Collecting Old Fishing Reels, Rods, Flies & Lures

by David French

I have always enjoyed collecting old things. My wife can attest to this. Collecting fishing tackle has been very enjoyable in many ways. For this article I would like to discuss collecting cane rods. When I find an old cane rod made by a certain maker I look forward to the researching part and finding the rod¹s value.

Cane rods were first made in the 1840¹s by Thomas Aldred of London, England. According to A. J. Campbell in his excellent book Classic and Antique Fly-Fishing Tackle. This first rod was made of cane in three strips. Many rods had a butt section made of ash, lancewood, or hickory and the tip was cane. Of course finding a rod like this today would be very rare and worth quite a bit. Calcutta cane became the material of choice for rod making.

You can still find many old cane rods today. Around this Tri-State area most rods are found in the 9¹ length. The usual manufactures are Montague, Horrocks and Ibbotson, South Bend, Heddon and Shakespeare. Although these were common makers of cane, these rods still fish great. If you can find the shorter 7¹ footer then you have an even better and more valuable rod.

Common rods sell today in the $ 50.00 range depending on condition and the shorter ones go for $150.00 and up. A Heddon 7¹ rod in excellent condition with original bag and tube would sell for about $500.00. Heddon was one of the finer makers of fishing gear. Some of the famous U.S. rod builders were Orvis, Leonard, Granger, Phillipson, Payne, Divine, Paul Young, Winston and several others. Most of these makers were located in the east. Their shorter rods sell in the $1000.00 plus range. 

Finding used fly rods can take some time and searching. The internet is probably the fastest for locating one. Ebay.com has more fishing gear than you could ever imagine. New and used. Several great auction houses in the east have several fantastic fly rods at auction. Lang¹s Sporting Collectables located in Boxborough, Mass. (978)263-8701, is the best for this. They have two auctions a year, spring and fall. Local auctions, flee markets and sometimes friends and relatives may have them.

If you have or purchase a cane rod in good condition you¹ll want to store it properly in a cloth bag and stiff tube. Putting the rod in a consistent temperature like your home will also help to maintain the varnish finish. After fishing you should placing it in the cloth bag and hang it vertical to dry. After a couple of days drying, place it in its protective tube to keep the rod sections straight. 

Rod restoration is a very important area. Most all the cane rods can be restored. If your rod was made by one of the finer rod makers, then you would want to locate an expert who can restore the rod back to its original finish and wraps. There are some great used fly rods for sale all over the country. Most of them don¹t even need restoration.

Collecting fly rods and fishing gear can be fun and rewarding in many ways. I always enjoy talking with the individual who used the fly rod many years past. His stories are great to hear and I pick up some new fishing tips  too.

I hope you enjoy this bit of information about fly rods. Next I will cover collecting fly reels.