The joy of Granger rods

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JHolton
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The joy of Granger rods

#1

Post by JHolton »

Just a comment,
I recently over-varnished my fourth era (1938-41) Goodwin Granger Aristocrat 8642 to protect it for another 60+ years. I had not fished it in several years, so Susi and I took it out to the front lawn this morning. I have always loved the feel of Granger rods, but I had forgotten how much. It is such a relaxed, smooth sensation it was pure pleasure to just stand there and enjoy the easy rhythm. There are a lot of rods that we love, but I can't think of another that is such a pleasurable calming experience. After we were done Susi asked why more makers don't make Granger tapers. I could not offer any answer except the preference for two piece rods today. Is it just that the longevity of original Grangers keeps them readily available and reasonably priced today, eliminating the demand for newly made versions?
Jack

Matt2007
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Re: The joy of Granger rods

#2

Post by Matt2007 »

I have three Granger tapers - 7030, 7633 and 8040 made by Darryl Whitehead. All lovely to cast and fish.

I have the WM Granger made 8642 and 9050 tapers and they are lovely as well.
Last edited by Matt2007 on 08/18/21 20:59, edited 1 time in total.

3creeks
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Re: The joy of Granger rods

#3

Post by 3creeks »

Although it's long and heavy, I sure enjoyed fishing my 9050 for the first time on Father's Day after owning it for a few years and letting it just sit. It didn't wear me out like I'd expected.

Jeff

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Re: The joy of Granger rods

#4

Post by jimwright »

There have been others but I still own a Goodwin Granger 8040, 8642 and a 9053 all Special grades. If I were cruelly forced to only own a few Grangers and one Phillipson 9' 5 5/8 oz. taper rod I could survive it.

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para_adams
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Re: The joy of Granger rods

#5

Post by para_adams »

Lucky to have 7030, 7633 and 8040. I previously owned two 7630s…a real and quite rare Favorite and one of Scott Whitman’s beautiful replicas, but that taper never caught my fancy.

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scarlet>fire
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Re: The joy of Granger rods

#6

Post by scarlet>fire »

I love owning and fishing them too, Jack. Nice smooth action balanced with a good amount of power. Its a joy to be one of the caretakers in their long life. Cheers, Chris
Last edited by scarlet>fire on 08/02/21 23:28, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: The joy of Granger rods

#7

Post by kevinhaney1 »

Yeah, I really would like to own an 8040 someday to fill that 8’ hole in my collection, but don’t know if I will ever be able to afford one (a little surreptitious WTB thrown in ;) ).

Kevin
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Dave Westburg
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Re: The joy of Granger rods

#8

Post by Dave Westburg »

Love the longer Grangers. The 9050 is great for western washington lowland lakes...

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The 8642 is a favorite for high lakes...

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and beaver ponds...

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Mark Frey is revarnishing a 9660 for me for coastal cutthroat and bull trout.

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Caneghost
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Re: The joy of Granger rods

#9

Post by Caneghost »

I owe my GG 8642 Special a day on the water. It is a wonderful rod.

My W&M 8040 sees a lot of use in the summer as it is a favorite four weight in my hand. I wasn't crazy about that rod with the recommended five line, and it took me several years of ownership to decide to try it with a four weight. Experimenting with different lines, type,s weights and taper designs is something all of us should do with our rods. There always seems to be just one that makes a good rod really sing!

I have some fond memories made with a 9050 but arthritis and carpal tunnel keep both of mine in the rod rack.

Granger's are very pleasant casting rods and generally still available at reasonable prices. They may be "western" rods to some, but I find they suit my angling here in the East very well indeed. Indeed a Granger 8642w, since passed to a very good friend, was my very first vintage cane rod!

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THe beginning...


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MY first 9050 and it's memorable introduction to the Delaware

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The GG 8642 and a very colorful brownie from the West Branch.
...a wink of gold like the glint of sunlight on polished cane...

brightwatercatskill.art.blog

billems
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Re: The joy of Granger rods

#10

Post by billems »

Glad to own a Goodwin Granger 8040 Special, restored by Mike Sinclair. Something perfect in the design of these rods.

