Vintage South Bend 59-9 Cane Fly Rod w/Wards Sport King Automatic Reel &

This is a vintage South Band Tackle Company Model 59-9 (9 Foot) Tonkin Cane Fly Rod.  It is a three piece rod with all sections straight and mostly intact.  (These usually were sold with a spare tip but this one only had three when we found it.)  The main guide on the handle section is broken but all of the rest of the guides are present.  We could not find any other damage with the exception of small (1/2 inch) chips out of the front of the cork handle.  The South Bend Decal logo is damaged and part of it is missing.  Each section is 36.5 inches long.  The Wards Sport King Automatic Reel with it was on it when we found it.   It has a yellow floating fly line that appears to be fairly recently made.  The reel appears to be in good condition with spring intact but will need cleaning as it is a bit slow to rewind.  With the reel, the rod weighs 15.9 ounces. The South Bend Model 59-9 was a very well made rod in its day and this one, for its age, is in very good condition.  South Bend Fly Rods such as this one were designed by, and its makers trained under, the supervision of a rod making genius named Wes Jordan.  He went to South Bend when they purchased the Cross Fly Rod Company in 1925 and he stayed with them for 15 years. Later he went to Orvis where he was responsible for their extraordinary cane fly rods.   This particular Model 59-9 would have been made around 1948 to the mid-1950's.  We included a copy of a page from the 1948 South Bend Catalog describing the Model 59-9 Rod.   Modern Graphite Fly Rods are a significant improvement but these South Bend rods have caught a lot of fish over the years.  They are popular with persons who restore rods and are a joy to fish with, especially when you consider, your great grandfather may well have owned and loved one.  It isn't perfect but they are less and less common.  We can ship it very reasonably within the U.S. and invite your offer.

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