I’ve been dabbling in background research into the eBay tackle phenomenon, noting that two or three rod companies were well represented, and others fit the traditional auction mode – someone finding some treasure while cleaning out Grandpa’s closet.
One of the companies that caught my eye was the Powell Rod Co, formerly of Chico, California. I owned a couple Powell graphite rods and had met both Walton and Press many years ago on Fall River.
It’s an old story, “old world” craftsman meets well-to-do “SugarDaddy” with a gleam in his eye, the demise of fine rod company follows.
Being neither lawyer nor investigator, I don’t know what the truth is – but an interesting story from the 2001 Chico News & Review outlines the chronology of events from the Powell perspective.
The rods on eBay explained, they’re not the Powell’s that share their lineage with E.C Powell, Walton Powell, and his son Press – they’re the new company, run by the folks that purchased the firm from Charles Schwab.
I’ve worked at a half dozen fly shops in my youth, and ownership by rich patrons always ended badly. They might share some of our passion for the sport, but the tax writeoff is equally compelling.
In Japan, skilled artisans of bygone arts are designated as national treasures, and receive a stipend so that they can teach others. Perhaps that practice would be appropriate in the US as well.
Technorati Tags: Chico News & Review, Walton Powell, Press Powell, Charles Schwab, Powell Rod Company
I’ve followed this for a while due to interest in the TiBoron II. I chose not to patronize the company, not so much because of the powell family thing or because of the direct sales cutting out fly shops, but because its becoming a BASS ROD company. Now I have nothing against bass fishermen or bass fishing or non-fly fishing fishing in general… Its loads of fun. I do have a problem with a company that slashes all their fly rod models so they have only one left and still try to profit off the name of one of the greatest fly rod makers in american fly fishing history. i think they should be forced to change their name to somethign that more accurately reflects the companies history. Like “Used to be powell, but now the flippin stick company called Bryan.” Its just a shame that they killed their fly rod department. They should hire back whatever powwell’s remain and really dive into the market. With that brand name in fly fishing they would do really well. I think the market is such now that people are a lot less likely to poo poo a company for overseas production if that’s what they’re worried about.
They had an awful lot of new rods on eBay, they must’ve decided to dump existing stock via online auction or jobber.
More 4 piece rods than a comprehensive collection, but plenty none the less.
Thanks for the update.
Whether fashioned in cane, glass or graphite the Chico era Powells were great fly rods.
A few show up on E-Bay occasionally. A fellow in Canada is currently selling one of the green IM6’s. (My least favorite series, but Press Powell loved them)
To quote the ad- “I am selling it because I simply own too many rods (mostly Powells) and wasn’t using this one enough. A rod this nice should be fished!” He concludes, “I am looking for a good home for it-anyone who knows the original Powell rods knows why.” Well said, brother.
I had one in my hand and asked what line weight it was, “Oh, that’s a 5-6-7” … none of this 9 foot 5 weight stuff, you could build your favorite bend by raising or lowering the line weight you threw.
It’s counter to what vendors are hawking now – especially on fly lines, specialization rules the day.
Great rods.
Eugene Powell, Walton’s grandson and E.C.’s great-grandson, is continuing the family bamboo rod building tradition.
I have a few “real” Powell rods and think they’re great.
Ok Guy I recently came into what looks like a Walton Powell spinning rod. In a nice case. It is a 2 pc rood and its design, especially at teh connecting joint and the metal real seat look like something Walton Powell would have made. there is However a printed model number: FS-70. Can any of you guys help me identify weather this is a real Walton or just a Powell knockoff
I’m not an expert, FS-70 would be a ‘fly-spin 7ft’ under the old fenwick nomenclature, you might want to post a picture on a free site and link to it here for others to eyeball.
http://i20.ebayimg.com/01/i/000/f2/25/b276_1.JPG
http://i19.ebayimg.com/03/i/000/f2/25/a484_1.JPG
These are 2 pictures of the actual rod and its carrying case.
I hope this helps
The “Walton Powell” label looks like the real deal – on the surface it appears legitimate.
If the FS is “fly spin” then the rod would detach from the front of the grip and mount in the rear, making the reel seat closer to the end of the rod for mounting a fly reel.
Don’t grab and yank anything – there should be some sort of fitting that looks like it will loosen (so you can swap the blank to the other end of the grip) if it’s this style of combo rod.
