SOUTH BEND Fly Rod Catalog Listings, 1924-1954

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wrong66
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SOUTH BEND Fly Rod Catalog Listings, 1924-1954

#1

Post by wrong66 »

Below, in chronological order, you will find the original 1924-1954 fly rod catalog listings from the South Bend Bait Company. Just as was done with the "Heddon Catalog Listings" thread, this will also be pinned to create a lasting and convenient reference. Thanks go out to Mark (Admin) for agreeing to pin this thread as well. A special thanks to member Dennis Buranek, who supplied numerous photos for this project. There are a few years that won't be represented at first and these will simply say "needed". Feel free to PM me if you should have catalog listings that we need copies of, or better quality examples so we can include them. The South Bend catalog thread was first started by Jeff Knapp in January of 2012. This simply represents an extension of his original postings and will remain a work in progress.

The 1924 South Bend catalog. The 1922 catalog shows no bamboo fly rods and there was no 1923 catalog from South Bend, so this is where I'll start.
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The 1925 South Bend catalog.
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wrong66
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Re: SOUTH BEND Fly Rod Catalog Listings, 1924-1954

#2

Post by wrong66 »

The 1926 South Bend Catalog. The No.12, No.19 and No.20 models are not shown (same as 1925 and 1927).
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1927 South Bend Catalog. Photos courtesy of Tom McMillan.
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Re: SOUTH BEND Fly Rod Catalog Listings, 1924-1954

#3

Post by wrong66 »

South Bend 1928 catalog. Photos courtesy of Dennis Buranek.
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Re: SOUTH BEND Fly Rod Catalog Listings, 1924-1954

#4

Post by wrong66 »

South Bend's 1929 catalog.
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Re: SOUTH BEND Fly Rod Catalog Listings, 1924-1954

#5

Post by wrong66 »

South Bend 1930 catalog. Only "New Items" page listed. The rest of the catalog is still needed.


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Re: SOUTH BEND Fly Rod Catalog Listings, 1924-1954

#6

Post by wrong66 »

The 1931 catalog. Several new models have shown up.

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Re: SOUTH BEND Fly Rod Catalog Listings, 1924-1954

#7

Post by wrong66 »

South Bend's 1932 catalog. Still, one of the most iconic catalog covers ever created.
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Re: SOUTH BEND Fly Rod Catalog Listings, 1924-1954

#8

Post by wrong66 »

1933 South Bend catalog. Photos courtesy of Dennis Buranek. Photos forthcoming...

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Re: SOUTH BEND Fly Rod Catalog Listings, 1924-1954

#9

Post by wrong66 »

1934 South Bend Catalog.
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The 1934 South Bend TRADE Catalog. Contains everything in the regular catalog above, but introduces South Bend's "Best-O-Luck" economy series of fly rods.

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Re: SOUTH BEND Fly Rod Catalog Listings, 1924-1954

#10

Post by wrong66 »

The 1935 catalog.

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Re: SOUTH BEND Fly Rod Catalog Listings, 1926-1952

#11

Post by crowebeetle »

Great resource - thanks for posting

wrong66
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Re: SOUTH BEND Fly Rod Catalog Listings, 1924-1954

#12

Post by wrong66 »

The 1936 South Bend catalog. South Bend rods only, so far.

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Re: SOUTH BEND Fly Rod Catalog Listings, 1924-1954

#13

Post by wrong66 »

The 1937 catalog. Identical to the 1936 edition, except for a few prices.

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Re: SOUTH BEND Fly Rod Catalog Listings, 1924-1954

#14

Post by wrong66 »

The 1938 South Bend catalog.

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Re: SOUTH BEND Fly Rod Catalog Listings, 1924-1954

#15

Post by wrong66 »

The 1939 South Bend catalog.

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Re: SOUTH BEND Fly Rod Catalog Listings, 1924-1954

#16

Post by wrong66 »

South Bend's 1940 catalog.

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Re: SOUTH BEND Fly Rod Catalog Listings, 1924-1954

#17

Post by wrong66 »

The 1941 South Bend catalog.
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Re: SOUTH BEND Fly Rod Catalog Listings, 1924-1954

#18

Post by wrong66 »

South Bend's 1942 catalog. Printed in late 1941 (before Pearl Harbor), it would be the last catalog for several years. The War Production Board would order all tackle manufacturers to cease production by May 31, 1942 and re-tool for war production.

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Re: SOUTH BEND Fly Rod Catalog Listings, 1924-1954

#19

Post by wrong66 »

South Bend 1945 Catalog. With the war raging for three years and no tackle being produced, the South Bend Bait Co. devised a way to keep "South Bend fishing tackle" fresh in the minds of people still here at home. They created the "Fishing Photos Contest" in 1944, where people could send in fishing-related photos in the hopes of winning prizes for the top eight photos picked. In 1945, a "catalog" of the photo winners was created, along with an order form for purchasing 11" x 15" prints of the top eight photos (for $1.00). Conveniently placed throughout this "catalog" were nice color photos of the rods and reels South Bend was selling before the war and assuring customers that they would again be available in peacetime. They even tried to put a positive spin on bamboo rods by saying they would have "several extra years of slow seasoning". Although not a true tackle catalog, I felt it was worthy to include in this thread.
The photos below include the original "catalog", mailer and the original print that was used for the cover, as well as for the 1947 and 1948 catalog covers.
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wrong66
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Re: SOUTH BEND Fly Rod Catalog Listings, 1924-1954

#20

Post by wrong66 »

The 1947 South Bend catalog. The first post-war catalog and very abbreviated. Only five fly rod models are offered.

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Last edited by wrong66 on 08/09/17 18:17, edited 5 times in total.

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