Betts Bamboo Pole Cork Handle

Question
Hello, I have a vintage Betts Fishing Tackle Bamboo pole made in Detroit Michigan. Two piece pole 64" in length with 10" Cork handle with yellow plastic end cap. 74" overall length. Four eyelets with a green and off white stripped at each end of the eyelets. Two aluminum rings on the cork handle that slide for a reel. What can you tell me about this nice pole? Thank You Shannon.

Answer
Hello Shannon,

Please forgive me but I am far from an expert on antiques (and do not profess to be in my bio) but I am an expert on their repair and refurbishment. For a full background on your rod, you would be better served seeking information from a site that specializes in antiques: Ricksrods.com or Oldrods.com are good places to start. However, I have done a bit of research on the Betts tackle company of old so I will happily give you what I have, be it slight.

The Betts manufacturing from this era is not the Betts Lure company that is still in business today and is in no way connected. ( Recently contacted them in North Carolina). What I have found is that the rods...bamboo early on, then solid fiberglass later, were typically imported and marketed under the Betts name but there was a manufacturing facility in Detroit that did produce fishing tackle from the post WWII era but information has proven hard to find.

One key to your rods age is the "plastic cap". Plastic was just beginning to be used as an inexpensive alternative to other material after the war mentioned before.

The sliding rings are for securing the reel to the rod and were again, a less expensive feature of entry level and mass produced rods...although you may still find them on rods even now.

It sounds as though it may be in good condition. If it is split cane, the glues that were used to laminate the five or six pieces together may have become brittle, so it may not be fishable. If it is solid Tonkin cane (unlikely), it may still be strong enough to use.

Unfortunately, due to lack of readily available information on Betts like catalogues or sales ads from the era, I can't help you much more.

Should you choose to contact an expert on antiquities, be sure to take a number of good, close-up digital images and include them with your inquiry. This should help others greatly.

Thanks for the question-

Mark