old betts fishing rod

Question
i have obtained what appears to be an old extremely well taken wooden fishing rod model 61 rt, manufactured in detroit mi. It has wodden lathe turned handles behind and in front of thr reel seat, thre rod is a little better then 5/8 inches coming out of the handle, and every bit of 3/8 where it goes into the "pulley" at the tip. Can you tell me anything about this rod?

Answer
Hello Paul,

I am far from an expert on antique rods and reels yet questions about them are coming in daily.

It would have been awesome if you could have included a .jpeg image of the rod but your description is very good.

I am in hot pursuit of more information on Betts mfg. of Detroit but as yet, have found the info quite sparse. To the best of my knowledge, the Betts company in business now may not be related but I will be calling them this week to find out for sure.

Rods as you described were made from the post WWII (1945) through the early 1970's and very inexpensive ones even into the early 1980's. As for the Betts rod you have, it was likely mass produced as an affordable rod. Known by many as "boat" rods, many were solid fiberglass as yours may also be. The "tip" is a roller tip that was meant to reduce friction on the lines that were used prior to monofilament; Linen (where all traditional line "tests" got their start), silk, nylon then dacron depending on how far back you go, would become abraded and break prematurely, hence the roller...modern "roller guides" are still used today although primarily for big game fishing in saltwater.

If the rod you have is of hollow fiberglass, that would indicate that it is a bit newer, more likely from the 1960's.

Rods of this style are certainly fishable but unless you fall in love with the action (likely to be slow or moderate), you will more than likely find very modestly priced modern rods that will out perform the classic boat rods. If you decide to use her as a display or wall piece, get ahold of an early Penn levelwind, old "Del Mar" saltwater reel or even an older "knuckle buster" and pair them up...it may make a great conversation piece for a man-cave or if you choose to, TAKE HER OUT FISHING! Me and a few buddies have had "Old School' days on the boats fishing the Southern California coast and have had a great time! Give it a whirl!

Thanks for the question! How about one on FISHING?;)

- Mark <*)}}}}}={