Bamboo Trolling Rod

Question
Dear Sir,

My friend gave me an old "Three Jays #200, Genuine Tonkin Bamboo" trolling/deep sea rod. It is not in the best of condition. Ideally I would like to have it completely restored (use the blank)and have it onboard my boat as a trubute to old school Salmon fishing. It would be great to have and do some fishing with when the King Salmon are thick outside the Golden Gate.

Question: Before I rebuild it, how much value does it have (don't want to destroy it if it has value)and who could I get to do the work?

Answer
Hi Frank,

This rod probably has a $20-$30 value in its current shape.  If restored to original, that would likely be in the $100-$125 range.  If you can do the restoration yourself, then it sounds like it would be a fun and worth while project.  If you want to locate someone else to do the work, it will probably cost a good bit more than the rod is worth to get it done.

Send me an email at [email protected] and include a couple of pictures.  I'll look at them and try to give you and idea of restoration cost.  If you want to attempt the work yourself, I can help you along the way.  If you really want to get into rod building, check out Rod Builders Institute where I teach people to do this work.

Thanks,  Joe