South Bend Bamboo

[foxfire]

I picked up a mint (probably unused) SB 323 this weekend at a house sale. Came with alunimum case and extra tip. It's 8 1/2 and marked "H or HEH". Through searching the forum it sems this translates to a 5 weight dry fly rod. I can't seem to find any references to years of manufacture for this particular rod or any reel suggestions. Would it had been matched with an automatic??

 

[TimMurphy]

Dear foxfire,

You picked up a nice rod, congrats!

Just slap a Pflueger 1494 or 1495 made in Akron OH on it and you will be all set.

If you plan on using the rod you might want to P/U a Cortland Sylk line in a DT5 or WF6 for it. I use Sylks on my South Bend rods and find that they work nicer than a lot of the modern flylines because the narrow diameter shoots well through the smaller stripping guides on the older rods.

Good luck!

Tim Murphy

 

[foxfire]

I do plan on using at least once - one fist that is. I actually keep my fly rods on display at my cabin. I needed something vintage to round out the group. Thanks Tim!!!

 

[FarmerDave]

Well, in that case, an automatic would be fine.;-)

The automatics are on the heavy side, but since the rod is 8.5 foot, it might balance OK. But if it were one I was going to use regularly, I think Tim's advice is very sound.

The rod in the picture is a 9 foot and roughly a 7 wt. The automatic balanced it well, but I eventually damaged it and then put a newer conventional reel on it.

 

[Rolf]

As much as I hate to admit it, Tim is dead on with his advice. A 1495 is perfect for the rod. If not SYLK, 444 peach in a DT5 will also work real well. That’s a very nice casting rod and I would honor it by fishing the hell out of it. It’s much too nice to be a wall hanger. Good luck!
Rolf

 

[JackM]

Rolf wrote:
That’s a very nice casting rod and I would honor it by fishing the hell out of it. It’s much too nice to be a wall hanger. Good luck!
Rolf

Particularly if it is brand new. It may take a year of use before developing a set.

 

[JoeE]

The 323 is a med-fast to fast dry fly action and depending on the line you prefer 5/6 wt. What reelseat is on your 323 and what color wraps and trim wraps if any?

Joe E

 

[tomitrout]

just say no to the automatics...great way to snap a tip.

 

[FarmerDave]

tomitrout wrote:
just say no to the automatics...great way to snap a tip.

I forgot about that. I don't remember it ever happening to me, but I can certainly see how it could happen.

 

[foxfire]

No reel yet. Going to take Tim's recommendation on the Pflueger. Is the 1495 smaller or larger than the 1494?? On secong though, I will fish it often. Even if it was a wall hanger, it should be used. Very heavy though by today's standards.

 

[FarmerDave]

If you intend to fish it, be prepared to make repairs to the windings. They tend to get damaged easily on those older rods if they are still original finish.

Look them over and consider putting a thinned coat of clear varnish over the windings if it needs it. Just a thought. Don't be mad at me if afterwards someone tells you that it devalues it. It likely does, as does fishing with it and I certainly would fish it.

If you do need to repair the windings, check back here. You might find someone who has the right color winding thread to match.

 

[turkey]

I know that your 323 has been described as having a dry fly action but I've read more than once that modern casters appreciate this taper as a wet fly rod. I always keep my eyes open for this exact model. Very nice find.

 

[gfen]

Modern people are wrong, the 3xx are a very nice dry fly action, specifically if it hasn't been beaten out of it through use.

Which, if its truly "mint" it hasn't been.

The 1495 is bigger, and if you can 1595RC, you'll be happier. The 1595RC (usally billed as a 1595, even though a true 1595 is an earlier, non-rim control model). The exposed rim will add a good ounce or so to the overall weight of the rod, which you'll apprechiate having to swing it all day long as it'll remove alot of the tip weight.

Which is plenty. South Bends weren't light.

 

[boychick]

Nice find. Glad to hear you've reconsidered and plan to fish the rod. Fly rods are meant to be fished, anything less is waste.

