I have an old Fenwick fly rod and I was wondering if any of you could tell me about it. It is a FF75, 71/2', 3 1/4 oz. AFTMA fly line No. 5-6. Further up the rod is says Feralite. It is a medium brown color with brown and white wraps. It also says I 68419 under the Fenwick logo. I know what the weight and length and all that stuff means but I was wondering if any of you could maybe give me an approximation of how old it is and the value. It is in very good condition. Thanks in advance, Ron

I can give you a bit of info-- Feralite waswhat Fenwick called their ferrule system, one of the first to use a tip that slipped over the butt rather than a metal ferrule. I can't say for sure when they were introduced, but I know that they were available in the mid-60s.

There is some value as the original Fenwicks were pretty much top-of-the-pile as far as fiberglass rods went; however, I think I've seen them go on E-bay for $30-$50. I certainly wouldn't throw it in the corner but would fish it if it fits your casting style. If not, send it to me!

Keith

Actually, fenwick glass fly rods are tremendously sought after. Especially the trout fly rods. If you have the original case that is a bonus (with rod sock). Sounds to me you have a late 60's/very early 70's model. Do you have the case? Is it aluminum or triangular plastic? That will help a bit. Can also tell by the eagle. The mid 60's had a different eagle and braid wrap on the butt section then the 70's/early 80's models did.

I guess you could say I'm a fenwick collector. Have about 30 of them (all pre buyout glass). My Dad has over 60 of them. Hard to buy them on ebay cheap, unless they are broken. Only some of the heavier weight rods go for less. Only because too many don't have the strength to handle them all day. LOL.

MHR,

It sounds like a 1970s model. That rod was made until the mid-1980s, I think. If it was an early 70s rod, it would have an aluminum rod case. They began using a triangular, brown, plastic rod case in the mid-to late 70s, as best I can remember.

I have no idea what the value may be.

I have a 4 piece model that I used for backpacking. I used a WF6 line on it, and it casts and fishes well.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

I do have the case and sock. The case is an aluminum tube and screw in cap with a fenwick sticker at the top. You can barely make out the word Fenwick and barely see the red eagle logo. Hopefully here is a picture of the butt section of the rod so you can see the wrap and the eagle and maybe you can tell me more. [img]http://publish.hometown.aol.com/ronfishinfreak/myhomepage/fenwick.jpg?mtbrand=AOL_US[/img]

Ok, I'd put the rod at a very late 60's, early 70's. The mid 60's had the aluminum case, but the braid wrap was darker and smaller. Plus, had a slightly different eagle. I'd guestimate it around 68-74 roughly.

I just wanted to thank you all for your info. It is nice to know what you have. The rod was passed down to me from my father when he passed away about 8 years ago. I just wish I had all of his knuckle busters that my mom sold at a garage sale for 10 bucks. Probably about 15 of them. All in working order. My heart about fell out of my chest when I heard it.

MHR,

If the photo color is accurate, I sort of agree with Steelheader69, except I'd say pre-1972 because of the shade of medium brown. About 1972 or so, Fenwick blanks became the darker brown that is most commonly known. Pre-1968 or so, and they still had metal ferrules.

If the rod has sentimental value, I would assign it a meaningful duty like opening day of trout season on a lake that your dad enjoyed fishing. And if you have kids, maybe they'll carry on.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

Great recommendation Salmo. To tell you the truth I don't know if the rod has ever had a reel on it. I never saw my dad use it. He had his favorite split bamboo rods and I can't recall him using anything else. I think this Fenwick was a gift from his brother.

Only reason I said mid 70's was that my Dad has been a life long fenwick man. Has all his rods he bought brand new (including an almost orange blank fenwick with metal ferrules). He can pretty much give timeframes on them all, and plan to show him the pics of butt. But I know that the 60's era had a different braid. But know it was around early/mid 70's they switched to that more brown/white braid on the handle. But definitely appears to be a pre late 70's model for sure. With that almost transluscent brown blank (as opposed to what Salmo said about the dark brown that they had before their buyout).

