rare due
to limited production. The values shown are current market values.
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James Heddon & Sons
James Heddons & Sons of Dowagiac, Michigan, was an
innovative fishing tackle company famous for its production of fishing lures and
bamboo fishing rods. From its beginning in 1911 until the end of production in
1956 the company produced some of the finest moderately priced bamboo fly rods
ever manufactured. The variety of styles, sizes and models has fascinated both
fly fishermen and collectors for most of this century. Additional information
and details about the rods listed in this Value Guide, and the company that
produced them can be obtained from Michael Sinclair's last book, Heddon; the Rod
with the Fighting Heart.
Rods made by Heddon were marked differently in various eras of production. For
example, rods prior to 1933 had Heddon written straight along the shaft rather
than spiraling around the rod; rods made prior to 1939 did not have the model
name on the shaft, only the model number; rods after 1939 had the model name and
additional information on the shaft such as the ferrule size and line
designation.
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Horrocks-Ibbotson Rods
Horrocks-Ibbotson was one of America's largest production
rod companies for many years, competing head to head with Montague and South
Bend. This company that came to be known as the World's Largest Manufacturer of
Fishing Tackle traces its history to 1812 but did not become involved with
fishing tackle until 1863 when an English immigrant named James Horrocks was
hired as a clerk. In 1894, Edward Ibbotson was hired as an errand boy. Gradually
the company acquired existing tackle companies. In 1905 the company built a new
factory in Utica, New York and continued to grow until it was known throughout
the world. The firm was incorporated in 1909 as the Horrocks-Ibbotson Co.
The rods made by Horrocks-Ibbotson in the years up to 1935 filled every niche in
the rod making business. The high grade rods such as the President and the
Chancellor featured nickel silver fittings and were as good as any rods being
produced by the competition. At the other end of the spectrum were the cheapest
production rods. H-I made literally hundreds of different models throughout the
years, and many had such minor differences in fittings and wraps that they were
indistinguishable without direct comparison.
Decals are useful for dating Horrocks-Ibbotson rods. The diamond with the UTK
logo dates from 1905 until World War I. This logo is usually stamped into the
reel seat, but also appears as a decal. The Trout logo decal was then used until
1929. It is rarely seen and is the most beautiful of the H-I decals. Next to
appear was an elongated Double Diamond with Utica, NY inside; it was used until
1933. In 1934, a double-diamond logo including the banner reading Best by Test
was introduced and was used until 1939. Next came the fanciest of all H-I decals
featuring a bright red H-I on a white diamond and accompanied by two banners
reading Fish Rod and Genuine Tonkin Cane. The decal of the early 1950's was
rectangular with a small gold foil diamond logo. The final decal was a simple
red diamond with a large white H-I.
If you are trying to identify a rod that has no decal, the writing of the model
name is helpful. H-I used white ink, and usually wrote with the words running
toward the grip. The only other maker that used white ink was Edwards, who
usually wrote with the words reading away from the grip. The reel seats did not
change much; the spacers were usually solid color plastic before World War II,
and marbleized plastic after the war. As with all rods, the most recent H-I
products are most commonly seen.
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Phillipson
Rods
Bill Phillipson had been a protégé of Goodwin Granger and then supervisor of
the rod shop for the Goodwin Granger Co. up until the time it closed down
shortly before World War II. In 1945 he tried to purchase the Granger operation
but when that failed he started his own company, the Phillipson Rod and Tackle
Co., and produced his first catalog of bamboo rods in 1946. Phillipson was an
innovator in the truest sense, he was constantly making changes and improvements
in his bamboo rods, and later during the 1950's and 60's was one of the pioneers
in development of fiberglass rods. Many of the outstanding features of the
Granger rods were actually developed during Bill's tenure as production manager;
including the Registered series of rods, the elliptical cork grip, that also
later appeared on some Phillipson models, and the patented nickel silver
internal up locking reel seat.
Bill has often been cussed for the obvious glue lines that appear on all
Phillipson rods. The glue lines are the result of the Penacolite glue Phillipson
used, rather than any flaw or lack of tolerances in the milling process. Bill
always valued function over appearance and refused to use what he felt were
inferior glues simply because they dried clear leaving no glue lines. Penacolite
was the most water repellent of any glue available, even more so than
Resorcinol. The disadvantage was the dark purple color that shows as distinct
glue lines between strips of bamboo; similar to, but more distinct than the glue
lines evident in most Garrison and Gillum rods.
The most common fly rod models produced by Phillipson include his original
series of the Pacemaker, Power Pakt, Paramount and Premium; and the Paragon
added a year later. During the later years he introduced a line of impregnated
models that included the Preferred and Peerless series. Each of these models was
available in a variety of lengths and line weights. Other less common Phillipson
models include the Smuggler, a four-piece travel rod produced only during 1952,
and the Peerless Dry Fly Special. Other rods produced by Phillipson that never
carry the Phillipson name, but were private-label rods for specific sporting
goods outlets include the Haywood Zephyr and the Ed M. Hunter Approved.
The Phillipson era ended when Bill sold his company in 1972 to 3M Corporation,
and they produced 300 impregnated Peerless rods at the Phillipson plant in
Denver before moving the equipment to Minnesota. These rods are distinguishable
by the wooden spacers in the aluminum reel seats.
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Uslan Rod Co.
