Parker-Hawes Fly Rods

[Dean Romig]

Nothing wrong with the strips being machine-milled as long as the machine is set up with the utmost care. But of course a machine can only do what it was designed to do. The complex tapers achieved by experts who actually design the taper and plane the individual strips to perform precisely as designed are certainly a far cry from those "milled" by machine - and, like a Parker, it is always the touch of the artisan which makes all the difference. Nevertheless, a Parker Hawes is leaps above a Montague...





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[Tom Flanigan]

Nevertheless, a Parker Hawes is leaps above a Montague...
.[/QUOTE]

You'll get no argument from me Dean. I have never fished a Parker-Hawes or a Hawes. All I know about them is the couple I have seen on the market and the general opinion of collectors such as myself. In defense of Montague, their "premium" rod the Manitu was a well finished rod. My grandfather's Manitu rod fishes well and I've always liked it. It certainly is not on a par with my Leonards, but it is a decent fishing rod and I like to play with it from time to time on the Housatonic River in Connecticut, my eastern home river.

[Wild Skies]

Just so there's no confusion . . . H.L. Leonard rods were not hand-planed, the strips were produced with a beveler. A beveler is a little different from a milling machine -- a beveler utilizes two blades cutting with one pass as opposed to a milling machine that has one blade cutting with two or three passes. The old Leonard beveler is now owned and used by former Leonard rod builder Bob Taylor.

[Big D]

Years ago, I bought a blank allegedly made by Bob Taylor. I have no way of actually knowing if he built it. I finished the rod and enjoy it today. It's an 8 foot for 4.

[Tom Flanigan]

Originally Posted by Greg Baehman

Just so there's no confusion . . . H.L. Leonard rods were not hand-planed, the strips were produced with a beveller. A beveler is a little different from a milling machine -- a beveller utilizes two blades cutting with one pass as to opposed to a milling machine that has one blade cutting with two or three passes. The old Leonard beveller is now owned and used by former Leonard rod builder Bob Taylor.

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That's exactly why I call them the Parker of cane rods. There was some non-manual work done on them but they were, like Parker, pretty much a handmade product that was built with great care. I consider the early Payne rods akin to the older London best doubles, all hand work. Parkers are not the equal of a London best double and Leonard is not equivalent to an early Payne or Garrison, but I love them both.

The beveler you mentioned was kept in a locked room at Leonard and few had access to it. Ted Simroe was my favorite builder at Leonard and I like the rods from his period the best. Others might disagree with that but I have a fondness for his actions. My collection of Leonard's are all Simroe rods except for a light salmon rod that I use for Atlantic salmon. I have fished Ted's rods from coast to coast. I no longer fish Oregon since I have added the coastal cutthroat to my quest to catch each sub species of cutthroat trout in their aboriginal drainages. But I will have a couple of Ted's rods with me this September on my quest for West Slope cutthroats and Bonneville cutthroats to complete my cutthroat slam.