Are there any fly fishermen in the house

[osage outlaw]

Today my Dad gave me my Grandpa's old fly rod and reel.  I have never used one before and I don't know anything about it.  I'm not sure if its still usable.  It might be a wall hanger.  The rod says "J.C. Higgins" and looks like it is bamboo.  The reel says H-I Utica, NY.  It is three pieces, all the string loops are still there and it has an extra tip with it.  Does anyone know anything about this?  Do you think it is safe to use?



This picture is blurry, but the sticker says "JC Higgins"

[JW_Halverson]

I've seen a few of these split 'boo poles over the years.  The only way to find out if they are safe to use is just the thing that will break it if it is not.  That's one thing if you picked it up at a garage sale for a 5-spot.  Quite another if it was your Grandfather's. 

By the way, they can often be repaired.  Got a spare $300-400 laying around?

[madcrow]

I would hang that one up.  O had a Martin Stuffy That was very old and thought it wad safe to use. A 13 pound large mouth proved me wrong.. 

[fishfinder401]

on the off chance that it is not usable, i would keep it safe, its easy( well sort of) to replace a new rod, not so much one with sentimental value

[Jimbob]

Wall hanger for sure, being that it was your grandfathers. 

[criveraville]

Clint you're a blessed man. Hang it on the wall above a pic of your grandad.

Cipriano

[osage outlaw]

Wall hanger it is.

Although I might take it to his old tiny farm pond and catch one little bluegill with it just because.  There isn't much left of his old pond and the only thing still in it are frogs and little bluegill. 

Memories of my grandfather are all I have left from that half of my family.  After years of turmoil and fighting we have permanantly parted ways.  My life has been much less stressful since     

[Pat B]

A member of PA is a boo fly rod builder but I can't remember who it is. He did a post a few years ago. You might try a search.

[bubby]

i did some work for a friend of mine and she gave me an old boo fly rod that i found during some demo, ended up worth about $600.00, it's easy to find out what one is worth, not to sell but just to know, Bub

[JW_Halverson]

Fly fishing for bullfrogs?!?!?!  Oh yeah! 

But I'd go get a $18 piece of crap from Mal-Wart and never put this heirloom at risk.

[osage outlaw]

I've done that with a regular rod and reel but used it like a fly rod to get the bull frogs off of my Dad's pool cover.  It's a blast.  I stand on a chair outside the fence and whip a little bluegill bate in front of them.  Works every time.

[Bevan R.]

I used to go bull frog fishing in Iowa. 9' rod, #6 hook with a raisin on it. Worked great. I used to take home a stringer of frogs instead of fish.

[nclonghunter]

I bought one for a few dollars that had about 3 inches broken off the tip and another tip glued on. Nice rod otherwise. I did some google searches and if I remember correctly at one time a lot of the boo fly rods were made in Japan and shipped over here. I think JC Higgins was a "Sears and Roebuck" brand and were mass produced for that time. It is still a GREAT rod to own. I would suspect the reel may be worth more than the rod. Like everyone said, it is a wall hanger and worth more as a family heirloom. Very cool to have it, congrats.

[Buckeye Guy]

Those old fly rods were made for fishin it would be a shame to degrade it to a simple decoration!
I use all of mine ! So much nicer than this new junk they sell these days !
Guy