Old Shakespeare Bamboo Flyrod

[Brewster]

Hi gang! I have an old boo flyrod.
any info on Shakespeare #1312 T-9

[dleo6446]

Welcome aboard the best Fly Fishing website around Brewster.

Can't tell you a whole lot about your Shapespeare 1312, but will share with you what I have experienced with them. Originally available in 9' 3/2 configuration, and available in what would be today rated from 5 wt and up I believe. Most of the ones that i have seen did better with a 6 wt line. I have "heard" of a couple that were supposedly 8'6" but my guess is that the tips were short on those. The tips had a tip top and 3 snake guides on them and a couple that I had were wrapped in jasper if I remember correctly, but at my age, with as many rods as I have gone through in the past few years, it could have been anything....

Lots of folks refer to the Shakespear, South Bend, Montagues, H-I's, and a few others as "production rods" and don't assess them with any real collector value. I see it as a nice rod that you could restore, refurbish, or whatever as need be and provide you with a lifetime of fishing pleasure. When we talk about "production rods", I often wonder where that puts Orvis, who has probably made significatnly more bamboo fly rods than any other company?

If you can get access to Michael Sinclair's "Bamboo Rod Restoration Handbook", you may be able to find out a little more about your boo rod.

At any rate, welcome to JC's and Deanna's FAOL, and to a host of wonderful folks that are here to talk about, help with, and think about the thing we all love....fly fishing.

(by the way, watch out for a fella named OHIOTUBER, he'll do his best to get you hooked on bamboo even more than you already are!!!)

[Brewster]

Thanks for your info dleo I will look for that book. Looks to be a great web site. And I will look out for OHIOTUBER!

[Rich Pomponio]

Hi Brewster
The Sinclair book is out of print and very expensive at present time. I may be able to help.Model 1312 T.In 1935 they began using a letter to designate the action of the rod,T=Trout action.Shakespear did not manufacture any of their own rods until 1947,the first fiberglass [Wonderods].In 1947 the Wonderods listed in their catalog for 60.00 and the bamboo for 16to26 dollars.Most of their rods were made by Heddon,Montague and after 1935 South Bend.If I can help more let me know.

[saltydancindave]

From Sinclairs' Bamboo Rod Restoration Handbook :in 1936 a # 1312 T was named Supreme & priced at $20.00 It had random flamed cane with an aluminum uplocking reelseat & black spacer on a sliding band half wells grip. An agatine stripper guide & hardened steel guides & tip top. Should have rolled welt nickel-silver ferrules with the thread wraps over the ferrule. Main wraps were blue , tipped in white . The other #1312( no T ) was made in 1942 & named the Tru-Ar; a black snaplock reelseat & a 6 1/2 " full wells grip.

[saltydancindave]

From Sinclairs' Bamboo Rod Restoration Handbook :in 1936 a # 1312 T was named Supreme & priced at $20.00 It had random flamed cane with an aluminum uplocking reelseat & black spacer on a sliding band half wells grip. An agatine stripper guide & hardened steel guides & tip top. Should have rolled welt nickel-silver ferrules with the thread wraps over the ferrule. Main wraps were blue , tipped in white . The other #1312( no T ) was made in 1942 & named the Tru-Art with blue wraps tipped white ; a black snaplock reelseat & a 6 1/2 " full wells grip & hookkeeper. T was for trout.

[Brewster]

Thanks a bunch guys! I got the rod from my brotherinlaw which foud it in a old car in a junk yard.IT has two tip sections (one of which was broke)and the cellephane still on the handle. guess I'll have to reasearch boo restoration (line I need another Hobby)!


TO AUTUMN SUN,
TO GOLDEN ALE,
TO ROD AND GUN,
TO WLY QUAIL.
White Horse Taveren
Flint, MI.

[oldschoolcane]

Dleo,
Did Skakespeare ever sell blanks? I was just fishing with an older cane rod that I purchased from a neighbor long ago, all it says in the signature is Shakespeare, C.H. Ferrel Avondale MO. Its a 9 ft, 3/2, probably a 6wt thats what I was using.

Had never fished it before, but, I got started thinking about cane and wanted to see the difference between my Sage graphite and casting the cane. I really enjoyed casting and fishing with the cane over the Sage. The Sage seemed so "hard" to cast vs the cane. Very interesting, I had the impression that you could go fishing with a good cane rod and even if you didn't catch anything probably just enjoy casting the rod.

Tim

[dleo6446]

Tim, I don't know if they sold blanks, but they did do some private labeling. Some of their stuff was sold in miscellaneous hardware stores all over the place at one time.

I think yoy have discovered the joy of fishing bamboo. I do enjoy the casting, sometimes I will just go into the yard and lawn cast one of the boos. Of course I get the typical heckeling from an occasional neighbor, but then again, if they knew what I felt casting them, they would probably join me. I went into my favorite sly shop recently and tooka zero wt. out into the parking lot and while I did enjoy casting it, I didn't find it very difficult to put it aside in favor of a Partridge of Redditch full parabolic. Call it emotion, or whatever you will, there is almost a feeling of a soul in the bamboo, and it is certainly a good feeling.

[ohiotuber]

Hey Brewster,
Welcome!....Watch out for ME???...Watch out for LEO after he retires...he'll be a rod buildin' one man assembly line!! In all truth, he sure did help with my 'boo "problem". He restored my old SouthBend 291. He & Sharps warned me I would be spoiled after I got that bamboo from Dotman & they were right.
This IS a great site, & obviously, there are many of us who have a good time needling each other.
Mike/Mikey

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