Hand made bamboo fishing pole.

Just tossing a line out looking for anyone that might know a thing or two about old bamboo fishing poles. I have a St. Croix rod made in Unity Wisconsin. Huh?? That is what everyone says when I bring that up. The paper sock the rod came in says that on there but there are no markings on the rod anywhere. I tried to ask St. Croix about this but they do not have any records back from when the company was started, or any info on the basic level for that matter So if there is anyone out there that posses knowledge on this knuckle drager of a rod let me know please.

Your rod was probably wrapped in that St. Croix paper well after it was made. I see quite a few rods like yours in dealing with our antiique business. I’m guessing it was made somewhere in the 1920’s, maybe the 30’s but thats a little late for them. I’ve had a couple in the shop that sold in the 200 dollar range, but they were marked with a name and one had a “made date” that went back to 1883. That was an exceptional bamboo rod. The handle on your rod looks familiar and I’d say maybe 65 to 85 dollars if the rod is sound and the wrappings are clean.

What started in 1948 as two brothers making fishing nets in Unity, Wisconsin, St. Croix Rod Company was formed when Bob and Bill Johnson decided to turn cane-fishing poles into three-piece, easy-to-travel rods. St. Croix Rod Company gained popularity and began supplying rod blanks and private brand rods for Zebco, Orvis, L.L. Bean and Cabela’s. In 1954, the company moved to Park Falls, Wisconsin, where they are still located today.
Looking at the shape it is in I doubt it worth much cash except for nostalgic value…but you never know
You need to do some searching on the internet through websites that deal in collectible/antique bamboo rods. I have a 1948 (Unity) St.Croix woven glass flyrod that they were only mildly interested in… it is only worth what someone will pay for it… Good Searching!

Thanks for the information gentleman. Now CT, you say you have seen this wrapper before on rods of this vintage. Any ideas as to why so many or is it simply just a geographical location kind of thing? As far as the condition the rod its self is in really good shape. The clear coat is not cracked on the wood and the rod basically looks unused. There is an aluminum reel seat on the rod as well. The rod cost $30 and is for decoration. Now I know the rod can stay where it is at and doesn’t have to be moved to the top shelf.

No, I meant that the rod company, St. Croix, used this type of wrap many years after that bamboo was made and probably used as a cover for it after it was taken from another rod.

Without any maker’s mark on that rod irt will be tought o get a psoitive identification. Sometimes the plated hardware will hold a secret on the unexposed side but unless things are really, really loose checking will be a problem.

I found an Eglish made bamboo that was signed with a date [1872] and the print was still super clean. It needed some attention though and I ended up having to purchase a special shellac that was thinned with denatured alcohol to do the restoritive work. If you are going to clean this rod up, DO NOT use a solvent on it. Alcohol only and try hard to save the original wrapping thread.

The rod I re-did had metric measurements with the corresponding numbers on the shaft nearest the handle as a fish measure. The tiube it came in was a paper product like what you’d see Christmas wrap come on and then had the bamboo overlay for the outside. The old stuff can be fun to made look new again and sometimes a guy finds a classic, not often though. The handle is a newer handle so maybe it could be a forerunner to the St. Croix if they made the reed rods beforehand. Interesting to say the least.