Parker-Hawes Fly Rods

[Parker-Hawes]

Thanks to all who have contributed and posted pictures! I have been a cane rod lover since I was 17 years old and I cast my first rod in about 1965 when I was about 12. I own a few dozen and that is not very many when you consider I have been collecting and fishing cane rods for almost 35 years. As you guys probably know there is nothing like a fine bamboo rod in the hand when you are on the water. It is a lot like carrying a fine Parker in the field, it just adds depth and a certain sweetness to an already fine day. I cannot think of a more beautiful rod than a Parker Hawes. I really like Hawes tapers and I too hope to add a Parker -Hawes to my collection. My memory tells me that the ad in sportsman magazine that I have saved introduced the Parker- Hawes partnership and rod in 1929 or so and that was just before the crash because as we know the Parker gun was sold to Remington in 1933-34. The Parker - Hawes rods were sold only for a short time and in small numbers. They are tough to find and tougher in good or better original condition. I must admit too I buy and sell vintage tackle, I try to make a living doing so. I get much satisfaction putting a fine rod or reel in someones hand knowing that the connection to hand craftmanship and history is being continued. Thanks & Best,Paul

[Parker-Hawes]

"Wandrod" 7ft 2pc 2tip rod circa 1923-24 Unbelievably light in the hand. I have had many, many rods in hand some as fine but none finer than this. Yes I choose to leave this rod in unrestored condition. It is stamped on the nickel silver buttcap "Winchester made in USA 6173 " The rod sold 60.00 in 1924. The price of a model 21 a few years later
The red wraps and maroon tipping and very dark cane suggest this rod to be among the earliest of this model it is not signed by EW Edwards but to me clearly shows his hand. I am lucky to have it come into my posession. Oh I hope the picture shows up as I am a rookie on our newer site!

[Dean Romig]

Paul, is that an agate tip guide? That must really slow the action when using that tip.

Dean

[Parker-Hawes]

Yes Dean, an agate it is, It was customary at the time to offer agate tip tops as an option and sometimes standard to have one agate and one wire or nickel silver tip top on quality rods. Agate was the smoothest and hardest (though fragile) available at the time. I am sure it did effect the action on this featherweight. The lower end rods had untempered wire of brass, plated or not, nickel silver, or untempered steel. the constant movement of line through the tip top ring often wore grooves that chewed up the silk lines and ruined them. The Perfection tip company Denver, Colorado, came out with a smooth tempered steel tip top that reduced this significantly and by the late
1920's their tip tops were used by many many companies on their rods. Winchester had a "roto tip" that was under their patent, came out in 1931 or so very nice on heavier rods but still heavy on a delicate rod such as this. Best,Paul

[Old and Reliable]

Very astute observation Mr. Romig- I have an early Paul Young 8 & 1/2 foot 2/2- one tip is about 1/64" thicker than the other and it originally had a red agate tip guide. Mr. N is 110% right about wire guides and tip tops chewing up lines, especially the older braided silk ones-- I had Bob Sommers up in the TC area (near our cottage at Boyne) replace that with a Perfection tip top, and he also replaced the heavier agate first or stripper guide on that rod with a later style compatible with the new lines. I use Wulff TT lines on all my cane rods. Some Hardy Perfects also had agate ring line guards- they would often break while contained inside the ring--one way, amongst many known to the cognoscenti here, to date a cane rod is by the guides, including the first and tip guide, also the wraps and the ferrules. I believe Paul Young and Everett Garrison were the first premiere rod builders of that era to adopt the Fierrabend Super-Z ferrules in the late 1940's-- Young rods are "Steinways" IMO- only one mistake, again IMO- on a few super light sticks he built- and son Jack later re-offered, he tried aluminum ferrules- Bob Sommers has replaced several sets of those for clients with the far superior Super-Z's, again, IMO.. I'm down to about 10 good cane rods in the 7 to 8 &1/2 ft. lengths in both two and three piece- some pre-fire Leonards, a few Grangers (both Goodwin and later W&M) several Merrick R.L. Winstons and a Gary Howells (who was to R.L. Winsto9n as Bob Sommers was to Paul Young), but the very last rod I would ever part with is the Paul Young Perfectionist 7 7& 1/2 ft. 2/2 5 wt.- Like a Marttin HD-45 guitar or a Parker AAHE 20 bore- a true "Classic" that also performs to "Perfection"--

[Richard Flanders]

My first fly fishing in 1957 was with a 9.5' cane rod with an old Pflueger saltrout reel(which is on my dresser upstairs) that had two tips, one with and agate tip, an ancient silk line and old stiff gut leaders and absolutely ancient flies that quickly disintegrated. I will never forget the first time I trundled down Hummer Lake Rd to Rattlesnake Creek that ran through Kowalski's pasture and into Beckmans Lake with my rod and wicker creel. Not ever. I had my other grandfathers Southbend cane flyrod for years also but have neither now. I know where the first one is, but haven't access to it just yet....not forgetting about it though. I think I'll get it someday. Too bad I broke one tip in the tailgate of our 1959 Ford stationwagon in about 1963 while using it for, of all things, night time bullhead fishing on a lake at the intersection of Seymour Lk and Sashabaw Rds.... funny how you don't forget some things, eh?

