Let's take a look at some unusual/scarce Orvis fly rods

[NewUtahCaneAngler]

I find it interesting that this rod is most likely 8' when assembled. Another 8' Traveler rod, which sold on e-Bay in the past 24 months had completed sections, which measured 24", thus making the rod slightly shorter than 8' when fully assembled. I was surprised for how little it sold.

To my eye, the section with the off-colored ferrule has also had its s/n re-scripted as the 2 and 9 are quite different than those of the other 3 sections. Still, a nice Orvis to add to one's quiver.

[G-ManBart]

To my eye, the section with the off-colored ferrule has also had its s/n re-scripted as the 2 and 9 are quite different than those of the other 3 sections. Still, a nice Orvis to add to one's quiver.

I thought the same thing. The ferrule wrap also looks a touch darker as well. Doesn't take much away from it, but it does look like it may have had a touchup at some point.

[Flyman615]

Interesting. I've always wanted to find an 8 ft. Traveler. My 8 1/2 ft. example has bright ferrules for reasons unknown.


Scott Z.

[NewUtahCaneAngler]

Here is a fairly common taper with an unusual handle configuration, the Madison MCL reel seat with Superfine grip, similar to Greg Reynolds 7/3 of the same vintage. I observed no signs that this rod had been fished, but plan to put it to work soon. S/N 78309.




Cheers,
Joe

[NewUtahCaneAngler]

Ward Tonsfeldt of classicflyfishingtackle.com has given me permission to post another rarely seen cork locking reel seat. This 8' 4 3/8 oz rod has patent pending on both the cane and the reel seat but cap. The S/N is 4787 placing it circa 1947.

[DatsunDoc]

Greg suggested I post this here. I recently purchased an unusual Battenkill that fits this topic. I'm interested in larger bamboo rods to throw big flies in saltwater and this one caught my interest when it came up for sale as it was listed as a 10 wt. It's a 9 footer built in the 1960s (46281) for a 10 weight, not something I had seen before. When the rod arrived it I could see it was a beefy taper (much larger than my SSS) and had some interesting writing on the tube with the previous owner's identity and writing saying it was a gift from "Joe".


This was interesting and then I found a hand written note on the rod bag that said "Joe Brooks" and later I noticed an old piece of tape on the tube with "Brooks". I wrote to Orvis and they sent me the follow information:

"Thank you for your email. I have taken a look at our database for bamboo rods and here is what I found for your rod.
Serial# 46281 - Battenkill Tarpon Rod, 9' 2 piece - ferrule size 16, date made 2/22/67, made by Wes Jordan & Bill Young, the rod was sold to Joe Brooks, Richmond, VA."

Quite a find! I can't help but think Joe had this made for tarpon fishing in FL.

Mike

[jhuskey]

Cool provenance Mike! Some beef in those tips.

[DatsunDoc]

Cool provenance Mike! Some beef in those tips.

Not just the tips! Take a look at the difference between this rod and my SSS. It's a really stout rod. I wonder if this was an experiment that Joe or Wes Jordan were trying out or something available routinely at the time?

Edit: My rod for comparison is a Shooting Star not a SSS. My mistake. I measured the ferrule on 46281 and it's a #18 not #16 as Orvis reported in their original email to me. I also weighed the rod and it's over 7.5 oz, a really heavy weight for a 9 footer.

[jhuskey]

Thanks for the follow-up photos. I'm sure Orvis made a few in their day - Tarpon fishing was and still is much much more about the fighting of the fish than casting. Brooks, Williams, Apte, Albright and many other name searches will reveal a great deal of fishing history and lore.

[Greg Reynolds]

I had seen the eBay listing for the rod and later Mike & I exchanged PMs about it.

I'd wondered if #46281 was an older saltwater taper and went through the early catalogs looking for 9-foot, 16/64 for a 10-wt (silk equivalent) line. Orvis made similar saltwater/bass/steelhead rods from the later 1940s through about the mid-1950s, but they had 17/64 ferrules and where for GAF silk line (~9-wt). They were clearly the roots for the later "Shooting Stars".

Wes Jordan made relatively few rods--it wasn't his job. Because he built the #46281 with Bill Young, I think it was a new design made at the request of Joe Brooks or perhaps for him to field test. Because the taper never was put into production, I suspect the rod is unique or one of very few. It any case, it's a great find.

From the 1950 catalog:


From the 1953 catalog:


From the 1954 catalog:

[NewUtahCaneAngler]

Thanks for the mention and pictures of the Orvis Pack rod! Now just to add a bit more mystery, here's what I feel may be a later prototype "Pack" made in the 1990s and perhaps an effort to return the "Pack" to the Orvis bamboo line-up.

This little 7'3" rod is 4/2 and made with all Orvis fittings and lighter cane as seen in that era--as well as bright ferrules. It is, however, unmarked. The translucent brown wraps are tipped gold and the late model d/l slide band reel seat has a tiger maple filler. Superfine profile grip. Throws a WF-5 wt. line very nicely!


Scott Z.

Scott,

After reviewing this great thread dozens of times, I came back to this rod, which I believe was made much earlier than the 90's as I now have several rods from the mid 1970's with the lighter cane, but no obvious glue lines, while my Seven Four from 1993, has very obvious glue lines. If you revisit my Orvis Seven Four thread, even the 125th Anniversary rod from 1981 has these same obvious glue lines, as do all later rods in that post. Is it the reel seat hardware that is driving you to the estimated time period? The gold tipped wraps seem to be unique...or have you observed them on other Orvis rods? I don't recall seeing them on another Orvis rod.

