Thanks for all the informative and interesting posts. The Leonard arrived and it ended up being a 49 D.F. - Here are a few pic's - sweet 4 wt.
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Rate the Leonard rods
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 rdsphoto |
#21 | |||
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Posts: 348 10/28/2009 17:49 |
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Mainiac |
#22 | |||
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Posts: 764 10/29/2009 09:35 |
Love the rod and I know it's trivial but I also love the tube! The Black tube is a nice change of pace and is sharp! I have only seen maybe 4 or 5 of them
over the past 20 years. My guess is they might have used them for a short time in the late 30's. Probably for less than 1 year as a minimum purchase order
and then decided to stick with plain aluminum? It's also always fun to try and decipher the tags. Looks like your rod was sold thru the William Mills store
(as commonly noted on the top of the tag...W.M.) The first hand written line looks like is says "agates". It would also have a number before the
word. Can you make it out? This means it has agate tip tops or did originally.
Great rod and looks completely untouched. Always a treat to find them like that. |
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 warrick |
#23 | |||
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Posts: 184 10/29/2009 19:50 |
Congratulations on the new rod, looks like fun. Does it have Pat. marks on the ferrules? A post on an earlier Leonard thread reported that the Pat. ferrules
ran out by the early '30's ? I don't know if that is fact or speculation? Your tag appears to support the Carlton King era, maybe '20"s
-'30's, (but I'm certainly no expert). I was surprised to learn that its a 4wt. I always thought that the 49's were 5's (+), but my catalog
references are limited. If it is a true 4, that may lend credence to some previous views that Leonard's often do tend to exhibit less than standardized
actions. And as it seems that they may be this way more so than other's, one does have to wonder why?
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Catskill |
Leonards through the Ages | #24 | ||
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Posts: 229 10/29/2009 20:28 |
You can review some of the information that I previoiusly submitted. Please remember that you are discussing a natural material of bamboo. Even in
understanding the changes in tapers of Leonard Rods through the ages, the fact that the bamboo is a natural "plant" material ensures that the
"exact" same taper performed upon many different decades of tonkin cane with differing growth factors naturally results in a different feel/action.
In fact, graphite can be subtlly different as well but not as obvious to many. Have you ever cast a 2 graphite rods of the exact same model that feel
different? I have. Same with graphite shafted golf clubs, especially drivers. That's why steel shafted irons are used. The graphite cannot be made to
the exacting tolerances between clubs. The other factors such as torque and twist are also relative.
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Shakes |
#25 | |||
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Posts: 25 10/30/2009 17:37 |
So a Leonard is a bit like a box of chocolates, you never know what your going to get. They are beautiful rods. Maybe one day!
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thegubster |
#26 | |||
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Posts: 1725 10/30/2009 18:12 |
I'm a total newby to this stuff and I've never cast a real Leonard, to the best of my knowledge.
I did pick up a copy of an 8' 3/2 50 DF 4/5wt without knowing what it really was. I made a post about it that has long since dissapeared but I went on to say how that on the first back cast I knew something was happening. It's a really nice tool. I have a few really favorite rods in my little bundle, one 4wt. from a lone maker here at home (that's irreplaceable) and that 50 DF. Also a 4wt hollowed, from a good friend. When I begin this canemaking adventure soon I'm going to be trying my best to discover what that smooth, Leonard feel is all about. I'll likely never really know unless I happen into a real one but the adventure sure will be fun. It's an amazing change for this former Sage guy. This sort of action is exactly what I'd guessed I'd never get to like with cane, that smooth, slowish presentation. Man, I'm either slowing down with age or gradually awakening. Either way, I think this stuff could be dangerous...... Jeremy.
Last Edited By: thegubster 10/30/2009 18:14.
Edited 1 time.
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bobk |
#27 | |||
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Posts: 105 10/30/2009 19:49 |
Mainiac wrote: Earlier this year I saw a black tube with a silver Payne label on it at Bob Corsetti's. Bob mentioned that during the war when metal was at a premium these black plastic tubes were used. George Guba if he still has it will most likely be bringing it up to the CFFCM show in Danbury next month. This is only the second one that I have seen. RDS your rod is a sweetheart..... Bob |
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Catskill |
#28 | |||
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Posts: 230 10/31/2009 00:52 |
Yes. They are like a box of chocolates. An old saying is that if you cast a Leonard Rod that you like, then buy it and keep it. By the way, RDS...that is a
SWEET rod! Catskill
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upstatetrout |
#29 | |||
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Posts: 280 10/31/2009 10:10 |
I myself seem to fall in and out of love with my Leonard prefires.For 2 years I was enamored with my own 49df.fishing it constantly.It is the same as the above
pictures and I used it with a 4wt.I own another that
takes a 5 wt.This year I spent the summer fishing tricos almost every day on a local spring creek.I used a 38h 4 wt.and again was in love.I just returned from 6 weeks of fishing in the catskills where I used 2 model 50's 4 and 5 wts.I think that all of the actions of the rods are the same.Just the lengths and wts are different.I own and fish model 48 through 51 tournaments and feel that all of the actions are the same.The taper actions are the same throughout the range.I also fish catskill models and these are different from the tournament series.In other words it comes down to selecting the best tool for the waters being fished and prevailing weather conditions.I fished mostly small flies and 7 and 8x tippets throughout the summer and had no problems hooking and landing fish with the rods.Had lots of trouble with tippet materials and I think that for all the technology available today this area of fly fishing is still in the dark ages.I do not know if leonard specifically used similar tapers throughout the tournament series but suspect they did. If so this is extrordinary quality control. As for the black tube my son has a 50 that I gave him with one.I always suspected that it was original. Tom |
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