Hello all. I found this web sit on purpose. I was looking for information on restoring my old buddy Monte. I was give Monte at the age around 12 I'm now 65. Oh was I prode of my new bambow fly rod. My dad was a water slasher. It made little differance. He cought a lot of fish. Well my fly casting stye is like my dads. Last year I was invited to a fly fishing trip with a friend of mine and some of his cutomers. Well we all got to the cabine all wanted to get on the water as soon as possible. Three to a boat. I had notice earler they all looked an my old Monague rod holder and I could see different eye contacts amoug the group. I also niticed the sport gear they all had. Very up town. Once in the boat I took out old Monte and my old Ocean City #36. Now I never realy new the rod size the line WT is 5. It just worked for me. I then notest my pardners rod and reel. I lookes like something from outer space. The rod was black will blue eye thread and the reel was a swirl blue. It was beautiful! He then looked over at old Monte and said he never fished with one but heard a lot about them. Well by now you know the rest of the story. I can see that I'm way out of my league with 90% of you guys. I will bet that a good number of these show rods don't get wet and dirty from crawling into a small streams that I fish. Some of the rods shown are absoluty beautiful. But are they "All show and no go". Lauren Porsch

Most are fished and often fished hard. A few are treasured as keepsakes and the owners may not actually fish them or at least they don't use them very often. But most good custom rods are made to be fished, just as good custom guns are made to be shot.


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I can personally ashore you that my rods are fished as many as 200 day’s per year some years
and seldom less than 125 to 150 days a year on bad years.

Like Steve, Mr. Porsch, my rods are made to fish. We work very hard to get the best finishes and equipment that will hold up. If what you said were true the why are we paying over 200 dollars for blanks.............Rods can be works of art and practical at the same time............

Big John
Rio Hondo, Texas
Blessed are those who can give without remembering and take without forgetting

I fish the heck out of all of mine,rinse them off and then bring them to the show!!! I have been trying to ruin a flocked grip for two years now to no avail. I agree some will be hung on a wall but most will be fished. I came across a few old amboo rods and restored them to the best of my knowledge and have them as wall hangers. They are a much better conversation piece.

Freddwhy (Rapt-Ryte)

Yep! Mine too. All my rods are fished and fished and fished, I never do anything to them BUT fish them and I wouildn't have it any other way! The first foam handle rod I built (only covering was marbled Threadmaster) I purposely DROPPED it down on the boat deck from waist high EVERY time I pulled the trolling motor up to move. My fishing bud said I was going to break that "pretty rod". I told him that if I do, I'll know how much abuse it can take! and if not, then it's a keeper. That was Feb 08, and I'm STILL dropping that rod on the deck and it still looks great.

DR

Lauren, have you found the info you're seeking on rebuilding Monte? Tons of info on here to help you in doing that. Good luck with it; I have one of them also. I'm going to leave it on the wall and fish the ones that I build, though. I'd be afraid to break that nice old rod. I can always build another of these newer ones.

Putter
Williston, ND

Good evening Lauren,
If you have discoverd this forum, take the tie to read some of the posts to this forum. You will find a large amount of the discussion devoted to how to make a better rod for fishing. There are also many posts asking "how to" questions with regard to building a rod. There are builders like myself who have been building forty or fifty years. There are also many people new to the rod building art. Almost all of us do it because we love to build fishing rods. Some of us build just for themselves or their family and friends. Others do it to make a living.

Now I will grant you that many of these rods are extremely beautiful creations--especially those who have highly detailed decorative butt wraps or weaves. Other rods have very beautiful and creative feather inlays. While a few of these rods may end up as collector's items, the vast majority of these rod are fished and often fished very heavily.

Your "Monte" may be fifty or more years old and probably needs some restoring. If you need help rebuilding or repairing your rod, just submit questions to this forum and you will get lots of help from the rod builders who use this forum. If there is one thing that is typical of rodbuilders is their willingness to help others learn how to build or repair fishing rods.

Last year a friend of my son-in-law brought an old bamboo rod that he had inherited from his great grandfather to me and he asked me to repair his rod. I hadn't had any experience working on a bamboo rod and since this fellow had a lot of sentimental attachment to this rod, I did not want to foul up this repair. My attitude was similar to a physician: do no harm. I submiitted posts to this forum and received lots of help from builders who worked on bamboo rods. Now this rod was in pitiable condition. Only part of the cork grip was left and it was no longer glued to the bamboo. The guides were all rusted and one tip was delaminated near to the tip top. The varnish was also old and beginning to flake away. After I rebuilt it, it looks much more like a rod that can be fished with. While old and some sections have a permanent bend, this rod is now an attractive rod this fellow is very happy to fish with. So examine "Monte" to see what needs to be fixed and if you need help, give us a holler.

Mike Blomme

Hello Guys. Thank you for giving your time to respond to my post. My other hobby is building street rods. I have a complete shop(lathes, bridgport, the works). There seems to be a new culture out there that who has the most perfect street rod always wins. Most if not all are trailer queens. Never driven on any road. AII SHOW . My cars are very nice and I have won many awards. BUT my cars are meant to be driven. Yes they have rock chips. That is the price you pay for the enjoyment of driving them. Just like my old Monte. I love to fish this old rod. I still have both tip sections. But this guy has over the year been put away wet so many times. I do have my dads Monte. Very sad shap. I also have a coulp of other spit cane rods given to me over the years. My porpose was not to affend any one. I just see a growing culture that seems to show peaples statis in life by having a $200.000 car built just to show and win and never driven. Just like Tom said these rods weather street or fly should be fished hard and driven hard. That is what this is about. The pleasue of your hand on the wheel or the cork handle grip in your hand. When I'm not build cars I fish and I fish hard. Out here in the west coast we have limited trout seasons that very in differant areas. "No" I can't fish 200 days like Steve has, but when I do, it is all show and go. This web sit is great for a want a be rod restorer like myself. It's also refresing to hear that these outstanding work of art are fished. Information from guys like you will show me the way to bring back to it's original life my old Monte. Thank you again. Lauren Porsch

i am trying to think(i am a truckdriver-just back from a 13 hour trip- a bit sleepy! lol) if i have any rods i won't use; frankly there are two: both in MINT condition ;an Abu Garcia 2133-A spinning rod( with inspector# 85's sticker) and a Shakespeare Spring Brook fly rod in original shipping box from 1941. i will baby them by not taking them on my little pontoon boat. i will use every other one i have with due discretion. my bamboo rods won't see much use where i may get them soaked but that is it. everything i make i use all i can.