A nice EF Payne model 410-H salmon rod, 9'6", 3-piece, 2-tips, and built for what feels to me like an #8 or a #9. Weighs 7.5 ounces. Fast action. Late 1950's vintage with the "Sold by Abercrombie and Fitch" stamping and the perfection stripper. Full original condition with moderate signs of use, including one small varnish chip in the butt and one very small one on a tip. The ferrules retain 99.5% of their original oxidation. There is a small amount of cracking at the ferrule wraps. Wrapped brown with an extra band of purple, yellow, and purple at the keeper, male ferrules and tip tops. As you might expect, the Payne varnish is superb. No ferrule plugs. The grip is 7" long with a hidden pocket cap and shaped to a heavy "western" profile with a modest amount of hand soiling. Uplocking aluminum screwlock with the pull out for the fighting butt. "Payne Reg US Pat Off" on the stamp and "Sold by Abercrombie and Fitch, New York." 5 1/2" long fighting butt. Comes with the original Payne bag and overbag but the tube is a replacement.
This rod comes from the collection of Dr. Earl Fleegler, a passionate angler and well-known collector in the fly fishing community as well as a renowned hand surgeon. Dr. Fleegler was close friends with a number of angling luminaries including Tom Maxwell, Vince Marinaro, and Stan Bogdan (among others) and devoted considerable effort to collecting some of the finest tackle available from masters of the craft.
