South Bend Fly Rod

Question
I have a relative offering to sell to me a fly rod that he claims belonged to my father who passed away in 1965. The rod is in a canvas bag. The label on the bag says "South Bend A Name Famous in Fishing Rod No. 323 Length 9 South Bend Bait Co. South Bend Indiana  Made in USA"  The handle is cork with an oval gold foil sticker that says "Comficient Pat. no 1,931,303 Comfortable efficient grip". The rod seat is below the cork. There is a sticker on the rod that says "No.323-9FOOT LINE RECOMMENDED D OR HDH"  There is another sticker on the rod that says "South Bend A Name Famous In Fishing"   The rod is 3 pieces with an extra tip, flat sided bamboo. There is also  a metal tube/case with it that looks to be aluminum. Since my Dad passed in 1965 do you think a rod of this description would predate his death? I thank you in advance for any information you might have.

Answer
Norma,
Flat sided bamboo rods were made from the 1890s through the 1950s.
Your specific rod was made form 1939 to 1954, assuming it is bamboo , because of the thumb grip .

the book:
Antique & Collectable Fishing Rods: Identification & Value Guide Homel, Dan. 1997 (2nd edition 2000) add about 30% for age of book

Homel gives the 9' model South Bend #323 with an extra tip, 3 sections the  value of  $35, 85 and $160 for poor, good, excellent condition respectively. So good would be $110 US and excellent would be $208.

Excellent means the handle is like new , clean. Finish is smooth an  uninterrupted.

History of The South Bend Rod Co.: http://home.myfairpoint.net/and96jac/fishnbanjossliceoflifeincyberspacecopy/id18

It's a decent rod ,not worth thousands - don't pay too much.


Luck,
Mac

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