Heddon Premier Bamboo Fly Rod

Question
Joe,
I have a Heddon Premier with #115 - 8' - 1 1/2F - H & H or F written on the rod.  Could you please tell me about these numbers and letters.  Thank You
Bill

Answer
Hi William,

Sure.  The Premier #115 and the Expert #125 were two rod models made by Heddon exclusively for Sears & Roebuck.  They are private label rods not actually part of the Heddon offerings.  Sears got a better price on the rods in exchange for allowing the Heddon name to appear on them thereby advertising for Heddon in the Sears stores.  Neither of these rods relate directly to any of the rods in the Heddon lineup, but they are often included in listings of rod values for Heddon rods.

The #115 is a model number assigned to this rod.  It does not fit into the regular Heddon model lineup and is used only to designate this trade rod produced for Sears by Heddon.

The 8' figure is the length of the rod.  Yours is an 8'0" rod, it should have 3 rod sections plus an extra tip section.  It would also have included a rod bag and rod tube.  As a rule, the shorter bamboo fly rods are the more valuable examples.

The 1 1/2F code designates the ferrule size used on this rod.  The 1 1/2F code equates to a ferrule size of 16/64ths and was the size used on Heddon ExtraLite Trout rods and on their "100" series rods in 8'0" and 7'6" lengths.

The HFH or F code indicates suitable line sizes for the rod.  HFH equates to a modern 4wt in Double Taper (DT) and F equates to a modern 4wt Level line.

Condition is everything with regard to value.  Value ranges for your rod would be:  Poor-Fair condition $150-$250; Good-Very Good condition $400-$600; and Excellent-Mint condition $700-$900, actual value of your rod would depend entirely on the actual condition of the rod and all components.

Thanks,  Joe