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You did not tell us the length of the rod or about any markings. Looking at the handle I would guess it is about 9ft long and is probably a 7-8 WT. Difficult to tell condition in a pic, but does not look real bad compared with some I have seen. Several have commented about the glue failure on these rods, but what do you want for $25?
I would not expend any money on this rod; just put a line on it and cast it and then fish it.
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After my father died I found a couple of these rods he had kept on his houseboat. We used them to catch carp and catfish. I took them to a good rod refurbisher and we decided one was worth restoring and fishing. I have used it often for trout and have enjoyed dancing with many fine fish. It is not a Leonard by any stretch of the imagination but it is a fun rod to use. It forces me to slow down and enjoy the dance and the rythm of the day.
Grandado
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Guys,
I think we all need to remember the original poster has 25 bucks in the thing. How can he go wrong. If it casts like a pile of dog poo, he has a decent decoration for his office or tying room. If he likes the way it casts, he got a rod he likes for 25 bucks.
I have one of the bamboo hardware store rods (not sure if made in Japan or not but same level of quality and even looks a lot like the one in the photo). It's not the best casting rod I own. In fact, it doesn't cast that well at all. But I use it from time to time just because it's fun. I found the thing in the rafters of our first house. The man who lived there before (died in the house) was a fisherman. There was about 300 pounds of lead sinkers and another 200 pounds of lead ingots. I shoot muzzleloaders and cast it up into right proper lead round balls. There were enough hooks to last me the rest of my life and several old metal tackle boxes with various rooster tail type spinners and stuff. Most of it was junk, some of it was usable, and some gave to friends and threw away.
However, I kept the rod. Not because it is valuable, but because it's fun to fish it and remember our first house and cleaning the old man's junk out.
So, the original poster, got a rod, has a story, and who knows, the darn thing may just fit his casting style and become a favorite rod.
Jeff
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Thanks Jeff. I have actually just been sitting back and watching the chaos that this thread has become. I have seen some people who are optimistic, some who are realistic, and some who are outright surly on this topic. Now it's time for an update on the future of this rod.
First I would like to say thank you to a very special forum member who has offered to refurbish the rod for me for nothing other than the cost of materials. The offer was not made in the open forum so I won't name them, but I truly appreciate that there are those in our community who care enough about others in the sport to do something that generous. It gives me hope for the future of our sport. Thank you.
Second, I am not enough of a gear head to worry about being a member of the Elite Boo fishing fraternity. This rod was purchased as a toy, a way of having a good time and still connecting to a past that I was never a part of. I am fairly confident that at least a few on this site began their fly fishing career with a stick similar to this one. I'm sure it's action will be odd, it's casts a bit wayward, and that I will have a hard time getting used to the necessarily slow casting stroke that this rod requires.
Third, I intend to fish this rod. Not only do I intend to fish it, but I intend to write about it on here. It'll be sub par writing about a sub par angler's adventures using a sub par rod to catch sub par fish. I am thinking naming the rod "the tomato stake" and the thread about fishing it may be "the tomato stake chronicles". If it breaks, so be it. It won't be a huge loss if it does. But until it does I intend to use it as often as I can and hopefully learn a little something about catching fish with more skill and less high dollar equipment. With that said, I am going to be keeping my eyes open for an old school reel that I can use with this rod. probably something click-pawl, without a real drag, possibly with a exposed spool rim to control the line with.
Thanks again for all of you responses, there will be more to come...
Fish
P.S. the rod is a 3 piece with each section +/-33" I have no idea about the weight.
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Huge,
Old timers, without enough money to buy Orvis, used these. They were cheap line hangers and most of the fishing was done with hand line control. None, to my knowledge, had rim control. You can pick these up at antique shops for 5 or 10 bucks. If you can't find one, pm me, I'll see what I can do.
This one is probably too small for your rod but I have bigger.
http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m...n/CIMG0456.jpg
Bob
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Huge,
That'll be really kewl! You've got to post pictures, and some narrative, when it gets done!!
Betty
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Huge,
Fish away and enjoy. Isn't that the purpose for our going to the water? The life in the rod is a reflection of the life within you. I've seen people with high dollar rods who were lifeless casters and fishers and the reverse is also true. I hope you get to dance with some worthy fish.
Grandado