Fly rod identification

[MarkG]

Greenheart sections are round wood:



Split cane is six-sided*. The bamboo is split into sections and then glued back together.

*Typically.

I understand that but couldn't of greenheart be planed down to 6 sides and made to look like split cane, that's what I thought it looked like on my "greenheart rod" rod but I am probably wrong. I was just sure it was not split, after stripping it back of all rings and varnish to the bare wood I could see no signs of any "splits", it looked like solid wood and not sure what it was I googled it at the time and saw some pictures of greenheart which looked pretty much like the colour of my rod which convinced me it was greenheart. However that was a couple of years ago but just had another look ....

[Iasgair]

I have looked at Millwood Fly craft and all I see are boats with that name. As for the J.Peek & Son fly rod, nothing can be found on the web site either that I can see. Seems to me you may have two rods that are obviously not made any more and there is no information on them anywhere. You hang onto those two rods and don't get rid of them.

You can't find anything because it's a Milward's rod, not Millwood.

Rare does not automatically equal good, or sought after, or expensive.

Incidentally, rod-makers Davenport and Fordham were a few doors down, at some stage, at 49 Gray's Inn Road.

Thanks for the correction. I must have read it too fast.

As for being rare, you're right that it doesn't mean good, sought after or expensive. It's just a matter of opinion to the person what it means to them. And things are only worth what someone wants to pay.

[Duckett]

I have looked at Millwood Fly craft and all I see are boats with that name. As for the J.Peek & Son fly rod, nothing can be found on the web site either that I can see. Seems to me you may have two rods that are obviously not made any more and there is no information on them anywhere. You hang onto those two rods and don't get rid of them.

You can't find anything because it's a Milward's rod, not Millwood.

Rare does not automatically equal good, or sought after, or expensive.

Incidentally, rod-makers Davenport and Fordham were a few doors down, at some stage, at 49 Gray's Inn Road.

Thanks for the correction. I must have read it too fast.

As for being rare, you're right that it doesn't mean good, sought after or expensive. It's just a matter of opinion to the person what it means to them. And things are only worth what someone wants to pay.

If doing any serious research, it’s also worth knowing that Milward is often misspelt Millward, even by enthusiasts! And the apostrophe before the s often doesn’t appear at all or the apostrophe is in the wrong place!

Phil

[MarkG]

Greenheart sections are round wood:

Split cane is six-sided*. The bamboo is split into sections and then glued back together.

*Typically.

I understand that but couldn't of greenheart be planed down to 6 sides and made to look like split cane

Perhaps, but I don't think it would make sense to do so. Bamboo is hollow, so the six sided arrangement improves the material properties. Greenheart is already solid so to cut it up and reform it would not improve it in any obvious way. Flattening the sides and trying to pass it off as/make it look like cane seems vanishingly unlikely. The joins in split cane should be hard to see, if it's well glued.

I think you may be right, I looked up greenheart rods and they are all cylindrical. I probably have been under the impression it was greenheart, I had sort of convinced myself when I did the rod up, must be very good joins though because I couldn't see them. It bends and bends this rod and is virtually unbreakable and I thought that maybe it had been planed into a hexagonal shape because it made it a better rod for playing fish, it was an old rod, probably pre war with the old original wooden handle which made me also think it was greenheart but I now know that split cane has been around since the 1880's, I thought it was a lot later than that. I have had chub up to 4.5 lb. and a few roach but even when it is snagged it takes a full stretching without being any worse for it. So more likely split cane, not that I know how good greenheart is in that area but I imagine not as good as split cane. So split cane from now on, we live and learn, thanks for putting me right.
Anyone got any idea on the XXX on the Millwood rod, I thought it was a old type of line rating but if one X is light and three XXX is heavy then this looks like a very light rod so XXX wouldn't appear to be a line rod rating.

[Olly]

And that is exactly how a carp angler lost an eye! The lead blinding him in one eye! Also heard of it with a float and elastic - - so be careful - very careful!

[MarkG]

even when it is snagged it takes a full stretching without being any worse for it. So more likely split cane, not that I know how good greenheart is in that area but I imagine not as good as split cane.

Greenheart is renowned for taking a set fairly easily. It's one of the reasons it was largely abandoned as a rod making material.
If you are fishing with a cane or greenheart rod and get snagged and have to pull for a break it should always be done with the rod pointing straight at the snag (maybe you don't need to hear this, but someone reading might).

I remember that when sea fishing but not when coarse fishing, don't know why, just one of those things but I will try to remember that advice next time I get snagged. More the point was that for a wooden rod they take a lot of stick. I have been using this rod for about 2 years now and no sign of a set and it still feels like the best rod I have ever used for playing fish. I might ditch all the others, not sure I need them anymore.

[Olly]

Probably because both were using that black stuff - - - c*rB(n!

[MarkG]

Really interesting Rod-Fisher, I thought they might have planed some rods down but still not sure what my rod is, no way of finding out really, I still think it could be greenheart, I had it stripped down and even sanded lightly and I am half sure I would have noticed if it was cane, I am not sure if I still have the old wooden handle I lopped off, I will see if I can find it later but I think someone had that on here for a priest or a catapult or something.

[MarkG]

Whoever wrote that article must have come across the same as me, that the hexagonal greenheart plays fish extremely well. I am more convinced the rod I use is a hexagonal greenheart. It was a very old rod before I altered it, heavy wooden handle, rusty old snake rings and piles of varnish. The tip is very bouncy but it is a true through action rod. I have caught a couple of 4lb+ chu on it and it bends right through. I don't think it would handle fish over 5 or 6 lb very well but the sort of fish I catch it is perfect for, it is better than any of the split cane rods I have used so far! That's the other thing, split cane is softer feel than this rod, it just does not feel like a split cane. I have used nothing else for a couple of years now and will continue using it.
As to the drays mill rd rod, it must also be very old given the lack of information about the company and the fact that that catalogue looks pre war at least. And it just looks too seamless for a split cane, and it has a similar feel to my greenheart rod but I am not sure. I doubt I will use it and probably sell it sometime. The same with the Millwood rod, this is definitely a split cane and feels nice but as I do little fly fishing and the age of the rod might make it a bit brittle I will probably sell that too sometime. Thanks for all your help, it has been very interesting.

[MarkG]

Whoever wrote that article must have come across the same as me, that the hexagonal greenheart plays fish extremely well. I am more convinced the rod I use is a hexagonal greenheart.

Greenheart is pretty easy to recognise. It's dark, like mahogany dark, with an obvious "woody" grain structure. Cane is much lighter, honey/straw colour (though aged varnish can darken it) with a less obvious grain structure.
If you upload one decent picture of the rod it will be clear.

I uploaded a picture of greenheart before and it is light coloured, if you google greenheart wood or look in google images of it, most greenheart is light coloured. I do not know what they did to rods back in the day but I came across this section of an old rod of the same era as my rod below while rummaging around in my pile, I do not know what the wood was but could have been greenheart but it shows that back then they stained them. I am not convinced just because my rod is light coloured and not dark mahogany or ebany couloured makes it not greenheart.