Currently or Soon in Stock

Last Revised May 8, 2008

1) Douglas Duck Model 201E: 7', 2/2, 4 weight, excellent original. This is one of the last two rods made by Douglas Duck. It is a model 201E with serial number 2127. The rod has been fished very lightly and is in excellent condition. It is a superb all around small stream rod with impressive range. The cane is a medium honey brown, the guide wraps translucent gold, the ferrules bright nickle silver with brown wraps. The cap and ring reel seat has a birdseye maple spacer blending seamlessly into the cork grip. It comes with the original bag, tag and black tube. How many rods have you seen for sale from this consumate Garrison style maker? $2075

2) Swift River Sienna: 7’, 2/2, 3 weight, new. The taper for this rod is from an F.E. Thomas Browntone fairy. It is a very pleasant dry fly rod with a moderately swelled butt for added backbone and range, great in close and out to 45 to 50 feet. It has a CSE nickle silver slide-band reel seat, cedar spacer, oxidized hardware, and random spiral nodes on moderately flamed brown cane with sienna brown wraps. Every buyer loves to cast this Thomas Browntone inspired rod. It comes with a brushed aluminum rod tube, CSE rod bag and hanging tag. $875

3) Edwards Quadrate: 7'6", 2/2, 5/6 weight, very good, restored. A beautiful rod restored to nearly new condition. Unfortunately the Edwards reel seat could not be saved and has been replaced with a new cap and ring seat; a good match but not original. This high grade rod has bright red wraps, yellow tipping and oxidized ferrules. The guide wraps appear to be original but the ferrule wraps have been redone and the ferrules re-oxidized. The original "Edwards Quadrate" script remains on the butt section, though it is a bit faded. It is a powerful rod with great range and a fast action. The bag and tube are original. Except for the reel seat everything is correct. $1095.

4) Guba/Bacon Leonard Hunt Model 39DF: 7'6", 2/2, 5 weight, new. George has built a beautiful dry fly action rod in the Leonard Hunt style, complete with translucent rose-silk wrappings. The cane and finish are flawless and the agate insert to the stripping guide matches the silk perfectly. It has a tiger maple reel seat with oxidized cap and sliding ring. The Leonard style CSE ferrules are also oxidized and it comes in a CSE rod bag with hanging tag and a brushed aluminum tube with Payne style brass cap. $1150

5) F.E. Thomas Special: 7'6", 2/2, 4 weight, excellent, restored. A truly elegant Thomas Special that has been correctly restored and is as fine as the day it first left the Thomas shop. It has the dark brown Thomas silk wraps over light brown cane with bright nickle-silver # 12 machined Thomas ferrules and a nicely swelled butt for added backbone on longer casts. The carbide mildrum style stripping guide and the reverse twist snake guides are all original. The reel seat is a screw down-locking style with a cedar spacer.The cork grip is smooth and clean. It has a medium action and comes with the original bag and tube. This is a quite rare and exceptional rod and examples such as this seldom come on the market. $1675

6) Swift River Salient: 7'6", 2/2, 4 weight, new. This is one of three most popular Swift River models. The one pictured below sold in March and another is on the bench for completion in three months. It has dark flamed cane and a 3/3 Leonard node pattern with Leonard style oxidized ferrules and cap and ring reel seat with a redwood burl spacer. This Leonard Hunt style rod has olive green wraps with dark wine-red tipping. Ready for delivery early to mid summer with CSE rod bag, ferrule plug, and black anodized rod tube with machined brass cap. $950

7) Guba/Bacon Payne Parabolic: 7'9", 2/2, 4 weight, new. This is a spectacular and unusual rod made on one of the few Payne parabolic blanks turned out by Hal Bacon, former owner of the Payne Rod Co. George Guba has finished it in the exact style of the original with a cork slide-band reel seat tapering into an elegant cigar grip. The ferrules are oxidized as is the agate stripping gude. It is finished with light brown Payne color silk & gold tipping. The parabolic action throws a long, beautiful line. Complete with rod bag and brass capped tibe. $1250

8) Amherst Rod Company, The Amherst: 8', 3/2, 5 weight, mostly original. This model is the best of the short-lived Amherst Rod Co. The Edwards style, fish-tail grip has been replaced with an exact replica. It has dark red wraps and black trim, a down-locking reel seat, dark wood spacer and good quality nickel silver ferrules. Two wraps were replaced as the stripping guide was removed to accomodate the new grip. Otherwise the rod is original but lightly polished. It comes with the original Amherst rod bag and tube. $475

