Orvis Limestone Special 8.5', 4.5oz, two tip, 6wt

[trappererick]

My name is Erick and I have been flyfishing here in Maine since 1977 when I was 8 years old. I just inherited an Orvis Bamboo fly rod and Hardy reel to go with it from my dad . The title says it all as far as the rod goes it is in the original tube with serial #70008. Rod has not been fished since early 90's and is in my opinion excellent shape. I am trying to find out the value of this rod for resale. I am not going to fish this rod as I am just not a bamboo guy and would be afraid I would break it in the spots I fish. I would rather see it go to a home that will fish and enjoy the rod instead of just putting it in the closet. I can provide pictures of the rod and reel later if that helps give me a better estimate on resale value. I appreciate your help.

[tiptop]

If there are no loose ferrules, fishing sets, or other major problems, the rod should bring from $700 - $900 depending on where you try to sell it and how patient you are.

[adrien schnee]

I would say $850 to $950 even if excellent condition. I have followed this rod somehwhat over the past two years and they are scarce and quite in demand. I was surprised when a one tip Madison (lower) grade of this rod brought a high bid of over $600 a few months ago at public auction.

Not often seen for sale and a desirable taper.

As noted, sometimes a bit of patience is needed to bring the best price and find the right buyer too.

[Flyman615]

FWIW, I sold a Limestone Special in EX condition last year for $800.

Just keep in mind, it is one of Orvis' "specialty" tapers in that it is not suitable for everyone or all fishing situations.

If a potential buyer has not cast or fished one before, he/she may not like it. That said, it's a wonderful rod for larger spring creeks and tailwaters.

Scott

[Hellmtflies]

I agree with the above imput. I sold one in excellent condition about 18 months ago for $850.00. That I thought was a fair price.

[JimmyB11]

What can u tell us about the Hardy reel?

[trappererick]

I want to thank every one for there help with this rod. I just looked it over pretty close and to me it looks almost unfished. The ferrules are tight the wraps all look great, the sections seem straight with no obvious sets or bends. The cork and reel seat look almost unused. I know my dad fished it maybe a half dozen times or so mainly on the Rapid River up here in Maine. I know he was meticulous about this rod and wiped it down and cleaned it after every use and it looks like it.

As for the Hardy reel it is a Featherweight model that has obvious signs of use but certainly no abuse and functions perfectly. I may not appreciate a fine cane rod but I do recognize a nice reel and will probably keep this one for one of modern fly rods.

[mstaffor]

Trapper Rick,

I am looking for a limestone special in good condition. Please send me a pm if you are ready to sell.

[CDCdun]

In my opinion, you should fish it at least once. Those Orvis rods are tough and you may enjoy fishing it. You'll never know if you're "a bamboo guy" unless you try it. I don't know if it has any sentimental value to you, but a rod like this would be easy to sell and hard to get back.
Just my .02

Jake

[Wyfish]

I wouldn't be in a rush to sell it. After all, it was your dad's fishing outfit. You have a very marketable rod and it will sell whenever you are ready. Think about taking it fishing, but be careful of fitting the ferrules (especially unfitting them) as I have found them to be tight on Orvis rods. I would rub them with a cloth to polish away any oxidation and then apply a little soap. DO NOT twist them if they stick.

And you might take a few pictures of the rod and several while you fish it. I'd bet you'll cherish the photos when you show them to your kids-- and grand kids. A nice marker for the passing of a generation. Were it mine, I'd keep it just for nostalgia. As Jake said, "Once it's gone, it's gone forever."

[trappererick]

Thanks for the thoughts and advice. I have fished the rod and just don't care for it but it did belong to my dad as you mentioned and I'm sure if I passed it on to my 3 year old daughter when the time came maybe she could put it to good use.

[Shock1]

Don't discount that your preferences may change.

I fished fast action graphites too and they were very efficient tools but I got to where I was bored by the lack of feedback from the rods. Coupled with a need to slow down when fishing the spring creeks where I now live led me to try bamboo.

I am a fan of the Limestone Special and fish it 75% of the time but that is because it fits the water I fish most these days. Another thing I learned was that it "fishes" better that what I thought with just lawn casting it.

Shock

[mstaffor]

I purchased this rod from trappererick this spring for one reason, to fish grayling here in Alaska. Beautiful Rod and casts a level 4 wt line very well. Finally got to my favorite grayling hole this week and wow! It casts better than my Granger 8642 or my Heddon of the same weight. Caught many grayling on dry flies in the 16-18 inch size range and one that was a chunky 19 inches. I always said if I caught a 20 inch plus grayling I would have a fiberglass mount made but after many 19 inch grayling the elusive 20 inch fish has yet to hook up. Thanks to all who made this happen by giving trappererick advice and me the chance to contact him and make the purchase through the forum. Now I am looking for another Limestone Special in case I break this one, and a Battenkill single tip will do. Let me know if another pops up for sale.

[teter]

mstaffor,
Thanks for the follow-up post! It's cool to see the eventual outcome of a post like trapperrick's -- looks like things worked out right for both of you. Whether to keep it in the family was his personal decision alone; he was not that interested in bamboo, and I would like to think that his father would be happy that it is now being fished.