About Vintage Fly Fisherman

I began collecting vintage and classic fly fishing tackle in the early 1990’s. My first purchase was an H. L. Leonard Bamboo Fly Rod. It is a 3 piece 2 tip with the Bamboo tip tube. Because of this fly rod, I learned more about the company and its founders Hiram Leonard and his sons.  Growing up in the mid-west, not far from bamboo fly rod manufacturers like Weber Tackle Company in Wisconsin and South Bend Bait Company in Indiana it was natural to learn about them as well.

My late grandfather left me his South Bend Bamboo fly rod that he used to teach me fly fishing in my youth. It isn’t used any more, but I still have that rod.

I have fished with some of the leaders in fly fishing tackle like the Hardy Perfect fly reels mounted on Palakona bamboo fly rods, Orvis rods and reels, and of course Weber Tackle since my name is spelled similar to theirs.

Last summer I fished with an F.E. Thomas bamboo fly rod and a Sharpes fly reel, and some silk gut leadered flys. This rig helped me land a nice 14-inch Rainbow!

The vintage bamboo fly rods are fun to fish; if you get a opportunity to use one take it. They take some finesse, as they are not as responsive as the modern materials. Personally, I only use vintage equipment.

For my day job, I own a custom picture framing business. The vintage flys, magazines and other framed art on this site are done with conservation materials and museum qualitiy.

We frame all of the items you see in our store, from the vintage and historical flys of Helen Shaw and Ernest Schweibert to the gut leaders, flys and lines from Orvis, Hardy, Horrocks & Ibbotson, Abercrombie and Fitch and Wm Mills.

If you have some memorabilia or keepsake item that you would like framed or mounted, we are happy to do custom work too. Just use the contact page to drop us a line.