Old rods can be fragile – visually inspect where the blank meets the handle to see if a dual purpose rod. You can inspect the butt cap to see if it is removable as well.
The case and rod are a bit too far away in the picture for me to offer much insight. Maybe one of the readers can assist more.
http://i14.ebayimg.com/01/i/000/f2/25/cad8_1.JPG
this is the only other picture i could come across.
I purchased several fly rods from a company who sold Powell (CHICO ERA) Fly Rods.. I have several that I HAVE TO sell due to finances.. I have some SS Series Brown Blank.. I have a couple of Deep Blue LG Series also.. These are (NEW) and never fished.. A couple of them were casted and liked by a fly shop owner.. I was not ready to sell him the rods then, but now I need to…
Steve,
Couldn’t find any Powell rods on Craig’s List.
What up?
Good Morning Sully,,
I’m sorry you didn’t see the add I had put in about Powell Fly Rods.. One of my posting was a few days ago, and listed about 8 different rods including at least a couple of the powell rods.. I have a 9′ 3-4 Weight 2 piece LG Deep Blue Blank rod. I have a 8’6 5 Weight SS Rod Rich dk Brown blank. I also have a 9′ 5 weight SS series brown blank. I also have a 8′ 4 weight SS series brown Rod. I also have a Lg Dk Blue 9’5 weight. These Rods Retailed for between $340.00 and $475.00 + I am needing around $195.00 each obo.. Scully Where are you located if you mind I ask.?? All of these Rods are (NEW) Never fished.. Casted a couple of time a couple of them on the grass is all…
Steve,
By “SS” do you mean Signature Series?
If you have pictures of the reel seats on these it will tell the story.
I’ll buy the 8′ 4-wgt at $195 if it is a Signature Series.
Is the 9′ 5-wgt marked as a DF90-1 by any chance?
I’m in Missoula.
Hi Sully, I looked at the powell rods today, and the one I thought was a 8′ 4 weight SS, is a 8’6 4 weight Signiture Series. The other 9′ 5 weight is a LG 905 2 piece dk Blue Beautiful Rod.. I have a LG 9′ 3-4 Weight Powell.. I also have a Signiture Series 8’6 5 weight Powell Rod. I also have a Signiture Series 9′ 5 Weight brown blank.. These are all (Chico Era) Rods and I personaly don’t want to sell them, but I need the money now.. I grew up near Chico, and I appreciate the Powell Legacy… Not the New Going Down Hill Swabbbb….
I have a number of Powell fly rods. I had them sent to Australia several years ago. I am slightly confused about the demise of the Powell Co. Is there anyone from Powell (Chico, CA, where I purchased my rods) still making fly rods?
The Chico Fly Shop is still in business, and they’re advertising rods by Eugene Powell, see the below link:
http://www.chicoflyshopinc.com/products_bamboo.html
I’d be interested in knowing if your Chico-era Powell rods are still available. I own a couple, and they’re honeys.
I looke forward to hearing from you.
Tom McDonough
This thread had not been posted to in quite a while, but Tom, yes some are still available. I am from Chico originaly and I own a number of true Powell rods and I am quite knowledgeable about the history and values of the rods. I have bought and sold quite a few over the years. And I am friends with a man in Chico who built rods for the Powells from about 1983 to 1992 and now has his own rod company in Chico. His rods are fantastic and he holds the only reserve of original Powell bamboo blanks around. If anyone is still interested in talking Powell rods please let me know.
Rich
By the way, if anyone here is interested in selling old Powell rods, please let me know. I am always interested in these wonderfull rods.
Rich
Rich,
What’s the fellow’s name that still crafts the rods in Chico – and does he have a web site?
I think folks might be interested.
His name is Jim Clarkson and his website is http://www.raptorrodworks.com
He makes all kinds of rods, including a line which is in all but name the old Powell Light Touch series – very nice reasonably priced rods. And he is an all around good guy.
