wooden rod

Question
recently came into possesion of an old wood rod. it is very nicely made,shaft is round in shape,very flexable at tip,and although not bamboo i can't tell what type of wood. it is marked with what i believe to be the makers name-- Ed R. Keller. under name is -- Rahway N.J. any info or value about this fine old pole would be much appreciated.

                         THANK YOU!

                          Charlie

Answer
Hi Charlie,

It could be any of several woods.  Perhaps the most popular wood used was Greeheart; but rods were also made of Lancewood, Lemonwood, Snakewood, Hickory, Ash, Hazel and others that I can't recall at the moment.  Pretty much anything that would work well as a fishing rod has been used.

Greenheart is the most common wood encountered and was widely used.  These are nice rods, although a bit heavy by today's standards, and work quite well.  They don't have a lot of collector value, but values are improving somewhat as they are being re-discovered.

Thanks,  Joe