May 13, 2013. Hardy Fly Fishing Rods, Hardy Fly Fishing Reels Excellence Since 1872. Dear fellow anglers, Hardy® is working hard to help you #fishthroughit. We are operating. The remainder of the rod is typically British, with multiple, evenly spaced intermediate wraps, Hardy 'Lockfast' ferrules, patented in 1881 and Hardy 'Bridge' guides. Hardy's own practice of applying serial numbers to rods gives us a manufacture date of 1904, as confirmed by the correct matching butt spear.
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Fenwick
For a great history of the Fenwick rod company, see Vic Johnson's book of the same title (General Reference 2). If you collect Fenwick rods, you gotta have Vic's book. It covers not only Fenwick history and company ownership, but materials development, fly rods, bass rods, spin rods, and the rest of the product lines. This Wiki page is not intended as a replacement for the book. Instead, this page is more of a supplement. The Fenwick book doesn't contain a comprehensive list of model numbers, nor does it discuss the casting qualities of the fly rods.
7'6', 2/2 Classic series Midge rod. Serial number 2760. The rod weighs 3.9 oz. On our digital scale. Line weight 5. Translucent thread wraps. Cigar cork grip. Down-sliding nickel silver cap and ring over walnut insert reel seat. Blued nickel silver ferrules size 16. Carbide stripping guide. If you have a serial number you might find the date it was made here: Hardyrod manufacturing dates and as far as price goes they can be all over the map. Usually the shorter rods are worth more and depending on condition can go anywhere from from $125 to $2000 in pristine condition.
Because of their technical innovations, Fenwick was the dominant fly rod maker through the late '60s, '70s, and early '80s. Fenwick sold vast numbers of glass fly rods, many of which are still available on the secondary market. As a result, used Fenwicks are usually a bargain, and you can fish them without fear.
The Early Fenwick Flyrods (1955-1962)
The blanks were made by Grizzly with Sizematic aluminum ferrules (the ones with O-rings). Vic Johnson's Fenwick (General Reference 2) lists at least 15 different early model Fenwick rods. These rods had the broader weave fiberglass, nice ferrules, and have surprisingly nice actions.
| Model No. | Length | Sections | Rod Weight | Line Weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 305 | 6 foot | 2 piece | 2½ oz. | ? weight | |
| 315 | 7 foot | 2 piece | 2¾ oz | 5 weight | This rod feels like the later FF70; sweet caster. Early ones had mylar underwraps, cigar-type grip, and trademark Fenwick butt wrap. (pave) Casts like a dream. WOW! So light and effortless. (DPM182) |
| 315-4 | 7 foot | 4 piece | ? oz. | ? weight | |
| 320 | 7½ foot | 2 piece | 3¼ or 3¾ oz. | 'light' 6 weight | This rod casts like the later FF756—faster action than most glass rods. (pave) |
| 325 | 8 foot | 2 piece | 4 oz. | 7 weight | |
| 326 | 8 foot | 2 piece | 3? oz. | 6 weight | |
| 330 | 8½ foot | 2 piece | 4¼ oz. | 8 weight | |
| 330-3 | 8½ foot | 3 piece | 4½ oz. | ? weight | |
| 332 | 8½ foot | 2 piece | 4? oz. | ? weight | |
| 335 | 9 foot | 2 piece | 5? oz | 9 weight | Shown in 1956 catalog. (Mike) |
| 340 | 7 foot | 2 piece | 4 oz. | ? weight |
The First Generation Feralite Flyrods (1963-1971)
The blanks were initially made by Grizzly, but eventually blank production was brought in house (along with Grizzly). These rods had the patented Feralite ferrule, a tip-over-butt fiberglass arrangement that has since been copied by almost every other rod maker. These rods were generally full-flexing and slow (to a modern graphite-trained fisherman). Vic Johnson lists at least 30 fly rods. Even then, Fenwick apparently made non-catalog fly rods and gave them model numbers. For instance, I have an FF83 that was designed for the Golden Gate casting club. It is lighter version of the FF84 but is not seen in the reference books or catalogs.
