Bruce

Looking over this post, I immediately recognized the Stan Bogdan reel, a personal friend from Nashua, NH.

When I was picking up one of Stan's reels at his home, that the PGCA presented to Art Wheaton in 2009, he signed and gave me print number 14 of 25 " The reels of S.E. Bogdan celebrating the early years 1945-1965". Nothing I asked for, he just did it. Stan was a perfect gentleman, a kind person, and an excellent craftsman.

Allan

Bogdan reels are to be treasured and always bring premium prices on the market. I've never owned one but plan to one day. They are absolutely classic reels and look good on cane rods. No better workmanship and they do appreciate year over year.

That is one thing I have always wished I had put away some "mad money" for. At this point in my life I can only hope to find one in a yard sale.





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Light trout reel on a Jenkins 7’9”. I’ll post other photos sometime.

My shrine to Bogdan.

Really nice Bruce.





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This has been a fascinating thread for me, on a topic I know so little about.

If I can distill, and possibly reconcile, what Paul N. and Tom F. have said about the Parker-Hawes rod, then it seems like it would qualify as a fine, but affordable, vintage cane rod to actually fish with.

Kathy G. and I just got back from a North Maine Woods fishing trip, where my guide summarily dismissed my no-name Japanese fiberglass rod, which I had received as a birthday gift in 1962.

He did say good things about my “poor but honest” Pflueger Medalist and old Ocean City reels, and employs his own of both brands.

Once we were in the canoe he put in my hands his Fenwick and Orvis rods, and being avowedly unskilled, I went with the flow.

But, I continue to consider the relationship between carrying a Parker gun afield and fishing with a fine, old cane rod. Even if I'm not planning to get involved, it is easy for an inveterate accumulator of vintage stuff to feel entrained by yet another delectation.

Fishing a fine cane rod is indeed akin to hunting with a Parker or other fine double. My go to rods are vintage Leonard split bamboo. They were built by hand which is a slow and painstaking process that involves much skill. With respect to the Pflueger Medalist, it’s a nice reel. I grew up fishing one. It’s not in the same class as my Orvis CFO’s or Hardy’s but it’s a good honest reel that also looks nice and is worthy to sit on a vintage cane rod.

I have never seen or cast a Parker-Hawes rod. They are rare and you don’t often see them offered for sale. I would like to own one, but only because of the connection to Parker. Their value when they do appear for sale is at the bottom of the price range for vintage cane rods. I suspect they are classed in the same league as a Montague, which is at the low end of the market. But there are many Montague’s out there still giving good service and my comments shouldn’t be interpreted as a hit on the fishability of that rod or the Parker-Hawes rod. My grandfather fished Orvis cane but had a Montague Manitu that he liked a lot. I still fish this rod from time to time.

The first picture is of a couple of rainbows on my home river in the west, the North Platte in Wyoming. The second picture is of a couple of Fine Spot sub species of cutthroat from my “secret” spot for these fish in the wilds of Wyoming, many miles from civilization. All my trout are taken on vintage cane rods.

I beg to differ with you Tom concerning the comparative values of the Montague line of cane rode vs. the Parker Hawes cane rods.
The very best examples of Montague rods might bring $200-250 on the best day... whereas a servicable Parker Hawes will bring well over $500 and the best examples command in excess of $1500.
Their manufacture may be somewhat comparable but it ends there.





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Interesting Dean. Frankly I haven't seen enough of them for sale to say for sure. I have only seen two and, if I remember correctly, the prices were between $250 and $350. Hawes made rods before the Parker link and they do show up more often on the market. I watch the market closely because I collect fine cane rods.

As with Parkers, condition is everything and I don't remember what the condition of the two Parker-Hawes rods were. But I do know that the Hawes rods generally are not held in high esteem as working rods. It is my impression, maybe wrong, that they are considered somewhat below a good Granger or Wright and McGill from a functional perspective. Those rods, and I believe, the Parker-Hawes, did not receive a lot of time consuming hand work. The bamboo strips were milled by machine as opposed to the high end rods that were milled by hand by master builders.

Fine cane rods are every bit as collectable as Parkers. As with Parker, the best of the high end makers rod's appreciate in value over time. Hunting with Parkers and fishing with cane rods are the pleasures of my life.

Leonard cane rods are what I focus on and fish with the most. The first picture is of a Leonard 4 wt. 7' rod. The second picture is of a "Baby" Leonard 3 wt. rod. The Leonard is the Parker of cane fly rods, in my opinion.