9) F.E. Thomas, Dirgo: 8', 3/2, 4/5 weight, very good plus, restored. This is wonderful rod, restored by Thomas and Thomas a few years back, is unfished since then. Eight foot F.E. Thomas rods are hard to find and seldom last long on the market. This rod has the Hardy style down-locking reel seat with black resin spacer, a moderately swelled butt, bright nickel-silver ferrules and brown guide wraps over medium brown cane. The stripping guide is a mildrum carbide style. The ferrules are size 15 1/2 and 10. The guides are later replacements, not reverse twist. All sections are straight and complete. It has a classic medium F.E. Thomas action. The bag and tube are replacements but I am looking for an original Thomas tube for the rod. $1275

10) E.W. Edwards and Sons: 8', 2/2, 4/5 weight, very good plus, mostly original. A very lovely Edwards and Sons rod in an uncommon configuration. This rod has dark brown mocha cane with medium brown wraps and muted red trim. It has double raised-ring size 13/64 Edwards ferrules with the silk wrapped up to the first ring on the male ferrules. The female ferrule is bright nickel silver and the reel seat is down-locking with a black resin washer and walnut spacer. The wrap above the winding check was recently redone and several guide wraps on the two tips do not line up perfectly, thought they are the same in all other respects. It comes with a replacement bag and tube. $875

11) FE Thomas Special/ Light Salmon Trolling: 8’, 3/2, very good, mostly original. A wonderful early classic rod for trolling streamers for trout and salmon after ice-out and in late fall. This Special grade rod has NS tunnel guides, agate tips, locking reel seat and gray guide wraps with red trim. One tip is a half inch short. The varnish has been polished out and the cork grip lightly cleaned. This is a wonderful, collectible classic rod to add to a working collection ifyou have ever wanted to troll streamers from a canoe or rowing skiff for landlocks, big brookies, and lakers. $250

12) F.E. Thomas Dirigo: 8'6", 3/2, 5/6 weight, excellent, restored. This fully restored F.E. Thomas Dirigo has a full nickle-silver reel seat, bright nickle-silver Thomas ferrules, red wraps and original reverse twist snake guides with a carbide striper. The rod was correcly restored by George Guba with all the original components as well as the original bag and tube. It is an all-around taper with a medium action. The bottom of the butt cap has an 8 stamped inside three concentric circles. It includes the original bag and tube. $695

13) F.E. Thomas Hunter: 8'6", 3/2, 4/5 weight, very good, original. An early and elegant Dirigo grade F.E. Thomas made for Hunter in Boston, Mass and stamped "The Hunter" on the butt cap. This rod has full intermediate black wraps, oxidized Thomas ferrules, reverse twist snake guides with black variegated wraps, an agate insert striping guide, and oxidized cap and ring reel seat with cedar spacer. The tips are very delicate and alas one is down by 2.5 inches. The cigar grip is clean and smooth, the ferrule fit good and all wraps sound. The varnish is very good to excellent for a rod of this age. It comes with a bamboo tip tube and original canvas sack. $495

14) Leonard Duracane SDF: 8'6", 2/2, serial # 2860, 8 weight, very good, mostly original. This impregnated Leonard Salmon Dry Fly Special is remarkably light in the hand and casts a good 90 feet in skilled hands. It is a perfect rod for big fish when accurate, long-distance casting is important and it provides backbone to turn large fish in heavy water. It has brown wraps with black trim and oxidized ferrules with an up-locking, black anodized reel seat & walnut spacer. The rod shows limited use but the wrap at the butt ferrule looks to be replaced. According to the previous owner the custom, one inch fighting butt was lost (making the butt an inch shorter than the tips) and needs to be replaced. It comes with the original bag and tube. All sections have matching serial numbers. $695

15) Leonard/Mills Standard: 9', 3/3, 6 weight, excellent, mostly original. This wonderful old classic is all original except that the varnish has been polished. It has three original Leonard tips but two lack the full intermediate wraps found on the butt, mid and other tip. Given the rod bag and tip tube I am quite certain that this early rod was built with two mids and two tips and that early in its life two new tips were added and one original mid discarded. It appears that the two newer tips were made in the 30s. All ferrules match and the varnish on all sections shows the same age and condition. It comes in the original canvas sack with metal tip tube to hold two of the three tips. $495

