Code: Select all
Welcome to the Crackerbarrel.Code: Select all
<span style=""> </span>First, a bit of an explanation is due for the name Crackerbarrel. Years ago my friend and mentor in fly tying, Ledge Mitchell, suggested we get together as a group to tie at the club house and he called it a cracker barrel session. I asked Ledge what he meant by that and he explained that in the old days there was always a cracker barrel in the General Store and it was usually next to the pot-bellied stove which had the coffee pot going. It was a custom that trappers, hunters, customers would grab a cup of coffee and pull up a crate next to the Cracker Barrel and there was always a checker board cover that could be used for a table top or playing checkers. Many a story were told, letters read and shared, pelts reviewed for quality and pricing and flies tied in a vise to either try out a vise, a new pattern or some material. Well the club had a modern wood burning stove and we had the old coffee pot brewing and about 8 of us showed up to begin those Crackerbarrel Sessions to chew the fat, tell stories, while away the winter blahs and fill our fly boxes. It lasted for a good many years. Another reason for the name is the recent announcement by Dick Spurr, long time tackle man and owner of Centennial Publishing, as he announced his retirement and the discontinuance of his website called The Cracker Barrel.<span style=""> </span>Dicks Cracker Barrel gave many years of enjoyment to me and countless other bamboo rod owners and much information was learned through it and the many publications Dick worked so hard to put together. I'd like to formally thank Dick for his tireless contribution and wish him well in his retirement and hope he is able to enjoy his fly-fishing. So without further fanfare lets begin our version of the Crackerbarrel, the coffees brewed and the stove is stoked and it's time to chew some fat. <span style=""> </span>Today's topic was item #2 on Brett's post. I chose it because there were several other posts that indicated they were interested in some of today's contemporary makers like Ruhe, Thramer and Parker. The topic is vintage vs. contemporary. What constitutes a vintage rod? That is a valid question and is asked by novice and expert and there is no one simple answer but I will attempt to answer it thusly. A vintage rod is a rod made from around 1850 to approximately 1970 but it covers several era's. The first era would be 1850 to 1870 when most rods were made by individual craftsman and sold by the maker to a private individual. The second era would be from 1870 to about 1915 and this era still has individual craftsman but it adds the factory builder with the Hiram Lewis Leonard Rod Co. being the major contributor. Leonard was a gunsmith and woodsman who saw some rods made by individual craftsman and felt he could make them himself. Leonard handcrafted several rods and eventually decided to go with 6-sided construction, which was a departure from the current days practice, rods did have six sides but most had 3 or 4 sided tips and Leonard made all his sections 6 sided. The bamboo used during this period was Calcutta Cane,which is easily identified by burn marks caused by the cleaning of the culms and an attempt of ridding the culm of insect infestation with fire.<span style=""> </span>A Boston based company, Bradford & Anthony, saw a rod built by Leonard when a local fly fisherman brought one by and soon contacted Leonard and became his first agent while Leonard was still in Bangor, ME. Eventually Leonard ended up with the Wm Mills Co. of NY as his sole agent and the birth of the HL Leonard Rod Co. was established and moved to the Catskills to be closer to some of the best fly fishing and fly fishers. This is the period the vintage rod forms its identity as the tapers were developed by Leonard and his nephews, Hiram and Loman Hawes. It will be these tapers that form the legacy of Leonard and the disciples, who came to work, learn and leave to form their own companies and tapers. These men were Hiram and Loman Hawes, Eustis Edwards, Ed Payne, George Varney, Thomas Chubb, Fred Thomas and some say Fred Divine each of which left and either formed a rod making establishment of their own or in partnership with another. The third era would be from 1915 to the 1930's and this is an exciting time as heat-treating of bamboo and the use of Tonkin Cane became the norm and the pale yellow tones turned to wonderful brown toned rods with spring like action. Until this period the wet fly was king and the soft action rods, silk lines and horsehair tippets worked in harmony. Tournament or distance casting became a followed pastime and a place where new tapers could be critiqued and names like Reuben Leonard, Hiram Hawes and E.C. Powell graced the record books. Tournament tapers became the foundation to the modern dry fly taper due to the speed necessary to carry the line for distance and turn