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Betts fly rod
Post 20 Feb 2021, 16:00 • #1 
Guide
Joined: 06/19/14
Posts: 126
Location: Columbia, MO
I just picked this up off Ebay. It is a 4 pc. Betts 7'6" 6wt. The seller said it had never been used and it certainly looks like it has had little or no use. Brown blank with orange jaspe wraps, metal ferrules, down-locking reel seat. Small, stripping guide.

I have read everything I can find on this forum and others, as well as a simple Google search and can find very little information on Betts Tackle Co. All I have learned is that they were out of Detroit MI and were purchased by St. Croix, at some point. I think St. Croix continued to use the Betts name on their own rods for a while, which I suspect, is what I have, here. Especially since the verbiage on the rod states "Park Falls, WI" on the blank. Also on the blank is a sticker that says "Parent's Army and Navy Goods Store, Eagle Lake ME. According to the seller, this store closed in 1972.

I would like to know more about the Betts Tackle company; What years were they in business, when did they sell to St.Croix, and how long did St. Croix continue to use the Betts name?
I would also like to know about the Parent's Army and Navy store in Eagle Lake. What years were they in business?

Any information would be helpful.
Thanks,
steve







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Re: Betts fly rod
Post 20 Feb 2021, 16:03 • #2 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 11/06/17
Posts: 2498
Location: South of Joplin
The logo looks a bit like the lure company- http://bettstackle.net/


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Re: Betts fly rod
Post 20 Feb 2021, 16:22 • #3 
Guide
Joined: 06/19/14
Posts: 126
Location: Columbia, MO
Yes, it does. I noticed that when I was researching the company. Don't know if they are connected. The lure company is located in NC.

thanks,
steve


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Re: Betts fly rod
Post 20 Feb 2021, 17:20 • #4 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 02/27/16
Posts: 2329
Location: US-IL
Bett's,flies, rods,jigs etc have been around a long time .St Croix may have made this rod.I have a Herter's made by St Croix as well as a couple vintage St Croix fly rods.One thing they have in common as they are very light blanks.There was a Brule rod company in the same area.I had one of those and it was a fairly heavy rod.I had several salesman sample displays of Bett's flies.The logo was the same on your rod.


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Re: Betts fly rod
Post 20 Feb 2021, 17:34 • #5 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/23/05
Posts: 4966
Location: US-MT
Beautiful rod.
I have/had a Betts labeled rod, can't find it at the moment......it was almost certainly a St Croix, and a nice caster.


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Re: Betts fly rod
Post 20 Feb 2021, 18:13 • #6 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 12/05/06
Posts: 2090
Location: US-PA
Any connection to the late John Betts who was a big advocate of synthetic fly tying materials (think Micro Fibbettes) among other things?


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Re: Betts fly rod
Post 20 Feb 2021, 18:34 • #7 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 04/20/07
Posts: 8921
Location: US-ME
If you really do some fiddling around with the advanced search function at the US Patent/Trademark Office, you can probably dig up the company history. I think at that time they were bigger in bait casting and spin casting rods and related terminal tackle, but they also sold blister-packed flies. The kind of stuff you'd see at a rural hardware store, general store, or army-navy store. Possibly they manufactured rods; however, they didn't manufacture all their goods, so that could be a trade rod made by St Croix (Park Falls, Wi, was their home)--and labled for Betts or their customers. St Croix may have been doing the same before the acquisition, or maybe they just added St. Croix detail to the labeling of a product they had been producing for Betts. Anyhow, churn up the patent office if someone doesn't remember or dig up the history elsewhere. A simple word search doesn't hit it, so I'm guessing it is a registered image/drawing trademark, trickier to search but sometimes the trademark or patent documents have an interesting story to tell.


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Re: Betts fly rod
Post 20 Feb 2021, 23:03 • #8 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 01/26/07
Posts: 1385
Location: Ada, Oklahoma
The first time I saw a Betts rod was several years ago at a Blue River Fly Classic here in southern Oklahoma. A guy I met had found it in a second hand store somewhere. Pretty beat up, but actually cast pretty well. At that time I thought it was probably connected to John Betts. I had used a lot of Betts poppers purchased at WalMart, and I had read his book on building wooden fly rods. However, his first claim to fame was primarily when he wrote his book on synthetic fly tying in 1980, which came much later than the rod I had seen. The current Betts Tackle Ltd. located in North Carolina has the same signature logo as seen on the rod above. I don't know if the original company moved from Wisconsin to North Carolina or if the company was sold. Nowhere in anything I read about John Betts did I find anything about him being connected with Betts Tackle.

Larry


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Re: Betts fly rod
Post 21 Feb 2021, 10:53 • #9 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 11/06/17
Posts: 2498
Location: South of Joplin
The trademark was first used in 1966 and has been the NC lure company since 1975, my quick search of USPTO didn't turn up the original user, but there has been a change of registration.
I'd make phone call.


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Re: Betts fly rod
Post 21 Feb 2021, 22:41 • #10 
Guide
Joined: 02/04/18
Posts: 208
Location: US-MN
My Betts fly rod matches my St Croix 900 almost exactly, mine is yellow blank wrapped with black and a large white label also referencing Park Falls. Yours looks like a step up from mine quality wise, nice find.


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Re: Betts fly rod
Post 22 Feb 2021, 10:02 • #11 
Guide
Joined: 06/19/14
Posts: 126
Location: Columbia, MO
Thanks for all the responses and information. I'll be happy when this snow and cold are gone and I can at least lawn-cast it and figure out what to line it with. I have a Sylk WF, 6 F that just might work. For $45.00, I think it will make a good bass rod.

Thanks,
steve


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