Split-cane fly rods favorites in Baxter's day

By DEIRDRE FLEMING, Portland Press Herald Writer

Copyright © 2003 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.

E-mail this story to a friend

	Staff photo by Gordon Chibroski Two fly rods, the top one with a split-cane handle, circa 1875, and one with a cork handle, circa 1900, are on display at the Maine State Museum.
	Staff photo by Gordon Chibroski Also on exhibit are these wood and aluminum fly rod cases.
	FOREVER WILD: Rediscovering Katahdin A Journey of a Lifetime Retracing Percival Baxter first trip to Maine's Katahdin region 100 years ago. Percival Baxter, despite his philanthropy, is a mystery A reporter and photographer retrace the Baxters' historic 1903 trip for the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram. A century of solitude Remote ponds where Percival Baxter fished for brook trout have barely changed in a century. Split-cane fly rods favorites in Baxter's day Many were made by the Thomas Rod Co. of Bangor, which offered fishermen about 100 different styles. Imagining Baxter, at home in his park Visiting the remote trout ponds and rivers at the foot of Mount Katahdin probably offers the same experience for anglers today as they did a century ago. A faraway experience forever preserved Today much of the park's wild character along the mountain trails has been preserved, largely because of conditions set in Baxter's 28 deeds. State park was born to be wild There are some who visit Baxter State Park today who haven't a clue about why and how the park was founded. To top of story

AUGUSTA — For fly fishermen attempting to imitate a nymph on a glassy pond, the difference between casting a split-cane fly-fishing rod and the graphite rods of today is significant. While talk of bamboo rods usually conjures up an image of a single stalk of cane with a line hanging off it, the split-cane rods made 100 years ago were, in fact, fragile works of perfectly carved bamboo bound carefully by silk.

These were the rods Percival Baxter would have used in 1903 when he first ventured to the land around Katahdin to fish in the remote trout ponds. His equipment would have been the work of skilled craftsmen.

"I remember using and trashing my grandfather's simple bamboo fly rods in my youth," said Laurie LaBar, curator at the Maine State Museum. "(But the split-cane rods), they were hand-done. There was some mass production. But, in terms of cutting each one and wrapping it, that was all done by hand."

These rods were made from six hexagon-shaped pieces of bamboo that were fitted, glued and bound together by silk. They were finished off with varnish to protect the seal, LaBar said.

The pieces of bamboo were tapered and, for that reason, had to be carefully fitted.

Today, making such a work of detailed craftsmanship takes as much as 50 hours using modern, electric equipment. Around 1900, it would have taken as long.

But fine fly-fishing rods were money-makers.

The bamboo for these rods came from Asia and they were exported around the country, LaBar said.

Split-cane rods were made in Maine as early as the 1860s when Farmington rod-maker Charles Wheeler earned renown for his models.

Later, the Thomas Rod Co. of Bangor produced as many as 100 different styles of split-cane rods in the first half of the 20th century, marketing the models in catalogs.

For the most part, split-cane rods made in the first half of the 1900s looked similar, varying only in size, with the biggest difference being in the weight of the rod.

Rods made before 1900 had a wooden-ended grip that weighed down the end of the rod.

Rods that came later were tapered with a cork grip that would have been lighter, making casting easier.

The cases these rods were carried in were primitive.

Those before 1900 were square, small wooden planks that the rods were fitted into and then covered with a canvas bag.

Later aluminum cases were used, much like the containers anglers use today.

But all the different styles of split-cane rods were fragile, and broken tips were to be expected.

The sets on display at the Maine State Museum show how common broken ends were, as each fly rod - made up of a butt, a midsection and a tip - came with at least two tips.

One set from 1880 has two midsections as well as two tips.

The journey made by the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram to retrace Percival Baxter's first trip to the land around Katahdin showed how fragile fly-fishing rods - even today's graphite versions - can be.

When the spring-hinged wooden doors at Kidney Pond Campground shut, they slam with some force - enough to slice off the top of a fishing rod.

At least one angler saw the tip of a 6-weight fly rod fall victim to these guillotines.

Certainly, Baxter would have had similar threats to his expensive fly-fishing equipment . . . and no 1-800 number to call to get a replacement sent.

Chances are Baxter traveled with two tips.

Staff Writer Deirdre Fleming can be contacted at 791-6452 or at: dfleming@pressherald.com

To top of page