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Identifying & Valuing Vintage Montague Flash Bamboo Fly Rods


Question
years ago i found an old military canvas case for a spare m8 barrel. inside was a cloth case. when i untied it there were four sections of a motague flash bambo fly rod. it is a 9 ft rod, three sections and a spare tip section. it has never been used and there was a box with a pimco reel. we found it in my father in laws attic after buying his house . he bought the house in 1930's and he wasn't a fly fisherman so no one knows anything about it . any information you can give us would be greatly appreciated. thanks.......john lewison

Answer
John,
If you want me to age the rod, I need description in great detail and  pictures(macsrods@yahoo.com) of labels or logos .
It is not very valuable.
I hope you mean Montague not "motague ".
They are looked down upon by the collecting community and often they are justified. They were sort of mass produced , rather heavy and very slow. They are not going to resale for very much.
A small portion of these rods are decent fishing tools . It is the collector community that decides the prices , please  don't blame the messenger.
I find two books are available at larger libraries to get history and or value:
Antique & Collectable Fishing Rods: Identification & Value Guide Homel, Dan. 1997 (2nd edition 2000) ,add 30% due to the age of the book.
Bamboo Rod Restoration Handbook -Michael Sinclair
History
Montague
http://mysite.verizon.net/vze2h7gi/fishnbanjossliceoflifeincyberspacecopy/id22.h

You would think that a 1920- 30s rod would be worth something but check eBay to confirm Homel.
Homel gives the Montague  model "Flash" fly rod 9' (3/2) c.1940  with an extra tip, 3 sections the  value of  $20, 60 and $115 for poor, good, excellent condition respectively. His prices in my experience are high with Montage but who ever you show it to , get it dated , the folks below will want to know if it is before 30s or they will just say not another Montague piece of CR@%! and pass you by.

Len Codella might be interested in the older but new looking rods:
Len Codella's Heritage Sporting Collectibles
2201 South Carnegie Drive, Inverness, FL 34450
(352) 637-5454
(352) 637-5420 FAX

Also try my friend the Gnome ,aka Jeff Hatton -
Gnomish Rod Works  Paonia, CO email gnomishrodworks@tds.net
He has written a great book "Rod Crafting A Full-Color Pictorial & Written History from 1843-1960 " which I own and has allot of wooden and older  rods in it and he knows these really old rods pretty well.  If you contact him tell him Mac from Denver sent you.

Luck,
Rich Mac
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