We are a part of eBay Affiliate Network, and if you make a purchase through the links on our site we earn affiliate commission.
Though often overshadowed by fishing lures and reels, fishing rods are the source of the word "angler," so they deserve our respect. That’s because in medieval England, fishing rods were known as "angles." Back then, before fiberglass and...
Continue reading
Though often overshadowed by fishing lures and reels, fishing rods are the source of the word "angler," so they deserve our respect. That’s because in medieval England, fishing rods were known as "angles." Back then, before fiberglass and graphite composites, fishing rods were often made of light, tough, and pliable bamboo or ash, with maple butts and grips of cork. In 19th-century America, a gunsmith from Easton, Pennsylvania named Samuel Phillippi is generally credited with making the first split bamboo rod in about 1845. In 1854, Charles De Saxe was issued a patent for a rod, and Thomas Chubb, Henry Pritchard, and many others won scores of patents throughout the rest of the century for tips, guides, seats, and ferrules. Most of these early American rods were made of bamboo, but hickory and ash were also favored. Rod makers had to choose their wood carefully, though, taking care to cut their rods from the part of the tree between the heart and the bark. Of course, even the early antique fishing rods had numerous components beyond the wood itself. There were the fishing-line guides, which ranged from the Pritchard guides (patented in 1859, they consisted of a ring soldered to a metal collar wrapped around the rod) to bell guides that were lashed to the rod with brightly colored thread or fine twine. The ferrules, which were the sleeves used to connect a rod’s sections, were often made of metal. Finally there were the rod’s grip and reel seat, which, by the late 1880s, was often braided in cord or celluloid. Late-19th-century rod makers like John Krider of Philadelphia, Charles Orvis of Manchester, Vermont, and Benjamin Nichols of Boston would often engrave their initials, name, city of manufacture, or even the date of manufacture on the rod’s butt cap. For rods that lack such information, you can date a rod in a number of ways. First, if there is a "wedding band" around the rod just above the handgrip, that signals a rod that is post Civil War....
Continue reading

Best of the Web

Oldfishinglure.com
This site is sure to snag you with its great collection of fishing lures from the early 1900s....
Mrlurebox.com
Take a big bite - you won't want to just nibble at Robbie Pavey's gallery of over 300 antique...
Joes Old Lures
Joe Yates' website is a great showcase for hundreds of old fishing lures, providing high...
AntiqueLures.com
This extensive site features over 500 pages of information on pre-1940 wood fishing lures and...
TackleCollecting.com
Larry Nicholson's site dedicated to vintage fishing lures. Features beautiful images of lures...
Most Watched

Best of the Web

Oldfishinglure.com
This site is sure to snag you with its great collection of fishing lures from the early 1900s....
Mrlurebox.com
Take a big bite - you won't want to just nibble at Robbie Pavey's gallery of over 300 antique...
Joes Old Lures
Joe Yates' website is a great showcase for hundreds of old fishing lures, providing high...
AntiqueLures.com
This extensive site features over 500 pages of information on pre-1940 wood fishing lures and...
TackleCollecting.com
Larry Nicholson's site dedicated to vintage fishing lures. Features beautiful images of lures...