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   retiredo3

   101 Kudos

   01/18/08

   Gone fly fishin: I notice you have an interest and some background in Montague rods. My uncle sent me a 9' 9" Montague bamboo rod several years ago which I am attempting to identify. It has a double cork grip with a rubber fighting butt, and I think it is probably a salmon fly rod. The label just above the hookeeper is partly worn, but the model name appears to be "Gaspe" (only "aspe" still shows on the label). The rod is a three section bamboo with two identical tips and green wraps with black trim. Any idea what I have? Any idea if it's worth anything (it hardly looks as if its been fished)? I can send a picture if that would help, or bring it by since we both seem to live in Bethesda. My direct email is wtorf@aol.com.
   
   

   01/19/08

   Reply from GoneFlyFishin:

   Retiredo3,
   It sounds like you have a genuine Montague "Gaspe" rod. These models were usually made to be salmon, bass, or large trout rods, and often came with a fighting butt. From what you've described so far, yours sounds typical of a Gaspe. I have not seen many of these, but I can do some research to help you find out where it falls in quality/value in relation to other Montys. If you can e-mail me close-up pictures of the reel seat, ferrules (both male and female), the tips, and the label and the wrappings around it, I can probably get you in the ballpark of its quality ranking. Also, if you have a rod tube or cloth rod sock, check them for labeling as well.
   
   Unfortunately, I don't live in your area. I live in Vancouver, Washington. I suspect that my forum profile was incomplete, so your information must have gotten substituted for my missing information. I had another guy today inviting me to drop by his place in PA.
   
   I'll help if I can... . . . Rex (GoneFlyFishin)

   Reply from GoneFlyFishin: 1/19/07

   
   Bill,

   I received the pics just fine. It appears that your Gaspe is in beautiful shape! It's in the best shape of any Gaspe I've seen!!

   Our present-day lines are larger in diameter than the lines available when this rod was new, so the guides tend to be a bit small for the present-day correct line size for this rod, but not too bad. If you are going to use it, I'd recommend loading 3 or 4 spools with 8 thru 10 or 11 weight lines, and then spend an afternoon casting to see which one feels best for you. Even with modern rods, line weights are not an exact science. The angler and the size/weight of the fly are factors almost as significant as the rod itself. This rod is pretty heavy in comparison to modern rods its length. The hardware alone, adds a few ounces to the weight. The weight really becomes a factor on these larger bamboo rods. That's probably one of the main reasons that so few salmon fisherman use bamboo rods today. That tends to affect the resale value as well. There are a lot more trout fishermen using bamboo, so the smaller rods tend to have a better resale value.

   If you decide to sell it, I'd recommend contacting salmon fishing clubs and/or forums like where we met, or if you're going to posting it somewhere like eBay, you should definitely have a reserve price, and a long auction time, maybe even a month, or a long-term "Buy-It-Now" price set at what you want for it. You won't have nearly the volume of people interested in this rod, but the right person(s) are more likely to see it, given a longer auction time.

   A little background for you on the Gaspe line… As you probably know, this model was named after the Gaspe Bay/Peninsula area, that is famous for its runs of Atlantic Salmon. The area is known for three legendary Salmon fishing rivers - The York, Saint-Jean, and Dartmouth. These rivers are among the best Atlantic Salmon fishing rivers on the east coast. Even today, these rivers, and the Gaspe area are considered hallowed waters to many salmon fisherman. Here's a good link about the area - http://www.zecgaspe.com/english/index.html .

   It will make a great conversation piece for your wall, especially if you have some old photos of your uncle fishing with it. If you put it out on a rack, you may need more support points under the rod to keep it from warping over the years. I've built something special to give extra support points every 18" or so.

   Fish on!!!

   . . . Rex

   gone-fly-fishin

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