Looks like an awesome rod. I'd definitely keep it and fish it. I actually prefer to fish them instead of graphite for trout. I have an old Fenwick Grizzly blank that I built myself when I was around 12. Still has my old USA pflueger on it. Fishes great (but those were one piecers and you had to cut and put metal ferrules in). But still fishes good. If I were you, I'd buy a reel and take it trout fishing. Great rod, might as well use it. They are worth money. From what I've seen, and what you have with rod, it's well worth over $100. Not like having an Orvis Bamboo, but still a good find nonetheless.

MHR,

Out of curiousity, last night I checked E-bay and found a couple 7 1/2' Fenwicks like yours bid up to $66, so you could check there to ballpark the value.

SH69,

An old one piece Fenwick - Grizzly? That is 1972 or older. I saw those when Pritchard used to carry them in his store on the Kalama River. Saw two guys who rolled rods from those blanks - metal ferrules added. They made a nice rod for the time. You couldn't get the new brown ferrulite blanks from Fenwick yet, just the finished rods. It was a few years later, after Fenwick introduced the first HMG graphite rods that they made the ferrulite fiberglass blanks available to the market. Hey, fun memories!

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

Hey thanks Salmo. I'll check that out.

Yup Salmo, that would be about right time frame. I bought a couple out of the old rack at Schoff's around 80'. They had been sitting awhile. I still have one uncut and unbuilt. May just make it a one piece fly rod (it's about an 8' blank). But love the one I built myself. Great action. Plays even a small fish like it was a monster. LOL. I'm on the younger side when it comes to these rods (I'm only 34), but was raised fenwick, and started fishing quite young with these rods around early 70's. My Dad is the master though. He has rods galore. From fly rods to heavy mooching rods. Has FS85C's from EVERY generation of Fenwick until they were bought out. Including the first blanks that were an almost orange with metal ferrules.

Salmo and SH69:
Can I send you two pics of a couple fly rods I got recently at a garage sale for a whopping $3 ea.

They are both the same, FL 84-5, and the customer service woman @ pure fishing said they dated 1973, but hearing your discussion, they may be older.

Both are almost a mustard yellow/orange, and have the metal ferrul's with a little o-ring gasket.

One is in great shape and I recently landed a nice 3 pounder on it here at Lone Lk. The other has a couple bent metal eyes and one of the metal ferrul's is starting to slide off the rod, so it puts a bend in it when it's assembled.

Both are 2-piece and I have been unable to find one like them on ebay now for about 2 months since my purchase.

There is a chance they were built form banks, because the hand work with the threads is not perfect like a factory rod, and they used multiple colors thead wraps.

But like SH69 says, they sure make a fish feel like a monster.

I assuem they are 4-5 wt?

Thanks guys for any info. you can recall, and I'll send a picture if it helps at all. No sentimental value here like MHRon, but it get's you curious once you have them.

Jeff,

The color and metal ferrule makes it earlier than 1973 as best I know. I don't know when the ferrulite ferrule was introduced, and Jimmy Green passed away last Saturday, so we can't ask him. I think all the metal ferrule series are from the 1960s. I first saw ferrulite ferrules in 1971 or 1972.

Fenwick did make an early 70s ferrulite model labeled FF80, FF84, FF85 before they added line weight designations along with length to the rod model number.

If the rods were built up from blanks, they might still read "Grizzly" or "Grizzly-Fenwick" on them, which is how the yellow blanks were labeled. The factory built rods were labeled "Fenwick." I'm not sure what thread color says about age, especially given that thread color fades, and lots of older rods have be re-wrapped as new guides were needed.

Go ahead and email a photo if you like, but I really am not an expert, just recalling from memory, as that was the time period I became obsessed with fly fishing.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.