These high quality bamboo rods were produced by Nathaniel Uslan, renowned as the
major innovator with five-sided bamboo fly rods. He claimed his rods were
inherently stronger than traditional six-sided bamboo rods since there was no
continuous glue line through the cross-section of the rods and the stress from
flexing was transferred more directly to the bamboo itself.
Shortly after World War II, Nat Uslan set up shop in Spring Valley, New York and
began producing five-strip fly rods. The business prospered and five-sided rods
were very popular for a brief period of time, due probably in part to their
novelty. During the 1950's the situation in China created an embargo on Tonkin
cane. Uslan was one of the first major rod companies to be affected by the
shortage of raw cane. He struggled along for a number of years but eventually
the company succumbed to a federal tax auction. Uslan produced two distinct
series of five-strip rods; the Deluxe model with a resin impregnation finish,
and the Spencer model with a traditional varnish finish. Both series were
produced in two-piece and three-piece versions, ranging in length from seven to
nine feet. Because of the limited supply of Uslan rods, their value has remained
relatively high on the collector market.
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E.F.
Payne Rod Co.
The E.F. Payne Rod Co. was founded in 1898 in highland
Mills N.Y. Ed Payne established his rod building manufactory after leaving the
recently sold Thomas, Edwards and Payne Rod Co. which was sold to US Net &
Twine. Thomas, Edwards and Payne manufactured the Kosmic Rod and the Walton Rod
was being made in Maine by Fred Thomas. Although Ed Payne began as a gunsmith,
reel maker, in partnerships with Philbrook as Payne and Philbrook, he became the
ferrule smith while at H. L. Leonard and began making rods while at Thomas,
Edwards and Payne. It wasn't until he founded E.F. Payne Rod Co. that he would
make rods of his on construction.
By 1904 or so Ed Payne was joined by his 10 year old son Jim as apprentice and
only 10 short years later Ed Payne passed away in 1914 leaving his son Jim a
legacy and large shoes to fill. Jim had become quite accomplished as a rod maker
and the exquisite rods of his fathers design continued being made without
interruption. Less than 2 years later Jim began his experiments in flame
tempering of the bamboo and once perfected the darkened cane rod which became
his legacy was born. Jim offered his rods in 2 finishes, i.e. the lighter cane
of his dads style and the darker cane of his and in 1925 he worked on using an
oven to perform his magic toning process and once perfected dropped the lighter
cane from his rod line. Jim Payne continued to make rods under the Payne name
until his death in 1968 and left behind a legacy in rod making still discussed
with reverence today.
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H. W. Hawes Rods
The information here is taken from the short lived
Hawes-Leonard Model Rods Catalog. Short lived because the Mills Co. took great
umbrage to Hawes' use of the Leonard name in his rods and he was forced to stop.
It is an historical fact the Hiram W. Hawes worked along side his uncle, Hiram
L. Leonard and discussed rods at length and probably is responsible for much of
what Leonard rods became as much as Leonard himself. Hawes truly has not been
given the full credit of his genius and using these words from his catalog: The
question of Mr. Hawes as a first class rod maker is not "How many?"
but "How good?" I find no better choice of words myself.
After 28 years of working along side Mr. Leonard, Mr. hawes left the company to
make rods of his own when Mr. Leonard died. With his wife and mother-in-law, Mrs
Leonard and her daughter, he moved to Canterbury CT where he built rods with his
son Merritt until his own death in 1929. Merritt continued to build for years
and is pretty much responsible for those rods marked Parker-Hawes.
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Dickerson Rods
Lyle L. Dickerson was quoted in the book by authors Dr.
Gerald Stein and RodMakers Jim Schaaf as saying "If the depression had
never come along when it did, I probably never would have gone into the rod
making business." I say the bamboo rod community would have been all the
poorer had he not.
While Dickerson is most noted for his 2 pc fast series of rods his first rods
were of 3 pc construction and while there are some fast rods in that series most
were of moderate taper which Dickerson himself preferred.
It has been acknowledge that Dickerson published 2 catalogs in his career which
were prompted by noted author of Trout, Ray Bergman, himself a Dickerson
afficinado. Bergman had been fishing near Dickerson's home when they met and his
favorite rod was a Leonard which he asked Dickerson if he could duplicate.
Dickerson acknowledged that he could but in reality wasn't quite sure how he
would accomplish the task but took it on in any event. When Bergman received the
rod Dickerson made he was quite taken with Dickerson's achievement which began a
life-long singing the praise of his work and assistance in obtaining orders.
Living in the Detroit area Dickerson also got orders from some of the
influential folks of the period, like Drs, dentists and the hard driving, fast
paced executives of the auto industry.
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Paul H. Young Rod
Co.
Paul Young was born in Arkansas, he and his family moved to Minnesota for a
brief period and settled in Michigan in Detroit. Paul always had the outdoors in
his heart as hunting and various sporting habits, which included fishing of
course, had him learning taxidermy and opening a shop in Detroit where he had
great success mounting hunting and fishing trophies for his fellow sportsman.
Around the early 1920's Paul acquired a set of "V" blocks and from
reading a book on rod making began a career of more than 40 years as maker. The
rod makers task was always a slow and methodical one employing the use of
"V" blocks and planes and since Paul would not rush the process to
simply cut corners while making his rods he sought alternatives to supplying his
demanding customers needs. Paul made contractual commitments with the South Bend
Rod Company, E. W. Edwards & Sons and Heddon Rod Co. Most of these rods were
marked as Prosperity and Depression rods.
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splitcane@comcast.net
           
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