| Model No. | Length | Sections | Rod Weight | Line Weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FF60 | 6 foot | 2 piece | 2 or 2? oz. | 5 or 5-6 weight | Surprising casting ability for its length. (corlay) |
| FF70 | 7 foot | 2 piece | 3 oz. | 5-6 or 6 weight | Rated for a #6, but I like it with a 5. (Tom) Seems to cast everything from a four weight to a six weight with no worries. (CreationBear) Early serial numbered versions—prefix C and above—with semi-translucent amber blanks were marketed by Fenwick as 5 weight rods, but they handle a 4 weight line quite nicely, indeed. (Richard) Use mine with a DT3F which it casts just fine. (lonefisherman) Excellent dry-fly rod for delicate presentations but with enough muscle to handle larger fish. (Doug) Light as a feather. A perfect medium-slow dry fly rod for small streams. A really excellent, nimble rod. (corlay) |
| FF70-4 | 7 foot | 4 piece | 3? oz. | 5 weight | Remarkably different than the FF70—much fuller flexing. (pave) Great travel rod with a lot of flex for great fun with the small ones. (kitefly) Very versatile, sweet seven footer. (Upstream) A 4-5 in my hands. The two piece is progressive; the four piece semi-parabolic. (Giogio) |
| FF75 | 7½ foot | 2 piece | 3¼ oz. | 5-6 weight | Marked 3¼ oz. for 5 or 6—true 5wt (WF5F) for me. Excellent, sweet-casting rod . . . pure pleasure to fish. (Doug) |
| FF75-4 | 7½ foot | 4 piece | 3½ oz. | 6 weight | Marked 3½ oz. for 6 weight—WF5F for me. Fishes identical to the 2 piece model but more portable. (Doug) |
| FF77-7 | 7'10' | 7 piece | 3½ or 3? oz | 5 weight | |
| FF79 | 8 foot | 2 piece | 3½ oz. | 5-6 weight | A great overall rod with a DT5. (Tom) Six weight. The best dry-fly taper Fenwick ever made. (pave) I like it with a 5 weight. (kitefly) |
| FF80 | 8 foot | 2 piece | 3½ or 4 oz. | 7-8 weight | Deep-flexing, slow for big stuff and bass but not distance. (pave) Great with a DT7. (Doug) Just plain fun to cast matched with a Royal Wulff Ambush 7wt, the older, fatter FF80 does everything the FF807 does, only better. (fishwater) My perfect streamer rod. The FF80 will launch some big, ugly flies with ease and shoots line (T-200 and Rio 250 gr. sink-tip). The rod is short enough to make lively retrieves and still long enough for roll-casting and single-handed spey casts. Even short fish put a bend in the rod. It is everything I wanted my FF806 to be. (Mike) |
| FF80-4 | 8 foot 'Voyageur' | 4 piece | 3¾ oz. | 6 weight | I fish this with a Cortland Peach DT6F. Great casting rod. (PflighFission) |
| FF83 | 8½ foot | 2 piece | 4-5 weight | Lighter, but not as sweet as the FF84. (Tom) | |
| FF84 | 8½ foot | 2 piece | 3?, 4, or 4? oz. | 5-6 weight | marked WF7F. I like a DT5. Lovely to cast. (Tom) A sweet casting rod (with a DT6F) with extra reach, lots of power in the butt section, while still having the finesse for smaller flies in the tip. Great medium-to-large-water rod. (Doug) |
