Show Your FE Thomas Fly Rods

[Caneghost]

An 8 1/2' 3/2 Bangor dry fly rod finished in 1939 (thank you Mr. Campbell) with a somewhat uncommon nickel silver screw lock reel seat. Powerful rod with a WF6F Sylk line!
Tough enough to land this 24 1/2" Delaware brownie on a size 16 Caramel Apple Caddis.

[Peales]

What a beast of a fish!

[Peales]

8-ft Brown Tone / 4-5wt
.

[One&Duns]

JEEZE & WOW!!

[canesterdf]

Peales, That is a beautiful Brownstone ! Do you know the serial # ? and a cork reelseat a Thomas treasure !

[headwaters]

It looks like A105, Paul.

[Woodlakejag]

A was used in 1940. Great rod.

[hatch]

Early 10' "Izzak Walton" credited to F.E.Thomas

[headwaters]

Sweet, Tom!

[Woodlakejag]

1919 7 ft 2/2 with a 12/64 ferrule. 2.8 oz and throws a 4 weight line. Short tips…but the fish don’t seem to mind.

[Kave]

That’s a cool, old stick, George.

…And this thread never gets old. Love seeing all the FETs.

[Peales]

Great patina on the 7ft rod. Rare signature wraps as well! A great looking FET!

[Woodlakejag]

Great patina on the 7ft rod. Rare signature wraps as well! A great looking FET!

Thank you, it’s an unusually large ferrule size for the era as well. 12/64 in a 7ft 2/2 is a fast dry fly rod for 1919. Fred Thomas sure did like to make a wide variety.
This one was owned by “Alice C. Jones” and I suspect was made as a ladies dry fly rod in the early days of American dry fly fishing.

[Kave]

A contribution to one of my favorite threads.

An 8' 3/2 Dirigo with 16,11 ferrules and weighing 4.5oz from 1936.

[Godfroy]

A contribution to one of my favorite threads.

An 8' 3/2 Dirigo with 16,11 ferrules and weighing 4.5oz from 1936.

I have a very similar Dirigo from 1936, just a bit lighter with 15, 10 ferrules and weighing 4.26 oz.
Unfortunately it only has one tip but I plan to make a replacement second tip and fish it mostly with the replacement. In the photo I have paired it with a Hardy "The Lightweight" reel because that reel first appeared also in 1936, although the example in the picture was probably made more recently. Paul.

[cwfly]

A few more:

[headwaters]

That's a sweet looking line-up there, Charlie! Which looks like it ranges from the teens to pre-1920 and up to perhaps the WWII years for one with the brass screw-lock reel seat. How close is my estimate?

[cwfly]

Your estimate is very accurate, Rupert, and thanks. They range from 1910, through the teens and then the WWII brass seat is obviously the most recent. I realized that I forgot an 8 1/2, 1918 Special, that I'll add tomorrow and repost the photograph. The lengths range from 7 1/2' to 9'. All are 3/2 rods.

[teter]

Very nice group.

[tunafart]

1919 7 ft 2/2 with a 12/64 ferrule. 2.8 oz and throws a 4 weight line. Short tips…but the fish don’t seem to mind.



Hi George -
Nice FET from my favorite period.
How did you determine a 1919 build date ? And, if I may, how is the butt cap marked
Paul,
Traverse City MI