Rods with provenance

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fishnbanjo
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Rods with provenance

#1

Post by fishnbanjo »

What rods do you own, or have owned, that come with some provenance?
I’ll answer with what I have, and have owned, later since I’d like the cognoscenti to pass theirs along first, photos woul be great as well, regards.
banjo

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czkid
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Re: Rods with provenance

#2

Post by czkid »

Does Ernie Schwiebert's PHY Para17 count? Apparently Ernie was not the most caring of tackle owners, so this one tip Para17 required a complete restoration at the hands of John Pickard. John got the Para17 and a Texas General from the big auction up East years back as part of Ernie's estate.

Trout120-1
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Re: Rods with provenance

#3

Post by Trout120-1 »

I saw one of Ernie's rods in the American Museum of Fly Fishing in Vermont. I think it was a shorter Young - beat to h---.
I also owned his Garrison salmon rod which was also beat up. The butt was actually "skinned" on one side from laying it against the gunnel on a drift boat. Go figure. When I fished with him he was careful with his T&T.

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Wild Skies
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Re: Rods with provenance

#4

Post by Wild Skies »

I presently own Orvis "Light Salmon", S/N 25156, 8'6", 3/2, 5 oz., for a 7 line that was formerly owned by wildlife artist Robert Abbett.
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Rolf Jacobsen
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Re: Rods with provenance

#5

Post by Rolf Jacobsen »

Brook Trout are God's way of saying everything is going to be all right.

gooseberryrods
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Re: Rods with provenance

#6

Post by gooseberryrods »

I am the fortunate owner of the 1-piece, nodeless, Garrison fly rod. This rod was mentioned in "A Master's Guide to Building A Bamboo Fly Rod". The rod is a true banty at just a smidge over 50", not 5' or 5' 0", as was written in other publications. Recently, I received a letter of provenance from Hoagy Carmichael stating, among other things, that the rod is all original and, "wrapped in red silk , is as Mr. Garrison finished it. The rod measures 4' 2 1/2" to be exact, not 4' 3" as noted in 'The Guide' on page 36." He also went on to say: " I remember the day that Everett Garrison showed me the short one-piece rod with the bamboo nodes removed by 'Mr. G', I stood there in disbelief, marveling at the high level of workmanship. When Gary died, I acquired the rod."
I was also informed that I was likely the first person to have fished the rod. It performs admirably with a WF-4 modern line and is a wonderful fishing instrument. The only time I fished it I caught a nice 14" butter-brown. The rod roll casts nicely and fishes like an extension of my arm. I have measured the taper and was not surprised the rod is tapered like his other models, including a slight swell where the ferrule would be if it had one.
Last edited by gooseberryrods on 02/16/19 17:30, edited 2 times in total.

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steeliefool
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Re: Rods with provenance

#7

Post by steeliefool »

Provenance being a pretty broad term, what are we considering here? Docs, tags....?
I am confused. Thanks

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fishnbanjo
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Re: Rods with provenance

#8

Post by fishnbanjo »

steeliefool, I was kind of placing provenance as being owned by a celebrity in or out of Fly Fishing, regards. Keep them coming folks.
banjo

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steeliefool
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Re: Rods with provenance

#9

Post by steeliefool »

I sold a very high end Monty trade rod built for the Thom. E Wilson Co ,marked accordingly with a decal, to the great great grandson of Thom. E himself!
Does that count?

Marysfan
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Re: Rods with provenance

#10

Post by Marysfan »

I own a Roderick Haig-Brown Commemorative made by Glenn Bracket for
Winston complete with a letter of provenance from Glenn. Only 27 were made and mine is #7.

I also will soon own a Phillipson 7’ 2/2 5wt. Made by P. W. Phillipson for Dick Sherman. It was a gift to Sherman who in 1975 was running the factory. I have a letter of provenance from Sherman’s son.

William Dunn
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Re: Rods with provenance

#11

Post by William Dunn »

I have a all original Paul Young-made spinning rod made for Rogers C. B. Morton. It is dated Sept. 1951, Louisville, 7 1/2 ft., 14-SpinMaster. Writing appears to be Paul Young's.

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reelsmith
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Re: Rods with provenance

#12

Post by reelsmith »

.
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Not bamboo, but I had a sweet 7'6" 3-weight rod on a Fisher blank made by Matt Vinceguerra and gifted to Dick Talleur for Christmas in 1977.

