i got two old rods this weekend and was wondering if anyone could tell me the year or decade it was made and if possible its value
1. Heddon Pal Mark 1 controlled Flex Action 8307 8 1/2' No. 8 Lines it came with a Shakespeare automatic reel No. 1836 Model FC
2. South bend split cane rod 346-9' 4DH or D plastic reel seat is in excellent condition finish is good has two rod tips neither is broken
Neither of these rods is worth very much. They were run-of-the-mill mass produced bamboo rods. They are OK fishing tools provided you only want to cast about 50 feet max. They were probably produced in the late 40's or early 50's.
If the reel is maroon colored anodized aluminum and sits vertically below the rod (most autos sit horizontal), it was made in the same time frame. Never ever take it apart ..... a steel "snake" will jump out of it and be all over the room! And you'll spend days trying to get it back in!!!
I foresee a time in the not-so-distant future where "purist" fly fishermen and women go back to the old line designations, bamboo and fiberglass rod blanks, silk lines, and so on. I'm determined to build a "trout rod" on a fiberglass blank sometime this year... only problem is, FG blanks are somewhat hard to find and the ones I've seen are quite pricey... anyone know of good FG blanks for a reasonable price?
I was thinking of there Bush (?) Creek series. Last year I built a 6'6" 3 wt out of one and its a nice, albeit slow, blank. The cost for a 2 piece blank was ~ $65-70. There not on the Lamiglas website now though.
It probably is a 4-weight. Must be a vintage where the numbers were starting to replace the letters. A "D" line (or HDH for a taper) would just about match up with a 4 weight.
Probably early '60s vintage, if memory serves me right.
If I remember, a D-belly was more likely to be a 5- or 6-weight. That letter system designated diameters. Trouble was, Ashaway's D, using different plastic coatings, might or might not be the same weight as Cortland's D belly. The cry went out for a system based on line weight, and so the AFTMA system that we use today came to be, somewhere around 1960.
A designation like HDH was a double taper; one like GBF was a weight-forward. I seem to remember that there were designations like GAAF or G2AF, which was a saltwater-size WF line.
These number letters are based on my assortment of old cane rods and fiberglass too fairly accurate as relates to modern lines that are sold today.
That old South Bend rod sounds like it needs to be fished, you should do just that. As far as a line to use with it I suggest that you try it with a WF 6 or DT5. If you have not used cane you will be suprised at how much slower the rod will react give it a little time and practice and you might find that it is good to be slow.
Always make sure that the cane rod is completely dry before you put it back in its bag and tube. Oh yeah one other thing if the ferrules appear to be stuck don't worry they will come apart just use a pair of rubber gloves to help your grip and the ferrules will "pop" apart with ease.
And backwards! Line designations in letters - the lower the letter (towards "A"), the heavier the line. That's why tapered lines were listed as "HCH" or "HDH" and others.
The first "H" was for the smaller tip, the "C" (or whatever) was the part you cast, and the last "H" was for the "running line".
Sean, I'm glad to hear you are going to fish the rod, its best to fish the older cane rods with as light a line as you can make the rod work with. As to the extra weight of the cane it seems to disappear as you use it more often.
Bob K. I must be "Dyslexic" or whatever that thing is that makes people see things backwards my post still looks right to me!
Whew, I thought I had too much to drink this morning. (did I say that?) I looked at the A-9, B-8... list and it seemed to make sense to me.
Actually Moonlight, dyslexia refers to the transposition of the written word and dysnumeria to the same with numbers. Given the combinations involved in your line comparisons, I fear your could suffer from one, the other or god forbid both of these afflictions. There is really no way to be sure without a specimen sample
first fish on the bamboo was about a 12 inch brown got off at the net
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