Sila-flex AF85 3

Question
this rod was given to me by my father 20 years ago with no information about the rod. It has two tips and is still in very good condition and I would like to use it for nostalgia reasons as I do have several different weights of St. Croix and Orvis rods that I do use. Dad passed away fifteen years ago so I was glad to find this site this morning following the Coulee Region T.U. Banquet last night. Thanks for your help, Moe.

Answer
Hi Maurice,

From what I can gather, the rod is vintage 1950s.  

The AF85-3 indicates the following:

- the F85-3 is a Silaflex Standard Fly Rod model
- it is 8'6" long
- it is a three piece rod
- it is rated for F or E level HCH (HCF) silk line, or
- it is also rated for GBG (GBF) nylon line
- in modern (AFTMA) line numbers these are 7wt and 8wt lines
- you should try both, if possible, and see which works best for you on this rod

- the "A" designates this was originally sold as a rod kit with a rod blank that had the ferrules, handle and reel seat pre-installed.  The person who purchased it either wrapped and finished the guides, hired someone to do that work or had a friend who did the work.

- Standard kit prices were $22.50-$24.50.  The extra tip would have added a bit to the price.

- the presence of two tip sections would imply that the kit was ordered with an extra tip.  It was (and still is) common practice to provide two tips with bamboo rods and, given that these fiberglass rods were the new technology, it is likely that two tips were ordered "just to be on the safe side".

As to value, I'm not sure I can evaluate this one accurately for you.  I would suspect it is rare  and an early Silaflex model.  I would expect it to have a reasonable collector value but I'm just not sure what that would be.  I would not want to mislead you on value.

The following link will take you to the source of most of this information about this rod.  I believe you may also post questions on that site and talk with people who truly love older fiberglass fly rods.  Perhaps you can get even more information from others more informed than I am.

http://fiberglass-fly-rods.pbworks.com/Silaflex

As long as there are no obvious cracks or damage to the rod, you should be able to use it.  Check it over carefully and do some lawn casting before you take it to the water.

Good luck.  Think about your dad while using the rod.

Joe