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It now, fittingly, belongs to one of their fishing buddies ...a Trico fan.

It was meant to be.

gooseberryrods ...nice find !! I'm jealous. ;)

Dean.

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Re: Rods with provenance

#13

Post by crowebeetle »

I have a Phillipson Peerless 7.5 ft that was given by Art Flick to a friend who only lawn cast it. He just couldn't get the cast down.

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fishnbanjo
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Re: Rods with provenance

#14

Post by fishnbanjo »

Nice stuff all, a friend from here has one of the ones I owned and I won’t spring mine on you until he’s posted it but I’m glad I posted the question.
banjo

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quashnet
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Re: Rods with provenance

#15

Post by quashnet »

Banjo has owned so many wonderful rods that I can't be sure that Mrs. Young's Perfectionist, serial number 2024, is the one that he meant. It is among the two or three best casting rods I've ever handled. Built for Martha Marie Young in April 1955 by her husband Paul H. Young, who wrote prior to Opening Day to his friend Chauncy Lively, "How many times have the boys and I made a long run and Martha stayed around the cabin and got the best catches... Martha will have a new 'Perfectionist' but won't know it until she gets her waders on." I have a copy of a provenance document written by Mrs. Young regarding this Perfectionist. One tip is down a tiny bit, and she admits to breaking it. The largest trout I've taken on it thus far measured twenty inches, but some of the best catches have been brightly-colored native brook trout. Paul Young inked ruler markings on the shaft of the butt section, so his wife could tell at a glance how long the fish she caught were. Mrs. Young's favorite trout rod length, at least as far back as the 1930s, was a 7'6" rod.

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Please visit and bookmark the Paul H. Young Rod Database
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Other rod databases: Dickerson , Orvis , Powell

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dshx
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Re: Rods with provenance

#16

Post by dshx »

I know I've posted about this rod before but given the thread topic - a PHY Para 15 also from the Lang auction several years ago. I'm unclear who inked the inscription but Bob Summers speculated that it was a PHY kit rod (which raises a lot of other questions...).
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-Dwight
Last edited by dshx on 04/14/20 16:56, edited 1 time in total.

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Greg Reynolds
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Re: Rods with provenance

#17

Post by Greg Reynolds »

Orvis #52907 marked "Experimental" "for WF6F line" is one of the development rods for the 8-foot, 12/64-ferrule, 4 1/8-oz, slow-action Battenkill. The rod was made in October, 1968 and the model was introduced in the 1970 catalog. The rod came to me from the estate of Wes Jordan's successor, Howard Steere via Marty Keane in 1998.

Although the rod is in newish condition, Howard and others had fished it heavily as it was on it's 2nd set of ferrules, which were also worn-out. I sent it back to Manchester for a refresh and have fished it for the last 20 years.

Its photo appears on page 165 of JORDAN The Rodmaker.

https://www.orvis.com/s/orvis-bamboo-ro ... steere/692

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Greg Reynolds
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Re: Rods with provenance

#18

Post by Greg Reynolds »

A 6-foot, 13/64-ferrule rod assembled by Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania fly-tier and author Chauncy Lively for his daughter Anne in the 1950s. Chauncy and wife Marion were close friends of Paul Young. Hoagy Carmichael was also a good friend and devoted a chapter to him in his book 8 by Carmichael.

Living in the Laurel Highlands region of SW Pennsylvania, I'm a fan of Chauncy, like many in the area, and fish some of the same waters that he and Marion did. The rod came to me as a gift from friend, occasional fishing partner and all-around nice guy, forum member Spruce Grouse about ten years ago. Howard had purchased it and a PHY Martha Marie owned by Lively from Bob Summers.

I fished the rod on special occasions during my ownership, but recently decided it needed to be with Chauncy's other things in the American Museum of Fly Fishing. Wife Karen and I dropped it off in Manchester during a return trip from Camden, Maine in July. The Museum currently has an exhibit on Lively, which was a treat.

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crowebeetle
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Re: Rods with provenance

#19

Post by crowebeetle »

Very generous of you to donate that rod.

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Greg Reynolds
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Re: Rods with provenance

#20

Post by Greg Reynolds »

crowebeetle wrote:Very generous of you to donate that rod.
I'll be 65 this year. I love the rod, but had concerns that it wouldn't make it to an appropriate home in the event that I check-out earlier than anticipated... :)

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