Fishing rods

[Paul Jacobs]

I just bought another American used fishing rod. Some of you may recognise the make.
The Payne factory at Highland Mills sadly closed in 1968 but the name Payne goes back to the birth of American high-end bamboo/cane fishing rod making in the 1880's. I suspect this rod was built in the 1950's. This is a reconditioned rod, and very expertly done, by J.A. Bradford. I had already bought the rod before looking into who J.A. Bradford was. He died in 2013 but, before becoming one of the world's leading makers of fly fishing rods he had a distinguished career in the U.S. Air Force.

https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/df...&pid=167078930

Rod collectors often avoid reconditioned fishing rods, preferring those in original condition but I intend to fish with this one, not put it in a museum. Buying a used rod like this (a bit like buying a steel bicycle frame) gives one not only a useful tool but a link to the persons who worked on creating it and to the history of the craft. In this case there is also a link to bit of U.S. military history.

[72gmc]

There once was a Payne shop in Sisters, Oregon. We were young, our kids were small, and my financial reality was never going to overlap with rods of this quality, but I did fog up their windows every time we were in town.

[Paul Jacobs]

Jim Payne died in 1968. The Payne Rod Company was re-established in Sisters, Oregon and I several times thought about ordering a new rod from them but never did. I don't know whether it still functions. They have a Facebook page but I can no longer find a website. Oregon is a part of the USA which I have not visited but would like to.

[guido]

Is this for the collection or do you still discipline trout with them?

[Paul Jacobs]

The rod will be used but I caught enough trout in the 20th century to convince myself that I knew how to do it. Fishing for me now is as much about spending time by the river as anything else. I am privileged to be a member of a syndicate with rights to a small stream near by in North Yorkshire. The owner described to me that he was trying to create not a fishery but a wildlife habitat and I could not be more happy with that approach.