I recently picked up an interesting bamboo fly rod and I’m looking for some info on it. It’s a Crown bamboo rod KIT. It’s a 5 piece “kit” as follows:
1 - reversible handle/reel seat which allows me to insert the butt end bamboo section in either end affording me either a fly or casting setup
1 - butt section
2 - fly tip sections
1 - casting tip section
All stored in a balsawood (I think) box.
The fly rod assembles into an 8’ rod, no idea what the weight would be but I’m hoping a 4 or 5 wt.
While the box isn’t in that great a condition, the fly rod is great. The only issue is the glue on the butt section female ferrule has failed and I can pull the ferrule off - no biggie as I have some rodbond. Also the wrappings on that ferrule is ruined so I have to find some thread. All ferrule connections seem tight and smooth.
2 questions. First has anyone heard of this brand before? Any comments? I definitely plan on fishing it but was curious if there’s any worth to it or is it just another production rod from years ago?
Second, who has a good supply of verigated silk thread with color pictures so I can try and match the color of my thread? the color looks like white and green. I can’t salvage the existing thread as most of it is gone or broken in a number of places.
Where do you get rodbond? I managed to pull the female ferrule off of my shorty bamboo rod with the male still stuck in it. If I can manage to get the male out, I can use that (I hope!) to get the female put back on. Thanks.
I could be wrong, but I think your rod is a Post WWII Japanese build.
Thousands upon thousands of these rods were sold to Amercian GI’s
in occupied Japan.
The “balsa” wood box is the giveaway.
Not worth a lot in todays bamboo rod market, but could make an okay
fishable rod.
your rod would be a ww2 fly / casting rod… the box is not balsa but ho wood (made from the wood of a certain magnolia tree)… it is the same wood used in saya making (wooden scabbard of a katana)… anyhow these rods were sold to soldiers and tourist durring ww2 till about 2 years after the war… the tiny mycro cameras were sold also durring that time which used a 17mm or 16.5mm roll film that took 8 black & white snapshots… when the pictures from these cameras were developed at the lab, they could be blown up to a whoping size of about 2 by 2inches… there are still mycro cameras that can be found but usually around 100$… also filter lenses, tripods, and cases were available for them… a complete set today cost around 1000$…
Jim - I got Rodbond from Anglers Workshop but just about any shop that sells rod building supplies should have it.
as for the rod, thanks for the info. I figured it wasn’t worth much but hey, ya never know. I plan on fishing with it once I get the ferrule glued back on and I’ll have to find some thread that is a close match to re-wrap the ferrule.