 

[turkey]

gfen wrote:
Modern people are wrong, the 3xx are a very nice dry fly action, specifically if it hasn't been beaten out of it through use.

Which, if its truly "mint" it hasn't been.

The 1495 is bigger, and if you can 1595RC, you'll be happier. The 1595RC (usally billed as a 1595, even though a true 1595 is an earlier, non-rim control model). The exposed rim will add a good ounce or so to the overall weight of the rod, which you'll apprechiate having to swing it all day long as it'll remove alot of the tip weight.

Which is plenty. South Bends weren't light.

Right. The 3xx designated rods were dry fly actions but I knew that I've read (more than once) that people like the 323 as a wet swinger. Something about a dry and wet tip here.

 

[foxfire]

So, one of the tips is for wet, the other for dry?? I don't remember a seporate designation on the tips. Uunfortunately it's at my camp so I cant check until the weekend. Sorry, I'm completely new to vintage. Thank you everyone for your knowledge.

 

[gfen]

No, two tips because when you break one you'll have a spare.

Only clapped out 3xx rods are "wet fly rods" because they've been beaten into submission from 80 years of service. If yours is as fresh as you think, it'll be crisp and new and pleasurable.

I understand by modern standards, its going to be slow, but its an excellent, tip action (only the top third) rod flexes.

The wet fly series would be 1xx, which would desginate a much less steep taper, and thus would allow teh rod to load deeper into teh butt section.

I thought I'd be able to use a barely used 9' 359 as a wet fly rod, and was quite pleased when I realized it actually made a fantastic dry fly rod and a terrible wet fly rod.

 

[FarmerDave]

Gfen is correct that the two tip sections should be the same taper. Not a wet and a dry. At least on that rod. There may be some cheap post WWII Japanese rods with two different tapers, but not that one. Two tips in case one breaks as gfen said, also if you will be fishing it a lot... it allows you to alternate and rest one tip while using the other. It helps to keep from getting a set in one.

I don't mean carry both with you. I mean use one one day, and the other the next while the first one is allowed to rest.

Its only a suggestion.

 

[JoeE]

Rod action 101 (according to Joe E): There is no accepted terms defining rod action that can be truly agreed upon when you have more than 10 casts in the room. Some try and slow down the rod as other try and speed it up (one line weight up and one line weight down). One rod may be fast for one caster and slow for another it all depend on what you like and the fishing situation you have at hand. Rod Actions for bamboo were described as Dry fly Action, Modified dry fly, Semi-parabolic and Parabolic. Today most rod tapers are described a fast, medium or slow and has nothing to do with distance casting. I can cast a semi-parabolic taper further than a dry fly action rod. The wet tip on a bamboo rod has a few thousands of an inch added to the upper portion of the tip section and you can fish dry just as well with the wet tip as you can the dry tip. The loop may be a little tighter with the dry tip but your accuracy and distance will better with the wet tip (IMO). I like Semi-parabolic and Parabolic action (Slow) for long casts and/or big fish and the dry and modified dry fly action (Medium to fast) for casting dries. But that really means nothing to someone who fishes fast action plastic because even a fast action bamboo is slow. So if you like it fish it no matter what other say but the 323 is an awesome rod. I hope your 323 has a wet and dry tip, if it does and you will see and feel the difference in casting what a few thousands of an inch added to the tip can do and make a difference. My .02...

Joe E

 

[FarmerDave]

I think I will revise my last response and just agree with Joe. I'm not a big fan of South Bend bamboo rods, so my knowledge of that brand is somewhat limited.

If it is separate wet and dry tips, that would be easy enough to measure.

The reason I am not a fan of South Bend Bamboo has to do with their ferrule design. Maybe it was just bad luck, but the third time I broke one at the ferrule on the mid by just casting is when I decided I wasn't a fan. It had to be the ferrule design, because it couldn't have been me.;-)