| FF85 | 8½ foot | 2 piece | 3¾ or 4? oz. | 6-7 or 7-8-9 weight | Excellent bass rod; light-in-hand, yet has backbone to spare. Easy caster—will shoot line with the best of them—however, can work close loaded with WF8. Stout as a bay mule. (Dane) |
| FF85-3 | 8½ foot | 3 piece | 3¾ or 4 oz. | 7 weight | Casts like a dream with a DT6. (rodblank) It's a 6 weight for me. (jeva) Full-flexing, slow-action rod that is very easy to cast as long as you don't try and overpower the cast. (lonefisherman) |
| FF86 | 8½ foot | 2 piece | 6 weight | (Tom) | |
| FF86-5 | 8½ foot 'Voyageur' | 5 piece | 3? oz. | 6 weight | |
| FF88 | 8½ foot | 4? oz. | ? weight | ||
| FF90 | 9 foot | 2 piece | 4? or 4¾ oz. | 7-8 weight | It's my best wet-fly, night-fishing rod. (Troutguy) |
| FF90-3 | 9 foot | 3 piece | 4¼ oz. | 6-7 weight | Smooth, easy-casting rod that flexes all the way to the butt. Capable of distance with accuracy. (lonefisherman) |
| FF92 | 9 foot | 2 piece | 5½ oz. | 9 weight | |
| FF98 | 9 foot | 2 piece | 4¾ or 4? oz. | 10-11 weight | FF98s were pretty popular rods for fall chinook and winter steelhead through the late-1970s. They handled 11 weight shooting heads very nicely, if I remember correctly. I'd think a 10 would work just fine, or a 9 if the rod had softened up a bit from use. (L Kenney) IMHO, FF98s are dogs with more than a 9 weight line. (majicwrench) |
| FF106 | 8'10' | 2 piece | 5 oz. | 10 weight | |
| FF107 | 9 foot | 2 piece | 4¾ oz. | 8-9 weight | |
| FF108 | 9 foot | 2 piece | 5? oz. | 10 weight | Came with a 10 inch fighting butt. Macpilot 10 15. (Chuck) Best casting rod in my collection. Rebuilt it to a four-piece. I can cast all of an SA Sharkskin 9wt. Awesome rod! (ultraman1) |
| FF112 | 9'3' | 2 piece | 9-10 weight | ||
| FF112S | 9'3' | 2 piece | 4¾ oz. | 9-10 weight | Removable fighting butt. Fisher control valve sizing software firstvue free. It won't even load well with a 10 weight. I've tried it with an 11 weight, and it starts working and getting some flex when loaded. I'm guessing its an 11-12 weight. (Richard) Using a 380 grain Scandi line, I can shoot backing out of the rod with ease, and the line measures 90' long. (Bob) |
| FF114 | 9'3' | 2 piece | 5¾ oz. | 10-11 weight | Fitted with short, stout fighting butt. (Chuck) |
| FF116 | 9'1' | 2 piece | 5? or 5¾ oz. | 11 weight | At least one New Zealand fisherman likes the 116 with 10 weight line. (Mataura Mayfly) |
The Second Generation Feralite Flyrods (1972-1988)
These blanks were made from E-glass with the Feralite ferrule. The second generation rods were a bit crisper/faster than the first generation Feralites. From a combination of eBay watching (and buying) and General Reference 2, 3, and 4, we've come up with this list of second generation Fenwicks. There may be others out there.
