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Pete,

Come to the catskills and enjoy an hour lecture on the subject replete with photos, catalog examples, and a tour of Central Valley and the Hudson Highlands, while fishing Woodbury Creek just uproad from where Payne and Leonard crafted their historic "fishing rods"

In reality, some of the information that you seek is online and in the books. The Prefire rods and actions are considered Leonard's best. Although some of the postfire ones challenge that. Early postfire rods still maintained the previous model designation and was changed in the early 70's to an alternate system and still varied when Tom Maxwell took the helm. The Leonard tapers varied during the production periods (often within periods) and could be decidedly divided into:

Here's a brief quickly written off the cuff summary: THIS SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN AS ALL FACTUAL, PLEASE!


1. Early Leonard Rods: The antique period H L LEONARD
2. Prefire before the Registered Period
3. Prefire: Registred Rods (tan/clear wraps)
4. Postfire Rods (red wrapped/varnished rods) MILLS/SIMROE...mostly tapers recovered or recalled after the fire, many new
5. Postfire Rods with the new model designations 39L, 39 , 39H
6. Postfire Rods Tan/Brown Wraps (Simroe)................Newer tapers At some point the Duracane Rods and Duracane Kit rods began
7. Postfire transition Rods (Rare but, have had my hands on a few: a Simroe taper or other rod with Maxwell fittings)
8. Postfire Maxwell Prototype rods (marked such with a "P") Handled a few some great tapers some not so hot. Sometimes it was also the fittings and color of wraps being looked upon.
9. Postfire Maxwell Rods (When Tom was there) such as the 39-L, 39-M, 39 DF
10 Postfire Maxwell Style Rods (Tom had departed)
11.Leonard Closed...(Kit rods and blanks assembled by others)
12 Leonard Name owned by someone (?)
13. The H. L. Leonard Rod Company as it is found today, with the current models that are listed on the internet

I can send you some info, once I transition it to print, but the goal is to only place in print that which has been researched and verified so as to not produce a false information trail.
There are many side stories, such as why Maxwell "left" T&T and why he "departed" Leonard. Those are better told over a scotch or a soda at the Antrim (when open) or other Roscoe dining facility.

I'll pm you or wmail, but later in the month if you do not mind. If you have a question about a specific rod or two, let me know and I can better sum up what I know and what is listed in the original catalogs from Leonard or Mills.

Catskill