The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Has anyone got.... or ever used... or seen a Marco 'Brook' fly rod? I have often wondered what they were like.

MGs wrote:There seem to have been a number of different cane rods from MARCO. Often named after rivers or Roman gods? This is the list I have been able to piece together, are there any more?

Test 10'6, 11', 12' three piece split cane
Arun
Capella la Luce pike rod
Neptune 2 piece boat rod
Nymph 2 piece heavy rod
Medway, 3 piece split cane
Kia-ora 2 piece spinnning
Standard Carp 2 piece split cane
Brook 7' 2 piece cane fly rod
Slapton 8' boat rod
Vesta 9' two piece fly rod
Seaward boat rod
Ledger 3 piece split cane
Avon

I've just looked through my collection of old rods that need restoration and found that I have a Thames Deluxe by this maker it is a 12ft 3 piece rod with whole cane butt and middle section.

There seem to have been a number of different cane rods from MARCO. Often named after rivers or Roman gods? This is the list I have been able to piece together, are there any more?

Test 10'6, 11', 12' three piece split cane
Arun
Capella la Luce pike rod
Neptune 2 piece boat rod
Nymph 2 piece heavy rod
Medway, 3 piece split cane
Kia-ora 2 piece spinnning
Standard Carp 2 piece split cane
Brook 7' 2 piece cane fly rod
Slapton 8' boat rod
Vesta 9' two piece fly rod
Seaward boat rod
Ledger 3 piece split cane
Avon


To the above I can add the Trent which pre-dates the elasticane and sits in the spare room waiting to be restored at some future date.
I have also had the Lea which was an elasticane 7' spinning rod but sold this along with a lot of others in a clear out s few weeks ago.

They also made a 12' version of the Test for Tookes, a tackle shop that use to be in London. I have one of these that has Tookes Special written on it in the same script as the 'Jest' !!

Rod Turner wrote:I have a (fibreglass) Marco Elastiglas "Glas Capella".

I have a 12' Elastiglas Lea Featherweight

Hi,

I have a Marco Hornet Fly (13ft Salmon rod) Tony Fordham Series.

Yet to fish with it but seems a very nice rod.

John.

I've got a very early MARCO Trent 3 piece rod, I think this is a rarity as I've only ever seen one other.

Just acquired a Medway on E-bay. Twelve foot, three piece, and quite a beast.

Condition is not too bad, but has obviously been re-varnished (badly) at some time, and seems to have been re-ringed as well. All the rings are Agatine-lined open bridge rings, which I hardly think are original - there is a colour variation on the cane at the ring points that would suggest that the originals were High Bells Life. Does anyone know what the original rings ought to be?

The rod deserves a complete strip-down with all whippings and intermediates replaced in the original green.

Couple of other observable points - the rod is not hollow-built, nor is it steel-centred.

I look forward to seeing the end results of your restoration, I have never heard of a 'Medway' rod before and being Kent it makes it a bit special.

There was also a Medway De-Luxe, perhaps that is the hollow built model?

That said, one can't be sure a rod is hollow-built or not as the cane would normally be sculpted-out from the inside in such a way as to leave the inner cane intact at the end. 'Dams', or strengthening ribs, were sometimes left as well, or built in afterwards, though I'm not sure if this was just an American practice...the only Aspindale I have handled that was broken had no such dams or ribs.

Pretty much the only clue, barring a disaster, is the weight....and soft inner cane doesn't weigh much.

Mushy and I once spent a little time weigh apparently near identical rod sections, dimension-wise, and came to the conclusion that some of my rods had hollow-built middle sections. I'd had no idea beforte we got the scales out!