16) F.E. Thomas Special: 9', 3/2. 6 weight, excellent, original. This late 20s trout rod has a full nickle-silver reel seat, 6 inch cigar grip, agate insert stripping guide and bright nickle-silver ferrules. The wraps are deep red with black trim and the tip-tops are the elongated spike style, one of which may be a replacement. The varnish is very good to excellent. This medium action rod will make a superb canoe or float tube rod or simply a great all around big water trout rod. It come with the original Thomas bag and tube. $495

17) Leonard Catskill: 9', 3/2, 4 weight, very good plus, original. This early Leonard is a circa 1920 rod of the classic Catskill era and style. It has a cap and ring reel seat and cigar grip with red guide and intermediate wraps. The guides are the English reverse twist used by Leonard at the time and the butt cap reads "The H.L. Leonard Rod, Leonard and Mills Co. Makers". The wraps are in excellent condition and all original. The varnish has been lightly polished and the grip washed to remove surface soiling. It comes with the original rod bag and tube both in excellent condition. A truly classic rod for a high quality working collection. $495 Sale Pending

18) Varney Montague: 9', 3/2, 3/4 weight, excellent original. The most elegant Montague you'll ever see. This circa 1925-30 wet fly rod has chololate brown cane and moderate flaming, oxidized hardware, Landman style twist-lock reel seat with oxidized nickle-silver cap and ring stamped with a Montague banner and name. A gold Montague sticker on the butt is mostly complete. The rod is wrapped with dark red/black variegated silk thread and intermediates with oxidized agate stripping guide and moderate Wells style cork grip that shows some use. Two small repairs are a re-wrap of the mid tip ferrule and replacement of a small portion of the wrap above the grip. Varnish is very good to excellent with a touch of bag rash on one tip. It comes with the original bag and tube. Clearly a collector's rod for a suitable owner. $450

Rods Being Restored for Sale, Listed In Order of Availability -

F.E. Thomas Bangor: 7'6", 3/2, 4 weight. Projected price $1425

Edwards Quadrate 40: 7', 2/2, 4 weight. Projected price $1495

F.E. Thomas Browntone Special: 8', 3/2, 4 weight. Projected price $1495

Goodwin Granger Victory: 8'6", 3/2, 4/5 weight. Projected price $695

Goodwin Granger Special: 7'6", 3/2, 4 weight. Projected price $1295

Eustice Edwards Mt. Carmel: 8', 3/2, 4 weight. Projected price $1275

I try to offer all rods at fair prices. Those prices depend primarily on what the rod cost to acquire and restore if necessary and a modest market-up, generally below the standard for this business. I am always open to fair offers and potential trades for other high-end classic rods. I will do the best I can to find an arrangement that works.

Rod Making Tools

Custom -Made Bench for Morgan Hand Mill. This 82 x 21 x 32 inch bench was designed for easy mounting and removal of the Morgan Hand Mill along the front edge. It is 32 inches high to reduce bending and fatigue while operating the Mill. It has a beautiful, polished teak top and mounting bar, a central drawer for storing strips and glued up sections, two three-drawer cabinets (one at each end) for storing tools, etc. End cabinets have yet to be painted. Photos on request.Must be picked up. $875

Classic Fly Reels

1) Orvis CFO II Trout Bum: A 2007 Conservation Limited Edition (No. 263) reel in mint, unused condition. This lovely reel for 2 to 4 weight lines has an anodized gun-metal grey finish with brass reel foot, hub, counter balance and drag knob. It is set for left hand wind and comes with leather case and original box and papers. $275

2) Abel TR-Light: for 1 to 3 weight lines and loaded with a new 3 weight Triangle Taper. It is set for left hand wind and comes with the Abel reel case, original box, papers and warranty card. $265

3) Early Montague Trout Reel: This classic circa 1920 2 1/2 inch diameter trout reel has a nickle-silver frame with black hard-rubber sides and is in excellent original condition. It is suitable for either left or right hand wind and 2 to 4 weight lines. It comes with a soft suede reel case. $295