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I always have been attracted to Heddon bamboo rods. Started collecting/fishing with them in the early seventies. Was very fortunate to become well acquainted with Bernard Hills, the retired but longtime foreman of Heddon during the cane years. And my business travels often took me to Chicago where after finished there I’d rent a car a drive around the lake to stay with Bernard and his wife June. He taught me an incredible amount of Heddon lore and gave me several tools he used for fifty years in the shop. After a lot of effort I became (modestly spoken) quite good at repairing and restoring Heddons. Some of my restorations ended up in the market being advertised by others as “original and untouched”! Yes, I was proud of fooling even the experts. Bernard and I engaged an English rod maker to supply us with cane blanks, even with the swelled butt, made to the Heddon tapers. I still have about ten sets of unferruled three piece blanks I’ll never finish and I guess will end up in a trash bin after I’m gone….Oh well….

I also have the world’s only large supply of the old, original Peerless steel snake guides from the cane years. And tons of silk. Anyone interested?

Yes, that must be the case. Was watching "A River Runs Through It" again the other evening. Not sure, but the vintage tackle used in that Redford produced movie looked to be 3 piece W&M Grangers and Pflueger Medalist fly reels, silk lines I suspect. But if the scenes on the Big Blackfoot River were true, and not staged, man that's a lot of fast water-deep too. I have never fished in CO- just Montana and Idaho- then Calgary and the Bow River- Great memories indeed.. RWTF

Mr. Wood: I would heartily agree that Heddons are truly great rods. I've certainly enjoyed the few examples I've fished. The Heddon and the Granger rods are the one's I've gravitated to over the years (I do like that blue-collar cane). The materials you mention would likely be very well-received over on another forum I haunt occasionally. Reach out to those folks and I'll bet somebody will want that stuff.

Try out this: http://classicflyrodforum.com/forum/

Change is already here. I have dealt with nine family estates and had to clean out and liquidate too many households. Heirs want money not things.Things that get zero interest, that once were highly valued are china and glassware, furniture of just about any vintage, photos and painting, we had no great oil painting from one eared painters, sad to say. Fine rugs unless very, very old, or oversized for today's rooms. I had one antique rug which was almost 20' X 40' which sold quickly and for top dollar. Lesser one and more normal sizes were of little interest. I ended up having them appraised, bought them for that value and put them down into my basement instead of taking a few for settling the estate. You can not even have a auction to liquidate an estate as they just do not generate any interest and often even on line sale have 40% of bidders never show up to pick up and pay for things they won.

Man toys are in about the same boat. Heirs want cash, not grandpa's favorite fishing rod, boat, gun or truck. I find it somewhat sad really. Things which bought so much pride and joy to one generation are nothing to those who come afterwards. Even thing like family bible, complete with birth and death records have nobody willing to take them and they often say sell it or throw it away. So yes, I take them as well. It is family history and hopefully in a couple generations somebody will want them.

Walton Powell told me that the rods in the movie were his graphite hexagonal rods. They look exactly like cane and he even finished them with a bamboo grain. I own two of them. Not really rods to my liking but do represent another early attempt to utilize graphite. Obviously, they are quite obsolete now—a failed attempt.

We used to sell Walton Powell rods and they were pretty cool. It was clearly an interesting concept. As far as the rods on the "River that Runs through It" movie, those sure looked like Granger's to me, the classic grip shape and the all-metal uplocking reel-seats were a dead giveaway IMHO, and the reels were pre-war Pflueger Ringers! I have copies of both in my current arsenal. Now all I need is a good place to use them again.

Ponds and small lakes are a far cry from the fast running trout streams that you are accustomed to, Lloyd, but the bluegills will be bedding here come the first full moon in April. You would be most welcome, with your Powells and Pfluegers. They've never made movies about them, but a "one pound plus" titty bream on a 4 to 6 weight is ........ interesting.

SRH

Stan: That doesn't sound half-bad, thank you. Some day maybe, right?

Where I grew up I enjoyed a early bream for fun but nothing compared to the Hickory Shad run. I have taken many a set of roe home for a fine dinner. In fact I had a set about two weeks ago thanks to my wife spotting them in our local super deluxe supermarket. Paid a hefty price for them, but it brought back memories like few other things ever could. Almost as good as frost covered purple top turnips, eaten raw for snack, pulled right out of the ground, while following a pair of dogs, looking for a covey of quail, that will be shot with red dot loaded paper Federal shells. I can see my uncles setter and pointer, Grant and Lee, in my mind, walking around a downed tree along the hedge row and finding both dogs locked up. Nearly six decades later and that memory is as clear and sharp as a cold night.

By the term "Ringers" you may mean a Pflueger Medalist with the agate ring inset the front of the frame as a line guide?? Nice vintage reels, also like the Hardy Perfects-neither reversible for a LH winding though. I like the Hardy Perfects best- as did Hemingway- foto of him fly fishing Silver Creek in 1939--Hardy 3 pc. rod and a Hardy Perfect reel.. He fished Hardy rods both for fly fishing out West, but also used them on his deep sea fishing boat "Pilar"., Also used Vom Hofe reels for his salt water tackle. Not too shabby a choice there. RWTF