Rich
Hi Rich, Hope life is treating you well, and your gettin in some fishin. I have 3 or 4 chico era, Signiture Series, LG Series, and Legacy Light Series Rods. They are the Chico Era, Pres Powell Era built around 1994 or so. One is a 9′ 5wt Signiture Series, another is a 9′ 3-4 wt LG deep blue Series, another a 8′ 4wt, Signiture Series, another a 8’5 5wt, Signiture Series, another 9’5 weight LG series deep blue blank, another is a 9’5wt Signiture Series, I think that’s all.. I need to sell all or some.. They are in original sock, aluminum cases and BRAND NEW.. Never Seen Water… I will probably sell them for $275.00 each.. They retailed orignially for between $350.00 and $450.00 … These Rods are PERFECT… Casted both 9′ weights and a friend who has a fly shop, who is very picky and said they casted very smooth, crisp, and was impressed. These are CHICO era NOT Swabb…
I will post this for everyone since I sent it to rich only.. I have 4 or 5 Signiture Series, LG series, and Legacy Light series fly rods. These are Chico Era, built around 1994 or so. they are Beautiful Rods and I am going to have to sell them because of financial reasons. I have heard nothing but positive things about them.. Steve
Am looking for a good Powell. Can you give me some info on yours. I am located in Sacramento if it isn’t too far away from you I will drive.
Terry
Steve, please email me: gyro@suddenlink.net
We can talk more about those rods. Thanks,
Rich
Just following up again…Steve are you still out there? Anyone else know how I might get ahold of Steve? Thanks,
Rich
I finally located and purchased an original Chico-era Powell fly rod, which is a 9ft, 4-5 wt. LG series. Needless to say, I’m thrilled. However, I’m not sure what “LG” stands for. Any ideas?
Please and thanks.
-Colin
Colin,
Congrats on scoring a wonderful fly rod.
LG probably stands for “Legacy”. That was one of their series back in the day.
Thanks, Sully!
The rod is a beautiful sapphire blue, with green and red wraps. Absolutely gorgeous! As a Chico native, I witnessed the demise of the original Powell fly shop (off of West 8th Ave.) first hand. In fact, my parents bought me a Cortland fly kit there for my 13th birthday, and I’ve been “hooked” ever since. That was 15 years ago.
Is there anything else you can tell me about the rod I purchased? Is it made from the same IM6 graphite blanks as the LT (light touch) series? Also, I can’t find a signature on the rod. I wonder if it was made by Walton Powell, or perhaps his son, Press?
Any assistance you can provide would be very much appreciated.
Thanks again,
-Colin
Colin – I’ve fished with that same model of rod and it is one of my all time favorites. The best way to tell if it is an “original” Powell or not is by the serial number on the base of the rod and the address on the label on the rod tube. Tell me what those are and I can tell you roughly when it was made.
Colin,
Sounds like Rich has the inside information.
The Legacy series Powells I’m familiar with were from the mid-80s and brown in color. The blue blanks came a bit later. Every 9′ 5-weight Powell I’ve every thrown was a wonderful fishing instrument.
Rich,
What did Powell call the blue rods? Were they the first “Legacy Lites”?
The Legacy rods were first made around 1989 and were finished in the same rootbeer brown as the signature series rods. These were also labeled “Legacy” not LG. In about 1991 they started finishing the Legacy rods in the cobalt blue. Around then they also went to the LG labeling. They changed the name to Legacy Light (but I believe retained the LG label) sometime later – it was change in name only for marketing purposes. The rods remained the same. The Legacy series were the fastest action rods the original Powell company ever made. I’m guesing Colin’s rod is labeled LG 9045. More acurately dating it would take the info I asked for in the earlier post. They are among my favorite rods ever – paticularly that 9′ 4-5wt model – to me it is just a perfect medium duty trout rod.
Hi Rich,
Thanks for the info! You are correct; the rod is labeled LG 9045. The serial number at the bottom is as follows: A53354. The address on the rod tube is not the 8th Ave. address I spoke of in my previous post, but is P.O. Box. 4000, Chico, CA 95927.
Any additional info. you can provide would be very much appreciated.
