winston fly rods

Question
I just inherited 4 Winston bamboo fly rods. They area 7.5 '- 3 oz #9849, 8' Lt Salmon # 1050 both in excellent condition, an 8' 4 oz #9815 with the tip missing but the bamboo fine, an a 8' 9' 4.75 oz with the the top piece broken.  I would like to know the approximate value of these and also where I might get the 2 repaired if possible  

Answer
Hello Chris,

Winston rods have been around for a long, long time. The value depends upon the model, condition and the era in which they were made.

The best place to get an idea - and perhaps some offers - for your rods is the Classic Flyrod Forum. It's free to register and you can then post photos of your rods and ask the experts there for an estimate of value. Photos should show the reel seat (where the reel is affixed), the grip, any writing on the rod shaft and the metal connectors for the sections, which are called ferrules. These are all things that will help identify the era of manufacture. Serial numbers will help, too, as will the labels on the aluminum rod tubes.

Here's the link for the forum: http://clarksclassicflyrodforum.yuku.com/

Post in the section of the forum called Appraisals & Identification of Bamboo Fly Rods, which is about half way down the front page.

There are many folks there who are really up to date on the values of rods. I'm more of a historian than an avid collector, so those folks can give you good direction.

Good luck with your rods - I hope this helped!

Michael Sinclair