| Model No. | Length | Sections | Rod Weight | Line Weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FF535 | 5'3' | 2 piece | 1¾ oz | 5 weight | |
| FF605 | 6 foot | 2 piece | 2 or 2? oz. | 5 weight | (A K-serialized rod is marked 2 oz.) |
| FF705 | 7 foot | 2 piece | 2? or 3 oz. | 5 weight | Nice rod. Some had uplocking reel seats/cork inserts. Continues to impress with its blend of performance and delicacy. (kinzua) An early three-ounce blank looks much like an FF70; a later P-series 2? oz. version seems very different. (Jeff) |
| FF706 | 7 foot | 2 piece | 2? oz. | 6 weight | Great kayak rod with a DT6. (Doug) I have one marked 3½ oz. (coastalcutt) |
| FF755 | 7½ foot | 2 piece | 3 oz. | 5 weight | A very sweet rod with DT5; great for dries. Mine is labeled 3? oz. (I have seen them with other weights listed on them.) (Russell) |
| FF756 | 7½ foot | 2 piece | 3 oz. | 6 weight | Personally, I like this rod with a WF7. (Tom) Agree: six weight line makes for faster action. A good first rod for former graphite users. (pave) |
| FF756-4 | 7½ foot | 4 piece | 3¼ oz. | 5-6 or 6 weight | I like this with a DT5. (Tom) |
| FF786 | 7'8' | 2 piece | 3 oz. | 5-6 weight | Later sold as the FL-6 by Fenwick Woodstream. Nice rod. I like it with a WF6. Great dry-fly rod. (Doug) |
| FF805 | 8 foot | 2 piece | 3, 3?, or 3? oz. | 5 weight | A really nice DT5 fly rod. (Tom) I have always thought this was a relabeled FF806, and I like a 6 weight line on it. (pave) Agreed. Best with a WF6 for me. Fishes size 10-20 dries, nymphs, and streamers very well. (Doug) I agree. Very light-in-hand; easy caster. Perfect farm pond rod—great for bluegill and can handle the occasional bass. (Dane) I heartily disagree with the assessment that the FF805 is a rebadged FF806. The FF805 has a much slower, deep-bending action, and I would classify it as a finesse rod that doesn't like to be pushed and requires a smooth stroke to perform well. It is suited more for small dries and nymphs with a delicate presentation. Two totally different rods, IMHO. (Doug) The commentators may well be evaluating totally different blanks—all labeled FF805—across the years of production, so everyone may be correct. (Jeff) |
| FF806 | 8 foot | 2 piece | 3?, 3?, or 3½ oz. | 6 weight | My favorite fiberglass rod, hands-down. Flexes great, even with a 12' fish on it. (nativetrout) Powerful rod, especially in the butt section, and a true all-around rod that can do most anything well. You can stand on this rod in the wind or with heavy flies and it responds to the task admirably. (Doug) With a 7, it feels better to me. (David) The all-purpose Fenwick rod; can do it all. It's not a sweety, it's an all-purpose thug! (Tom) |
| FF806-4 | 8 foot | 4 piece | Does fine with a WF6. (Paul) | ||
| FF807 | 8 foot | 2 piece | 3? oz. | 7 weight | Great 7 weight: there is no reason NOT to have one. (Tom) |
| FF837 | 8'3' | 2 piece | 3½ oz | 7 weight | A stretched FF807. (Tom) Later sold as an FL-7 by Fenwick-Woodstream. (pave) |
| FF855 | 8½ foot | 2 piece | 3? oz. | 5 weight | A wonderful all-around trout fishing rod for small-to-medium-sized dries and nymphs. |
| FF856 | 8½ foot | 2 piece | 3? or 3¾ oz. | 6 weight | |
| FF856-5 | 8½ foot | 5 piece | 3½ oz. | 6 weight | |
| FF857 | 8½ foot | 2 piece | 3¾ or 3? oz. | 7 weight | Will work fine with a 7 or 8 weight line. (Tom) |
| FF858 | 8½ foot | 2 piece | 3? oz. | 8 weight | You can cast into the backing, bust high desert winds, pound the reeds with giant weighted bunny strip flies, and land 10 pound bucketmouths with this rod all day. It also makes a good indicator steelhead rod. (rodblank) |
| FF858-5 | 8½ foot | 5 piece | ? oz. | 8 weight | |
| FF908 | 9 foot | 2 piece | 4½ or 4¾ oz. | 8 weight | |
| FF909 | 9 foot | 2 piece | 4¼ oz. | 9 weight | |
| FF9010 | 9 foot | 2 piece | 5 oz. | 10 weight | |
| FF9012 | 9 foot | 2 piece | 6¾ oz. | 12 weight | Possibly made from S-glass. (Ref. B, 1988. Tom) |
| FF9310 | 9'3' | 2 piece | 5? to 5½ oz. | 10 weight | |
| FF9311 | 9'3' | 2 piece | 5? oz. | 11 weight | |
| FF1200-3 | 12 foot | 3 piece | 8½ oz | 11-12 weight |
The Fenglass Flyrods (Around 2000)
In about 2000(?), Fenwick (now owned by Pure Fishing, Inc.) revived the fiberglass fly rod with their Fenglass line. These blanks were made from E-glass. However, the rods were made in China with Western style grips. The Fenglass rods had a bargain list price of $100, but somehow did not sell well. If you know of additional models, please contact the Wiki editors.