[Old and Reliable]

I had a older Montague "Rapidan" 9 foot 3 pc two tipped rod and a Pflueger Medalist reel with the old silk DT line- that was my first fly rod when I was a teenager. I left the reel with the line spooled tightly on the dash of my 1951 Chevy coupe, we were "Up in Michigan" fishing the main branch of the storied AuSable River-went into Grayling to eat and buy more flies- the summer sun welded the silk line tight, I had over-dressed it with flotant wax apparently-so I borrowed a friend's Pflueger green SalTrout reel and used it- back then I didn't know line weight or WF versus DT from beans. It took the trips with the man who left me the Paul Young rod I treasure to really get into the full Mantra of dry fly fshing- just as there is a right way and a wrong way to walk into a gun dog rock solid on point, there are right and wrong ways to fly fish, and strangly enough, you can still kill your bird(s) over points with the wrong approach to the dog, as you can also catch trout with the wrong approach to the water (sometimes)--

I recall a hunting trip about 28 years ago this coming early November-the station wagon you mentioned with the "electric chopper window" which has shortened many a fine fly rod indeed- My old now long gone but never forgotten Setter "Molly" was in her prime as a grouse dog (and not too shabby on pheasants either) and then my steady bird hunting partner, Lea Rogers and I were up near Rodney hunting a favorite cover. He drove that day, his wife let him take the big Ford deluxe station wagon with the plastic fake wood trim, and we had the travel crate for Molly in the back- Lea was in the advertising racket and had a real blinger of a week I guess, hoped a Saturday after birds would unwind him- I was in good form, it was almost my birthday and my work week welding at the ConPowCampbell plant went very well- he picked me up after early breakfast, we pack lunch and water for Molly and headed up to our "hotspot"- He drove the station wagon down an old two track, we left her out and uncased the guns (we both shot doubles, a 20 for him and a 12 for yours truly- both grouse, woodcock and pheasant were legal--

Long story made a bit shorter, I shot two grouse, missed two woodcock and took a big Rooster pheasant, although he needed the second barrel- Lea had "fanned" on seven solid points on grouse in a row- we took a long lunch break- sandwiches, coffe, apples, Purina and water for Molly and a nap in the shade of some oaks- refreshed, we went back to the hunt- I finally connected on a woodcock (I'm NOT a good shot on timberdoodles, or snipes either) and again, Lea went like the Detroit Lions last season- one goose-egg after another. It's often best to remain silent when your partner is wound up like a top, when he blows easy shots over points, or every backcast puts his Royal Coachman into the trees--

On the way back to the car, right in the center of the two track in front of us, Molly locked up on a point- solid as a fireplug- heavy brush on both sides, almost like a gutter ball in bowling, and I told my partner to take the shot- he walked in and kicked up the biggest grouse I have ever seen, also the dumbest apparently- a right or left banking turn would have put him inescape cover faster than a heartbeat- he flew right straight towards the car, Lea was so intent on making the shot he didn't see it, he hammered the bird from behind with both loads, the bird crashed into the back of the station wagon, and in slow-motion, all the glass in the rear window shattered like ice crystals and fell to the ground, making a Libby-Owens-Ford style "string of pearls" for the trophy grouse- it was a long, cold and quiet trip back home that afternoon.

[October Woods]

For those who would like to know a bit more about bamboo fly rods I have a book that came out and began shipping on Monday it can be seen at http://www.whitefishpress.com/bookdetail.asp?book=108
I also have a website called Fishnbanjo's Place where the entire Cracker Barrel series can be read it is at http://fishnbanjosplace.yuku.com/directory there are more segments on the website than in the book. Regards.........

[C grade]

I purchased an Orvis Battenkill split tonkin bamboo rod in the mid 60s. It has a broken tip and would like to have it"repaired" I believe that would involve having a new tip made. Whom would y'all suggest ask to do that??
David

[Bruce Day]

Orvis, and I understand they are reasonable in cost. We'll see if Sante and Paul have the same recommendation.