A real he-mans rod - (Bob Carlson)BJCarlson

If any of you have any interest in old tournament trout fly distance
rods - here's a beauty.  One of my friends allowed my to document one of
his rods from 1955.  One of the members of the local casting club, and a
world class caster, went to Sewell Dunton and purchased three blanks to
his custom tapers.  The same person that worked with Dr. Howland,
developing the first fiberglass tapers, at Owens Corning in Toledo
before Shakespeare bought into the patent.

Overall length is 9 ft 3/4 in assembled.  1940 NAACC rules limited a 10
ft rod with 5 3/4 oz max wt.  But they had unlimited weight at 9 1/2 ft
or less.  Most casters went to the shorter, heavier rods.  Weighed on a
post office digital scale. 6.8 oz.

Dark tempered cane.  Not anything like the so called "chemical tempered"
cane that the Montagues were known for.   Half wells 6 1/2 in grip.
Contoured to fit the casters hand.  Small Shakespeare green anodized
alum "snap lock" reel seat.  Cut down to 2 7/8 in.  Ferrules are
straight drawn N/S, rolled welt.  Female 2 1/4 in.  Male 1 3/4 in.
16/64".  Perfection tip and snakes.  Mildrum stripper.

Tip - overall length = 53 5/8 in.
0"   .096  .096  .096
5"   .109  .109  .109
10" .129  .129  .129
15" .143  .144  .142
20" .163  .166  .166
25" .177  .183  .180
30" .197  .199  .199
35" .210  .205  .204
40" .225  .226  .225
45" .235  .237  .237
50" .248  .250  .250
 
Butt - overall length = 56 in.
55" .258  .255  .254
60" .278  .276  .278
65" .299  .297  .294
70" .339  .336  .335
75" .363  .353  .361
80" .388  .379  .390
85" .415  .412  .413
90" .440  .438  .434
95" .458  .458  .463
99" .460  .470  .460

Guide spacing - Large Perfection Pear tip, 4 1/4", 10", 16", 23 1/4",
32", 41 1/8", 49 3/4", 56", 68 1/2", 78 1/2"stripper.

The owners comments were that he never could handle the weight.  Needed
a sling for his arm at the end of the event.  I cast it with a silk GBF
"Shooting Star" Rocket Taper.  One false cast and it was into the
backing, but it wanted a heavier line.  After 10 minutes I thought my
arm was going to fall off.

The owner of this rod has an interest in nostalgia so he is going around
town to see if he can collect more distance and accuracy rods, so that
we can document more, but many of the old timers are dead and many of
the home built rods are lost forever.

Bob