| Model No. | Length | Sections | Rod Weight | Line Weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FF535-2 | 5'3' | 2 piece | 4-5 weight | ||
| FF605-2 | 6 foot | 2 piece | 5 weight | Good up-close rod with a 5 weight line. (Tom) | |
| FF765-2 | 7½ foot | 2 piece | 5 weight | ||
| FF766-4 | 7½ foot | 4 piece | 3¾ oz. | 6 weight | 3¾ oz. listed on the rod. (Just saw this on eBay. - Tom) |
| FF866-2 | 8½ foot | 2 piece | 4 oz. | 6 weight | Considered the 'dog' of this line. |
| FF868-2 | 8½ foot | 2 piece | 4¼ oz | 8 weight | Produced only in the first production year. (Very scarce?) Displays the same smooth casting stroke Fenglass is known for. (Flytackle) |
The three 5 weights have a devoted following.
The Asian Fenwicks (Current Production)
There is currently a line of Fenwick rods for sale in Asia. These rods are covered on the Japanese Fiberglass Flyrods page.
Retrieved from 'https://wiki.fiberglassflyrodders.com/mediawiki-1.32.2/index.php?title=Fenwick&oldid=15'
Hardy Bamboo Fly Rod Models
ANTIQUE FISHING TACKLE
Vintage Bamboo Fly Rod Makers
Celebrated 'Alnwick Greenheart' Trout Fly Rod
Approximate dimensions:
|
| Description: Three sections + spare (broken) tip Connected by Hardy's 'Lock-fast' Joints (* ref) Complete with original Hardy Bros.cloth case. Manufacturer: Hardy Bros, Alnwick. Gold Medal Brand Butt Section: 42.25' long, with cork handle and spear base. 2 snake rings. Wedge reel fastening (** ref) impressed with: Hardy's W Fitting Reg 16.8.73 |
Orvis Bamboo Serial Numbers
| Spear Attachment engraved: Hardy Bros. Makers Alnwick 36007 Mid-section: Length 39', Brass ferrules + 3 snake rings (English) Ferrule stops made of hardwood and cork. Top Section: Repaired, 34.5' long, Brass male counter, 4 snake rings top double wire ring: this would originally have been agate. | According to David Bullock, the Countrystore/Museum Manager at the House of Hardy, the rod serial number dates it as made in 1897, The 'Alnwick Greenheart' series was manufactured between 1886 and 1952. David was very helpful and provided a photocopy from one of the original catalogues, which shows such rods would have originally retailed at £2-17 shillings The rods were made in a variety of sizes up to 17ft (which retailed at £6 4s 6d) . A fair bit of cash in those days. They were considered 'suitable for MAHSEER, SALMON, TROUT, GRAYLING etc' |
REFERENCES
* Fishing Salmon and Trout, H Cholmondeley-Pennell, Longmans, Green & Co 1886, p77
** Fishing Salmon and Trout, H Cholmondeley-Pennell, Longmans, Green & Co 1886, p63
House of Hardy, Willowburn, Alnwick, Northumberland, NE66 2PF. England
* Fishing Salmon and Trout, H Cholmondeley-Pennell, Longmans, Green & Co 1886, p77
** Fishing Salmon and Trout, H Cholmondeley-Pennell, Longmans, Green & Co 1886, p63
House of Hardy, Willowburn, Alnwick, Northumberland, NE66 2PF. England
Orvis Bamboo Rod Serial Numbers
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