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scarlet>fire
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Re: The joy of Granger rods

#11

Post by scarlet>fire »

I love this thread and hope to see it grow and continue so I thought I would add a photo of a restored WM Granger Favorite 8040 that I am fortunate to own along with a beautiful native Bonneville Cutthroat Trout that I caught on it just after the photo was taken. I love fishing the old grangers and being a caretaker to them. Cheers, Chris

Image
Image

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winston59
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Re: The joy of Granger rods

#12

Post by winston59 »

One of my favorite trips was to the Frying Pan River fishing PMD's with my Granger Favorite 8642. Wonderful time fishing that rod. Another awesome trip on the Madison River below Raynold's Pass with Granger Premier 9050.

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Re: The joy of Granger rods

#13

Post by archer829 »

I love looking at, reading about, and researching all things Granger, and maybe others do, too. So here's a sampling of some of the rods I've picked up so far. I've only been at this thing for a couple of years, so I guess I'm pretty far behind in the race to own them all, but I'm trying..... ;)

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Last edited by archer829 on 08/18/21 16:15, edited 1 time in total.

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para_adams
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Re: The joy of Granger rods

#14

Post by para_adams »

Granger rods are beautiful and a joy to fish. Here's some eye candy...

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scarlet>fire
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Re: The joy of Granger rods

#15

Post by scarlet>fire »

Just beautiful, thanks for sharing those!

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Re: The joy of Granger rods

#16

Post by kevinhaney1 »

I just found out that I have a love for Granger rods too. One question though. Is there any real difference between a Granger rod and a Wright McGill Granger rod of the same model, either in fit, finish, casting or anything else?

Kevin
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para_adams
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Re: The joy of Granger rods

#17

Post by para_adams »

Kevin, from my personal experience, I've generally found the Goodwin Granger era rods to be a tad slower than the WM era rods. For example, I've owned 8642s from both eras, and I used a 6 wt on the WM but a 4/5 on the GG. I don't know if this is a universal trait or just the quirks of the rods I owned.

flyty2
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Re: The joy of Granger rods

#18

Post by flyty2 »

archer829 wrote:
08/14/21 09:08
I love looking at, reading about, and researching all things Granger, and maybe others are, too. So here's a sampling of some of the rods I've picked up so far. I've only been at this thing for a couple of years, so I guess I'm pretty far behind in the race to own them all, but I'm trying..... ;)

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That is one of the classiest displays I've seen. Good luck in your Quest!

I thought about buying the fully restored 8642 Victory in the classifieds that just sold--it came with a 3 1/2" JW Young Pridex reel and line, a complete package. I didn't necessarily like the color of the wraps, but yours looks beautiful.
Last edited by flyty2 on 08/18/21 16:02, edited 2 times in total.

flyty2
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Re: The joy of Granger rods

#19

Post by flyty2 »

para_adams wrote:
08/17/21 20:55
Granger rods are beautiful and a joy to fish. Here's some eye candy...

Image
What an image!! Beautiful.

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archer829
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Re: The joy of Granger rods

#20

Post by archer829 »

Thanks, Flyty!

The Victory 8040 in one of my pictures is an earlier Wright and McGill, so it has thin black silk wrapping on either side of the orange and black jasper silk main wraps--which really makes the wraps pop.

If we are both talking about the same restored 8642 that was in the classifieds, it was done in the later Wright and McGill style, with only the orange and jasper silk wrapping...a change that Wright and McGill evidently did back in the day to save a bit of time and money.

If you want a really awesome looking Victory, you need a Goodwin Granger rod like the one in Para_adams' picture. The original Victories were created by Bill Phillipson with orange and black jasper tipped with black, and then a space and then another stripe of black. Fantastic!

Jeff

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