I suspect that this rod was an employee's rod given the uniqueness of its length, number of sections, wrapping, and reel seat hardware. Is the reel seat cap marked Orvis?

The mystery continues as these rods can't speak to us and the people with the correct answers may no longer be with us or likely couldn't recall the year it was made as it may not have been as important to them at the time as it may be to us today.

Cheers,
Joe

[Brian K. Shaffer]

What a way to see plenty different 8 foot 6 weight variations Orvis has offered.

A sensational thread with photos too. Thanks all you guys.

Looking for specs on the 8ft Light Salmon.

[Flyman615]

In the early 1980's Orvis was to make a rather drastic change to the Company's top-of-the-line Wes Jordan model bamboo rods. In commemoration of its 125th Anniversary (1981) two popular Battenkill rods were re-done and "modernized" somewhat. The 7 1/2 and 8 ft. two-piece rods were given bright fittings; translucent gold wraps with orange tipping; lighter colored yet impregnated cane; a ferrule plug and a fancy brass-capped tube. In addition, several 'special order' combinations of reel seat and grip types were offered. The reel seats had bird's eye maple fillers instead of plain walnut. Some were u/l and d/l while others were cap & ring.

Eventually (by 1985) the "125" rods were offered in several lengths and tapers between 6 1/2 ft. and 8 ft. These rods were in effect the "prototypes" for several other more "modern" Orvis bamboo fly rod models produced in the 1990's and beyond.

Shown here is a 7 1/2 ft.; 2/2; #12 ferrule "125" I recently acquired. It's the 3 3/4 oz. interpretation of the ubiquitous Orvis 3 7/8 oz. 7 1/2 footer, the second most popular bamboo rod Orvis ever made. It's perfectly suited for the WF-6-F line, as advertised.

Thanks to Greg Reynolds for sharing his period catalogs and Orvis expertise!


Scott Z.

[headwaters]

Brian--

Are you sure you mean an 8' "Light Salmon"?

[Flyman615]

In case you're thinking 8 feet is "too short" for an original Orvis Light Salmon bamboo rod, here's a photo of a 7 1/2 ft. Orvis Light Salmon I once owned.


Scott Z.

[Brian K. Shaffer]

Ahhh... yes.. It was post # 31 I was remembering...
knowing there must be an 8 footer in that same vein.

[headwaters]

Scott--

I certainly can't say they didn't make one, and I suspect that they would have done so if someone wanted one. However, I couldn't find one listed as a "Light Salmon" in any of the catalogs, although I did find an 8' 2/2 4-5/8 oz Battenkill rod listed under the category of "Battenkill 2-piece Rods for Heavy Weight Lines (8/9)" in the 1970 catalog (p. 4), which the write-up says was for a 9 weight lines and is "For bass bugs, salmon, steelhead, and bonefish."

Rupert

[Flyman615]

Hi Rupert:

I would agree that the scarce 'Light Salmon' rods we're talking about were most likely special order rods. But referring to this thread in particular, fact is Orvis wasn't always restricted to what was shown in their many catalogs over the years.

Scott

[headwaters]

Yep! And, I actually think highly of my 1952 8.5' catalogued Light Salmon that I use for LL Salmon in Maine!

[Flyman615]

Thanks for the mention and pictures of the Orvis Pack rod! Now just to add a bit more mystery, here's what I feel may be a later prototype "Pack" made in the 1990s and perhaps an effort to return the "Pack" to the Orvis bamboo line-up.

This little 7'3" rod is 4/2 and made with all Orvis fittings and lighter cane as seen in that era--as well as bright ferrules. It is, however, unmarked. The translucent brown wraps are tipped gold and the late model d/l slide band reel seat has a tiger maple filler. Superfine profile grip. Throws a WF-5 wt. line very nicely!


Scott Z.

Scott,

After reviewing this great thread dozens of times, I came back to this rod, which I believe was made much earlier than the 90's as I now have several rods from the mid 1970's with the lighter cane, but no obvious glue lines, while my Seven Four from 1993, has very obvious glue lines. If you revisit my Orvis Seven Four thread, even the 125th Anniversary rod from 1981 has these same obvious glue lines, as do all later rods in that post. Is it the reel seat hardware that is driving you to the estimated time period? The gold tipped wraps seem to be unique...or have you observed them on other Orvis rods? I don't recall seeing them on another Orvis rod.

I suspect that this rod was an employee's rod given the uniqueness of its length, number of sections, wrapping, and reel seat hardware. Is the reel seat cap marked Orvis?

The mystery continues as these rods can't speak to us and the people with the correct answers may no longer be with us or likely couldn't recall the year it was made as it may not have been as important to them at the time as it may be to us today.

Cheers,
Joe

Joe:

One of the reasons I recently posted a thread about the "C.F. Orvis 125" rods from the early 1980s, is that several of their attributes and fittings match those on the 4/2 7'3" "Pack" prototype shown in this thread.

The wrap colors are different, but the reel seat and grip are shown as 125 alternatives in the Orvis catalogs from 1981 to 1985. The ferrules are also the same type and bright. The reel seat cap on the 7'3" Pack is not marked for Orvis, however.

Call it speculation, but I'm betting as the Orvis "125" line grew in the early 1980s, someone suggested and built this rod as a prototype, but it was never produced.

Scott

Hope this helps pinpoint the era the little mystery "Pack" was produced.