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Leonard Wright's Rod???
Post 10 Aug 2022, 13:24 • #1 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/11/06
Posts: 2516
Location: Nature Coast Florida
I tried this question on the boo site with no definitive answer so hoping someone here may know.

Leonard Wright has always been one of my favorite authors. So when I recently picked up this heavy weight Phillipson rod with an old description on the tube it has me wondering if the rod may have belonged to him. Hopefully one of our fishing historians here may have some thoughts.

(In my opinion his book Fishing the Dry Fly as a Living Insect is certainly one of the best ever written on the subject.)

Incidentally the rod is in beautiful shape with only a few tiny marks on the finish.

Missing the fighting butt and appreciate if anyone knows where I might find one. Emailed Rick's with no response so far.

What I thought was really great was some of the marks on the finish turned out to be fish scales. Evidently someone thought these heavy glass rods were worth fishing. (Coming from the previous era when bamboo was king was it really that heavy?)


Any thoughts appreciated.

Thanks,
Barry








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Post 10 Aug 2022, 14:17 • #2 
Guide
Joined: 08/11/21
Posts: 208
Location: Tucson, AZ
I have a friend who fished him in Florida..caught big snook, so it could be one of Wright's rods. They were buddies, so he might know.

I will check to see if he recalls what rod(s) he fished down in the Keys


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Post 10 Aug 2022, 16:04 • #3 
Master Guide
Joined: 01/03/06
Posts: 687
Location: US-VA
Wright did enjoy, as noted in his writings, some longer glass rods for trout. If I remember right, he enjoyed a 9 1/2 footer glass trout rod. With his connections, those glass rods could come from many sources.
I do know that both Winston and Phillipson did market 9+ trout rods marked for 5 lines....


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Post 10 Aug 2022, 17:56 • #4 
Master Guide
Joined: 07/21/21
Posts: 447
Location: Florida
GnG once again you pull an heirloom out of thin air. Nobody does it better. Great find regardless of who it belonged to.


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Post 13 Aug 2022, 16:07 • #5 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/11/06
Posts: 2516
Location: Nature Coast Florida
This rod is a Registered model. Should there be a list somewhere of who purchased these rods?

Sent a message to Rick's Rods. Figure if anyone has access to a list may be him.

Barry


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Post 06 Sep 2022, 11:07 • #6 
Guide
Joined: 08/11/21
Posts: 208
Location: Tucson, AZ
Talked to my Florida guide buddy who fished him in Florida, also did an Orvis tv show with him in the Catskills...he did not recall offhand what rods he fished in the Keys, but a 10 wt would make sense.

He said look for "Leonard M. Wright" on any signatures.


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Post 06 Sep 2022, 12:00 • #7 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/11/06
Posts: 2516
Location: Nature Coast Florida
Appreciate the information. No signatures , only Mr Wright's name on the sticker on the tube.

The sticker appears to be one that was placed there for an auction or other type sale.

Thanks,
Barry


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Post 06 Sep 2022, 15:17 • #8 
Guide
Joined: 08/11/21
Posts: 208
Location: Tucson, AZ
Got my buddy talking about the early days in the Keys, before graphite composite rods...Shakespeare Wonderrods were the bomb, the Ugly Sticks came along and changed the game and he mentioned some other models from that era. They truly were all they had, and did fine.

I gave him a Browning Silaflex a few years back and we fished at a local urban pond here in Tucson, caught about 10 channel cats out of our float tubes. Really enjoyed watching him land catfish on that old rod, we had a blast.


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Post 06 Sep 2022, 15:29 • #9 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/11/06
Posts: 2516
Location: Nature Coast Florida
The shorter Ugly Sticks may have been OK. But, in my opinion the heavy duty Wonderods put the heavy Ugly Sticks to shame. My buddy had a heavy Ugly Stick in his shop for years and couldn't give the thing away.

I liked reading the early Joe Brooks books where he would show bamboo Orvis Battenkills bent in a U while fighting saltwater fish.

Never dawned on me you guys would have channel cats in the Tucson area. I can't
imagine anyone catching channel cats on an old Silaflex wouldn't have a smile on their face.


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