I have a friend that lives out of country and from time to time I accept packages for him and then ship them off to him due that some online sellers don't like to ship to international locations. Last week a small box arrived and when I shook it, it sounded like a bunch of small sticks stacked inside. What could this be? I opened it to investigate and found this boxed Abercrombie & Fitch Passport in very fine condition inside. Damn.
This fly rod is a total of ten pieces and measures less than five feet in length when assembled. Each section is right at or a little longer than six inches in length and is supposed to carry a four weight fly line quite nicely. The total weight of the pieces is about an ounce and a half.
These were made for Abercrombie & Fitch by Phillipson and there may have been only 100 (or less( made which is another reason they fetch a healthy price on the online markets. These pocket fly rods were made in the 1960's and sold for $32.00. If you can find one, they now sell for ten times that or more, depending on condition.
After handling this special little fly rod, it got me wondering if a modern fly rod maker could replicate something like this? I am betting that they could...
This fly rod is a total of ten pieces and measures less than five feet in length when assembled. Each section is right at or a little longer than six inches in length and is supposed to carry a four weight fly line quite nicely. The total weight of the pieces is about an ounce and a half.
These were made for Abercrombie & Fitch by Phillipson and there may have been only 100 (or less( made which is another reason they fetch a healthy price on the online markets. These pocket fly rods were made in the 1960's and sold for $32.00. If you can find one, they now sell for ten times that or more, depending on condition.
After handling this special little fly rod, it got me wondering if a modern fly rod maker could replicate something like this? I am betting that they could...
9 comments:
Such a cool thing. I was at out TU auction last year when an elderly woman walked in with a rod tube that was about twelve inches long. She was looking for an associate and when I introduced them she handed the tube to him as a gift. Unable to contain my curiosity, I urged him to open it. Inside was an eight piece bamboo rod. It was in rough shape but was a stunning curiosity. So little time, so many trinkets to admire.
I've seen those before and have wondered how they cast. It reminds me of a Lami Brush Creek Companion 6pc rod I had several years back. It was smooth but too slow for me, so I sold it. Considering how long it took to assemble the 6pc rod, I can hardly imagine putting 10 pieces together.
Cameron, where did you take the photos of that rod? They're very well done with a great backdrop.
Steve...that is a great story. There are so many cool historical pieces within fly fishing to find.
Joe...this little ten piece fly rod goes together quickly since it's so short. I did take the photos with my iPhone and then ran them through a photo filter app. I didn't think they turned out to bad. Thanks.
Not quite the same thing, but thought it might be in a similar neighborhood to your friend's A&F rod. I own an Orvis rod, but i do not own this particular one...always thought it was an interesting idea, however.
http://www.orvis.com/store/product.aspx?pf_id=8322
I really dig the Fiberglass Manifesto site, nicely done. i recently cast two glass rods for the first time in 30 years, silk...just beautiful...have not fished one, however in the aforementioned 30 years. If you had to pick an 7' 3 wt glass rod and you had between $250-$700 which one would you go with?
sincerely,
a.
Aaron...interesting idea for sure. This one is just so damn cool since it's so small and fits into that little case. Thanks for the props on the website.
Thanks for sharing! How kewl is that! I have never seen such a kewl rod! I'm afraid to ask the average price of one in such good shape?
I was hiking with the Boy Scouts up to a high mountain lake above Santa Fe Ski area. NM had been in a drought so Spirit Lake was down a few feet, exposing a lot of lake bottom. I found a rod with no handle stuck in the mud. It was an A&F Passport that looked to be no worse for the wear being at the bottom of the lake for who knows how long.
I did a bit of research so I knew how rare it was. I posted on some fly fishing site about it and everyone said I could sell it easily to someone wanting parts that are impossible to come by. I held onto it for years and always felt bad about it sitting in my drawer.
Then, out of the blue, I got contacted by a guy across the country that had bought one with a repaired section and was looking for a replacement. I liked the idea that he was wanting to actively fish it. I didn't really want money for the rod so we decided to barter. Since I'm a woodworker and he lives in PA, he found some special wood for me and I sent him the rod. He's sent me pictures of some fish he's caught and we've been friends ever since!
Kelly Moore... AWESOME story. Great to connect something special to someone who would appreciate it.
My grandson is almost ten years old. He has fishing gear like no other kid his age (that I know at least, which isn’t many) He calls himself a “Penn spinfisher man”
He ran over to my house to show me a cool little miniature rod, he called it, that his uncle ( my son- in - laws brother found in a garage he was cleaning out, just gave him. We looked it up, now he’s really excited about it! I’ve got an old pflueger travel rod and reel set that’s convertible and he loves it. I think this might of sparked something in him about “old stuff” that he def gets from his bampaw. Now I’m excited!
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