Not much is known about this Miami based rod maker.  Covington made both six-sided split bamboo boat rods and half round tuna and marlin rods.  Larger Covington rods have unique high roller guides that are stamped with the Covington brand.  Covington also used a strip of black goat’s skin across the top of his half…

Although Hardy Bros. was famous for their full line of high-quality fishing reels they also built rods in all sizes for all types of fishing to include; fly fishing rods, spey rods, baitcasting rods, light saltwater boat rods, and big game fishing rods.  Hardy’s largest big game rod was dubbed the “Zane Grey” and had…

Although Klein was best known for his wonderful big game reels he also built a few rods as well as sets of guides for big game rods.  The guides were made in two parts, the first part was the base or foot that was wrapped onto the rod.  The second, or top part of the…

Arthur Kovalovsky is famous for his high quality “Hand Made” big game fishing reels, some say the best big game reel ever made.  Kovalovsky also made some very fine big game fishing rods to go with his reels.  Kovalovsky used a variety of guides including his spiraling wire “never fowl” guides.  He also made several…

It is not known if Roswell Lee made all of the components that come together to make up the big game rods that have been found with his decal.  Lee is credited with the invention of roller guides and the roller tip so we know that the guides on rods marked with his name were…

Hiram L. Leonard grew up hunting in the woods of Bangor Maine and learned his machining skills as a gunsmith and later as a maker of fine fishing rods.  Leonard’s six strip bamboo fishing rods revolutionized the fishing rod industry. Around 1877 Leonard purchased the rights to Frank Philbrook’s raised pillar fly reel design and…

Lorenzo Cecil Mitchell-Henry was born in London in 1866.  Mitchell-Henry came from an affluent family, attended Eaton and later completed his education in Heidelberg Germany.  He learned to shoot at a young age and was a crack shot.  He also had his own steam yacht with a crew of four from which he learned to…

Very little is known about Mr. Murphy or his fishing rods.  His rods are mentioned in some early books that discuss big game fishing on Catalina Island.  These books were written in the early 1900s and chronicle fishing adventures that took place at the Tuna Club.  The hardware also suggests that they were early big…

Tom and Henry Pritchard immigrated from Wales to Brooklyn, New York and opened their tackle store in 1848.  The store operated for 40 years and during this time they built rods for fly fishing as well as boat and casting rods. The Pritchard’s held patents for a reel seat clamp as well as a hard…

Made in Miami Florida by Bob McChristian (Capt. Mack), Seamaster fly reels are considered to be some of the finest salt water fly reels ever produced.  McChristian ran “Capt. Mack’s Tackle Shack”, a well-stocked tackle shop in Miami Florida in the 1950’s.  A talented machinist, McChristian started making high quality spinning reels in the 1960’s. …

Roy B. Shaver was the first rod maker to build laminated big game rods using strips of different types of wood.  Shaver’s goal was to build a rod that would not take a set and return to a straight position after repeated use.  Shaver selected two different kinds of wood each for their individual properties…

South Bend was one of the biggest tackle companies in the United States boasting a full line of rods, reels, lures and just about anything you can think of for fishing.  South Bend made an affordable line of fishing rods for freshwater fly fishing and baitcasting as well as salt water and big game fishing. South…

William Southam of Sydney Australia was considered Australia’s finest rod maker.  Southam made a full line of boat and big game rods for deep-sea anglers. One of Southam’s biggest supporters was Australia’s famous big game angler Erroll Bullen.  Bullen swore by Southam’s rods and when Zane Grey came to Australia to do some fishing Bullen…

In 1931 nineteen-year-old Frank O’Brien Jr. decided to quit his job at the John Reynolds Cutlery Company and move to Florida to work for his friend Jack Reynolds at the newly formed Florida Fishing Tackle Company in St. Petersburg Florida.  O’Brien traveled the state of Florida and on one of his trips to Miami O’Brien…

Edward vom Hofe primarily manufactured and sold high-quality fishing reels, however, they also sold a full line of fishing rods to include; fly rods, baitcasting rods, boat rods, and big game rods.  Vom Hofe’s made two larger big game rods.  One was a large, round, solid hickory rod and the other a six-sided split bamboo…