over rates capable of drying the fly during casting. By the 1930's modern glues replaced the fish and animal based glues and the need for the never-ending series of intermediate wraps was overcome. <span style=""> </span> The final era would be from the 1930's to the early 1970's, which would be interrupted by WW II and the development of fiberglass rods, nylon and plastic lines and eventually graphite rods and PVC lines. All these changes and developments changed the bamboo rod as well as the makers had to change with it and the hardest pill to swallow came with the embargo on Tonkin Cane that was the foundation of the industry. <span style=""> </span> The contemporary rod has several stages and is not as simple as the word implies. One can think of contemporary and think rods made by modern makers of their own design. You would also be correct if you think of modern makers who build rods of vintage tapers using modern techniques. It would also be correct if one thought of contemporary as being a mixture of the previous 2 statements and here I'd like to introduce the Orvis Rod Co. In my mind Orvis is both a vintage rod maker and a contemporary rod maker since many of its tapers trace their lineage to Wes Jordan and the Cross Rod Co. and modern tapers of Orvis design as well. Add to this that Orvis makes all of their rods using the impregnation process that Wes Jordan patented and it's simple to see the logic in my statement. <span style=""> </span>As Brett suggested when he brought up the names of Ruhe, Thramer and Parker these are truly modern and respected makers of contemporary and vintage style rods. I have only seen rods by these makers and not cast any of them which is too bad as I don't feel qualified to pass any judgments on their casting qualities but if their construction and attention to detail is indicative of their work I can't imagine they would disappoint you. A.J. Thramer has the distinction of offering a staggering array of rods and blanks at prices that range from $400 for blanks to about $1150 for a completed rod and several ranges in between. Like any rod, be it vintage or contemporary, one has to cast them to form any real opinion as to whether it will perform for you for the fishing you plan on doing.<span style=""> </span>Unfortunately one is at a disadvantage when it comes to bamboo as it is not as simple as walking into your favorite fly shop and picking it off the rack and heading to the casting field most shops have. If one is lucky then they will know of a fly fisher who fishes bamboo and they be given an opportunity to try one. Many of the catalog vendors of classic rods, i.e. Martin Keane, Bob Corsetti and Carmine Lisella to mention those I have dealt with, offer a 3 day inspection for you to decide if the rod will meet your needs and only shipping costs will be withheld should you find it unsatisfactory for your needs and return it. Casting a vintage rod that is historically correct, i.e. the rod is in original condition or has been restored to original condition, one will find the snakes and stripper to be a bit smaller than a modern rod. The reason for this is due to the rod being made during the period when silk fly line was the norm and while the rod may cast modern fly lines with equal aplomb there is no guarantee that it will so casting is extremely important and the more different manufacturers lines you have available the better. Most often used lines are SA Mastery Series and SA Ultra II and III; Cortland Peach is a favorite of many as is the Triangle Tapered lines. The modern or contemporary rods have been either designed, or in the case of a vintage taper, tweaked and outfitted with the proper size snakes and stripper to take advantage of modern fly lines so if you are one who casts silk you will need to verify the rod acts as you'd expect also.<span style=""> </span>To make a judgment I feel that the current day is the Golden Days of the bamboo rod in that there has never been a time in history where so many talented craftsmen and women plied their trade and the dizzying array of both vintage and contemporary rod available. Availability, cost and timing being the determining factor in most purchases as the only obstacles for owning that dream rod. What constitutes a good rod is the ability of the rod to do what you expect it to do for the type of fishing you do. <span style=""> </span>Well I hope this starts us off on the right foot and I do apologize for the length of this topic but without some real history and facts a good many falsehoods and old wives tales can muddy up the situation. I'd like to thank all those who added their input and to those that will as well. As Bob Corsetti so eloquently states at the end of his catalog, "well the old coffee pot is empty" and to that I'd like to add I think I'll pack a pipe and enjoy myself and await your questions and responses. Tight Lines.......................<span style=""> </span>banjo