Fishing Rod - History

History

Judging by stone inscriptions dating back to 2000 BC, fishing rods go back to ancient Egypt, China, Greece, Trinidad and Tobago, Rome and medieval England. Prior to widespread availability of synthetic materials, such as fibreglass and graphite composites, fishing rods were typically made from split Tonkin bamboo, Calcutta reed, ash wood,hickory, iron wood, maple, lance wood, or malacca cane, as it was necessary that they be made light, tough, and pliable. Rods were generally made in three pieces called a butt, midsection, and tip. The butts were frequently made of maple, with bored bottom; this butt outlasted several tops. Midsections were generally made from Iron wood because it was a thicker strong woods. Tips were generally made from bamboo for its elasticity which could throw the bait further and more accurately. Handles and grips were generally of cork, wood, or wrapped cane. Many different types of glue held these sections together most commonly Irish glue and bone glue until hilton glue or cement glue was introduced because of its water proof qualities. Guides were not added to fishing rods until around the 17th century. Guides were made of simple wire loops or, later, loops with ring-shaped agate inserts for better wear. Even today, Tonkin split-bamboo rods are still popular in fly fishing.

Until the mid-1800s rods were generally made in England. This changed in 1846 when Samuel Phillippe made the first six strips of Calcutta cane. This type of rod was revolutionized in 1871 when Hiram L. Leonard came up with a way to manufacture the Calcutta cane rods and making it affordable to the general public. At the beginning of the 20th century Tonkin cane fly rods were beginning to become expensive. the market took advantage of this and started to make new material rods. Horton Manufacturing Company first introduced an all steel rod in 1913. These rods were heavy and flexible and did not satisfy many customers. The next big occurrence in fishing rods was the introduction of the fiberglass rod in the 1940s and were developed by Robert Gayle and a Mr. Mcguire.

Boron and Graphite rods came around in 1970s after the 1960s when the United States and United Kingdoms invested considerable research into developing the new technologies. In 1971 Don Phillips began experimenting in his basement with the new fibers to design some sort of fishing rod. Hewitt and Howald were first to come up with a way to lay these fibers into the shape of a fishing rod by wrapping them around a piece of balsa wood. By 1977 boron fiber technology had been muscled out by the cheaper material of graphite and was no longer competitive in the market.

Rods for travelers were made with nickel-silver metal joints, or ferrules, that could be inserted into one another forming the rod. Some of them were made to be used as a walking cane until needed for sport. Since the 1980s, with the advent of flexible, yet stiff graphite ferrules, travel rod technology has greatly advanced, and multi-piece travel rods that can be transported in a suitcase or backpack constitute a large share of the market.