-Colin
Colin – that rod you’ve got was made sometime in late 94. It was sold (assuming it was originaly sold in the rod tube you currently have) in late 96 or early 97. The serial numbers were, until 94, the sequential production number followed by a dash with a single digit for rods made in the 80s (ie a rod made in 1989 would have a number ending in -9. In 1990 the end of the number was changed to a dash followed by the 2 digits of the year (ie a rod made in 1993 would end in -93). In 94 they went to the A and a 4 digit number. Sometimes the year was appended (ie yours ends in a 4) and sometimes it wasn’t – don’t know why. If you’ve got one with A and 4 digits it’s harder to date. The rod tube label has a PO box 4000 which was done when the Powell Rod Co (Press Powells marketing arm) and Walton’s rod factory came back together when Schwab was getting involved. The PO box 3966 rod tubes are from the real heart of the Powell production peroiod. There are some classic old Powell rods with the old 8th Ave address too. Most of those are the old PVC rod tubes. Actually, Walton ordered about 250 tube labels in the early 80s that read “Fishing Tackle of Distiction” – with the Distinction missing the ‘n’. I heard that Walton had this brought to his attention and grumbled that he was a rod maker, not a god damned secretary, and continued to use the labels anyway. Those are really cool to find. Anyway, perhaps too much information, but there it is.
Hi Rich,
Thanks again for the info.! I’m curious, if you don’t mind me asking, how do you know so much about the original Powell namesake and their original rods?
I wished they published this stuff somewhere (Wikipedia, perhaps), but the web is devoid of such info. Of course, someone with first hand knowledge is always best, but they’re hard to come by these days. (Which is why I’m so thankful you responded to my post.) Had I not gone online, I don’t think I would have found the rod in the first place, and I certainly wouldn’t have found someone who knows as much about Powell rods as you do.
-Colin
Colin – I grew up in Chico and my Dad was an avid fly fisher. We used to hang out in Walton’s shop from time to time and even fished with Walton a few times. I’ve made some friends through those connections (like Jim Clarkson who I mentioned in an earlier post) who were part of the Powell company and share my fond memories of those times. Over the years as I’ve bought and sold old Powell rods I’ve come to know quite a bit about the history. Each new type/model/serial number I find I research and talk about with these folks.
I have an older powell fly rod from the early 90’s. It is a 9′ 4piece 5/6/7 weight with serial numbers 2936-93 and DF90-4. Wondering what model and if an orginal powell rod. thanks for any help on this. Bryan
Bryan – indeed you have an original Powell rod there. What type of tube is it in? What address is on the tube label (if there is one)? The rod is a Signature Series rod. The Signature Series were not labeled that on the rod until later – originally they were labeled with a very convoluted and confusing system. The trout rods were all DF – for Dry Fly – and the length in feet and inches (in your case a 9 foot rod). Then the dash and number after the rod length refered to the line weight (-1L for a 3-4 wt, -1 for a 4-5 wt…and it just gets more confusing from there) – and it was Waltons own convention. Except on the 4 piece rods. They were, as on your rod, labeled -4. During the time these rods were made Walton only had two 4 piece models…the DF86-4 and DF90-4. Both were for 5/6/7 weight lines. Yours was made in 1993, as evidenced by the -93 in the serial number. To be honest – if you tried to fish it with a 7 and even somewhat a 6 line it’s going to be a bit of a dog. It would work best with a 5 wt line. To label these for 3 different line weights was bit of a stretch. If you or anyone else are going to fish these old Powell graphite rods keep this in mind…with many of these new “super fast” action rods the line guides have been made larger. Fly lines have also increased in diameter – that’s how they “increase performance”. They make very small changes in diameter and increase the heft of the line while still calling it a “5 weight” line, for example, but it performs better on the newer rods. These older rods have smaller line guides and if you fish them with newer lines you are not getting the most out of the rod and casting performance is not as good. There are 2 lines I’ve found that have a more old school running line profile – the Scientific Angelers Mastery HeadStart lines (nice because it’s usually pretty cheap) and the Wulff Triangle Taper lines – the Triangle Taper being my favorite. I hope this helps.
Rich
Rich, thanks very much for your insight on the powell rod. Have not had much luck until you answered. The address on the brown metal rod tube is PO Box 4000 in Chico,Ca. Any idea on the graphite type/action? The rod build quality seems good and is an attractive rod. Thanks again, Bryan
Bryan – it is a very high quality rod – thats a big part of why an original Powell is a wonderful fishing tool – they put out consistenly great rods. That 4 piece was not produced in really high numbers either. The action on that rod would be considered moderate or medium. Again – I’d fish it with a 5 wt line or maybe a 6 wt if I wasn’t really concerened about a lot of distance.
