A friend of mine asked a question about using vintage fly rods and if they would hold up. My recommendation was to take the rods (and his grandfather's memory) fly fishing, but since he asked the question I said I would post it. Maybe there is some maintenance or prep that should be done first? Here is his exact question, has a couple insider references but you get the idea...

: I have a few old fly rods that were my grandfathers along with some old Shakespeare single actions and autos. These are older than I am. I know that one is a Wright McGill Granger Victory and another is a Heddon #125, both made of split tonkin bamboo probably in the 50s. I have used them in the past but decades ago for bluegill/bass and they seemed to work just fine. I wonder how well they would hold up if used today? pB, would there be any @@VintageFlyRodExperts in your circle of fly fishing friends that might know anything of attempting to use vintage rods such as these?

well- you can always fish these if you like. rule of them 8' rod equates to 6/7 wt. 8 1/2" 7/8wt and so on. Old ferules clicking and not seating well will be your biggest challenge and or cost for repair. There's a few that do this, and Art Paramoure is one who has fixed another forum member Bud Crist's rods.

Rods such as these had smallish guides and snakes, so you might consider Cortland Sylk branded modern lines. These mustard colored have a smaller diameter which allow for an easy glide through the older guides and float well too.

The Heddon 125 are cool reels with a watch-like gearing - very smooth for the era.

I'm no expert, but I know enough to say that both rods mentioned here are very collectible. I would not use them without being fully inspected for de-lamination, loose ferrules, and the such.

The glue they used in 'those days' has a tendency to weaken after a day's fishing. That's why they came with two tips. Use one for a day, and swap it out tomorrow.

You can PM me for my recommendation on what to do to display these fine rods.

JR

Good advice from both keebranch and split cane. Having owned and fished nearly identical rods, I've found it's all about condition and care. If the rods have been well cared for, properly dried cleaned and stored, they may well be fishable, but inspection by a knowledgeable bamboo collector or builder is a safe precaution.

You can also consult the "Classic Fly Rod Forum"