Para 15 (Summers), Para 17 (Paul H. Young)

History of the Paul H. Young Rod Co. Feel free to discuss Young Rods here.

Moderators: Ken M 44, fishnbanjo

Post Reply
User avatar
quashnet
Bamboo Fanatic
Posts: 5203
Joined: 03/22/04 19:00

Para 15 (Summers), Para 17 (Paul H. Young)

#1

Post by quashnet »

"The apple didn't fall far from the tree," a friend of mine once said to me as he compared a Midge rod made by Bob Summers to an earlier Midge rod built by Paul H. Young. Here I compare two larger PHY Co. rods by Summers and Young.  The upper, darker rod is a Para 15 finished by Bob Summers on September 20, 1967, when Summers was an employee of the Paul H. Young Co. The lower, lighter rod is a Para 17 built by Paul H. Young in November 1951.
Image

Originally built for its first owner, Bob Church, as a varnished rod, the Para 15 was redone as a oil-finish rod for its second owner, Malcolm B. "Mac" Seaholm. The rod is shown with Bob Church's book, Fly Fishing the Manistee, in which Church wrote about Summers and Young.
Image

A light application of Butchers Wax makes the Para 15 glow just as much as its varnished counterpart. Young's lettering on the Para 17 shows that it was built for Herb Witte.
Image

Lighter in color overall than the Para 15, the Para 17 nevertheless has some darkly flamed sections of beautifully worked cane. It also has decorative spiral thread wraps at the ferrules and the front of the cork grip, and holding all the guides. This is one of the best examples of Mr. Young's work that I have handled.
Image
Please visit and bookmark the Paul H. Young Rod Database
Image
Other rod databases: Dickerson , Orvis , Powell

Post Reply

Return to “Paul H. Young Rod Co.”