Rich
Hi Rich,
I’m not sure if you’re still paying attention to this thread, but I have another question I was hoping you might be able to answer.
It turns out that a close friend of mine recently bought what appears to be an older fiberglass Powell fly rod on Craigslist. Personally, I’ve never seen one before. It seems like everything Powell made post 1990 was graphite or bamboo. To me, it looks like a 5-6 weight, but there isn’t an inscription on the rod itself—just the Walton Powell insignia. The rod is a 9ft two-piece, and is dark grey in color, almost black. There’s also a name engraved on the real seat, Roger Crabtree, which would seem to indicate that the rod was custom built for someone, but I’m not really sure. The rod tube is basically just a white PVC pipe with some end caps and a Powell Fly Rod sticker on it that says “Fly-Fishing Tackle of Distinction,” or something to that effect. I don’t recall the specific address on the label, but can find out if that helps.
Do you know how to identify the proper line weight for this rod, other than by simply feeling the weight and action of the rod? It feels like a very nice quality rod, if not a little slow for my taste. I imagine fighting fish would be a breeze, and nymphing in muddy waters would probably a lot of fun too. But before I recommend a fly line to my friend, I’d like to know if there’s some way to tell the weight of the rod without guessing?
Again, any info. you can provide would be very much appreciated.
Thanks,
-Colin
Colin – It sounds to me like your friend has an early graphite rod there. The fiberglass rods were a very dark brown or burnt orange color. What type of ferrules does it have? That’s a sure way to tell if it’s fiberglass or not. Are the wraps green or red? Does the reel seat have a wood insert and is it bare metal or painted black? And I’m guessing the signature is black and says “The Walton Powell Rod”. The rods from that era were not marked with line weights. It would have been marked with masking tape when purchased new. The rod tube would have been too – possibly inside the cap or on the outside of the tube but that is probably long gone by now. Tell your friend to take a close look at the label. Some of those white PVC tubes were the ones that ended up with the “Fishing Tackle of Distiction” (ie no ‘n’ in Distinction) on them. Those were very slow action rods – I’ve got a couple and I always liken casting one to driving a cadillac with the seat leaned way back.
Hi Rich,
Glad to hear you’re still paying attention to this post!
My buddy told me that the ferrules are the same color as the rod itself—dark grey. The wraps are black. The reel seat is bare metal. And you are right about the signature, it is black and says “The Walton Powell Rod.”
I believe the label is spelled appropriately and has the original 8th Ave. address. We’re going fishing together in two weeks and I can get a closer look at the rod then, if that helps.
Thanks,
-Colin
I also didn’t see any rod weights marked on the outside of the tube, but I can get a better look in two weeks. I seriously doubt it’s anything lighter than a 4 wt., due to the size of the rod, and I also don’t think it’s heavier than a 6 wt., since there isn’t a fighting butt.
Accordingly, I think I’ll just advise my friend to buy a standard trout reel that will handle line weights from 4-6, which shouldn’t be too hard.
The ferrules should be basically part of the blank as on any fiberglass rod – and thus the same color. I’m pretty sure thats a graphite rod. And a 5 wt line is almost certainly his best bet.
Sounds good. Again, Rich, thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise! I will advise my buddy accordingly.
Best,
-Colin
I have a Powell “Feather Light” IM6 graphite, 2 piece, line wt 4..dark green in color, green wraps, cork with wood insert. serial # 144-8
tube is aluminium I think, black with what look like brass caps.
says POWELL on the rod..
would like to know particulars on the rod…
value etc…
thanks
Mike
Mike – What you have there is a Light Touch series rod built in Press Powell’s shop in Chico in 1988 – it should be an 8 foot rod. The Light Touch series all had individual names for the first few years of production and the Feather Light was the 4 wt. That’s a very fine rod you have there – the Light Touch were by far the best selling and nicest casting series ever to come out of the Powell shop. If the tube and sock are original (tube should have Powell label) I would put it’s value at between 200 and 300 dollars – depending on where and how you tried to sell it and the condition. I hope that helps and let me know if you have any other questions.
Rich
Hi!
This is a great thread with a lot of info on the old Powell rods. Anyway, I have two Powell rods for sale on Craigslist right now. Open to a deal on both. Can ship. Here are the links:
Dan
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/spo/1299902150.html
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/spo/1300695962.html