George Varney's Influence at Montague???

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OldCanerods		#81	[url]	[-]
Posts: 82 06/27/2009 14:20	I've got a 7' or 7'6" rod labeled "Empire" that seems to be steel wired. It is the least flexing rod that I've ever owned. Even more so than the 6'2-1/4" (so labeled) Fallows 7 wt. I purchased this rod from Dick Spurr years ago and at the time he claimed he didn't know the maker. I'll need to dig it out and see if I've developed a better feel for the maker since I last played with it. Maybe post some JPG's if it's possible to be a Montague made rod.
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robcane		#82	[url]	[-]
Posts: 393 07/27/2009 13:51	I posted these photos on another thread sometime ago but thought I might add them here again. I've been told this is a Varney-made trade rod. It's 8-1/2' 3/2 marked Sagamore Iver Johnson S.G. Co. Boston Does it appear to be Calcutta cane? We few We happy few We bamboo brothers
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Gnome		#83	[url]	[-]
Posts: 2218 07/28/2009 08:51 King of the Gnomes	Rob, Nice rod and I do see a few of the burn marks that are indicative of Calcutta cane. Jeff
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TheMontyMan	Varney Era Montague Trade Rod...	#84	[url]	[-]
Posts: 191 07/30/2009 00:01	Rob, Your rod is a very nice example of a Varney era Montague rod. I identified this model for Flykuni2 a little over a month ago. Here's a link to the post - http://clarksclassicflyrodforum.yuku.com/reply/143333#reply-143333 As the other post indicates, one of the rods pictured is marked M.C. Rod Co. - Amherst, Mass. and has the same signature windings, double winding pattern at the guides, guide spacing and even the ferrules have the same welt and etching. This model was branded as the "Sagamore" for Iver Johnson, and the "Columbia River" for Abbey & Imbrie. I've seen a few other Sagamores as well. I have 3 rods that are very similar to yours. Two of them are branded the "Conway Special" for Marshall Field & Co., and the other is marked M.C. Rod Co. - Amherst, Mass. I love seeing these old Varney era rods! They don't pop up every day. . . . Rex TheMontyMan
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robcane		#85	[url]	[-]
Posts: 394 07/30/2009 09:45	Thanks, fellas. I received that rod as a gift from a friend whose father most likely fished with it up at Moosehead Lake, Maine in the 1920s. I had a couple wraps redone and it was re-dipped. It's in great condition. Handsome rod. rjj We few We happy few We bamboo brothers
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drbaits	Here's another Varney rod	#86	[url]	[-]
Posts: 140 11/19/2009 19:21	with a nice form to hold it....from the Mary Kelly Estate: Do you suppose "Bradley" was an owner or someone that worked under Varney?...I would suppose the former, given the rather crude carving job
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TheMontyMan	SWEEEEEET!!!	#87	[url]	[-]
Posts: 281 11/19/2009 22:06	Not many of these lying around! I would guess that the owner did the carving, not the rod maker. I'd be proud enough to carve "Varney" on my rod holder if I had the rod to match! This rod is in the "official" Henshall Black Bass style, at 8'3" and the reel seat positioned between the 2 grips. I'd love to see close-ups of the ferrules, if you can swing it. Nice find!! . . . Rex TheMontyMan
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Telecaster.jefffsbeardboard		#88	[url]	[-]
Posts: 40 11/19/2009 23:40	Rex, being from VA and fishing the Shenandoah National Park frequently, I've always had a thing for Montague Rapidans. I've always assumed the Rapidan model was named after the Rapidan River in the SNP (site of Herbert Hoover's fishing camp). I've been reading through this thread and came across your references to the Conway Special. Do you think the Conway Special is also named after the Conway River in the SNP? It's actually one drainage south of the Rapidan.
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TheMontyMan	Conway Special's namesake...	#89	[url]	[-]
Posts: 282 11/20/2009 02:04	Telecaster, It sounds plausible that the namesake for the Conway Special would be a river, such as the Conway, since most of Montague's production rod models after 1927 were named after rivers or bodies of water, like the Rapidan. But, as a general rule, trade rod names were given by the company ordering the rods. The Conway Special rod was a trade rod for Marshall Field & Co. of Chicago, Ill., and I believe it has a different namesake. From a little research I've done this evening, it seems that the company's founder, Marshall Field, was born (Aug. 18, 1834) and raised near Conway, Massachusetts. This seems much more likely to be the namesake for this trade rod, as it would be honoring the founder's home town. This seems more likely to me, and is only an educated guess on my part. Another indicator for me is the fact that I cannot find any Montague rod models prior to 1928 that were named after rivers or bodies of water. In my opinion, the Conway Special rods were built around the turn of the century, and certainly before 1928. It is also very interesting to note that Conway is located less than 15 miles from Montague City and Amherst, Mass., where the Bartlett brothers (and later the Montague City Rod Co.) operated rod making facilities. This leaves me wondering if there were family and/or friendly ties back to the Bartlett brothers, which resulted in them doing business together. It was a small, small world back then, afterall. While looking at a map, I noticed a few other notable landmarks within a stone's throw of Conway, Amherst and Montague City, including Mt. Tom, Lake Pleasant, Deerfield, Deerfield River, and Pelham. Anybody recognize any of these names??? . . . Rex TheMontyMan
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drbaits	ferrrule pics	#90	[url]	[-]
Posts: 141 11/20/2009 12:04	Here you go, Rex:
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TheMontyMan	Varney Ferrules vs. Landman Ferrules...	#91	[url]	[-]
Posts: 287 11/20/2009 22:53	Thanks!! Very nice, as I would expect from Varney work. The style of these ferrules is very similar those on a couple of Landman rods that I've seen, including my Empire City (thought to be) Landman. One difference is that the Landman ferrules have flat, soldered disks capping the male ferrules, where these appear to be drawn, like most Varney ferrules I've seen. This ferrule style is also very similar to those on early Montague Manitous. Here are some examples: From top to bottom = Empire City (Landman) --- Montague Superb --- Montague Manitou (1920's) Note that the Superb and Manitou have Landman style reel seats. Coincidence??? . . . Rex TheMontyMan
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George Varney's Influence at Montague???

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