New Rods Listed 9/11/25; please scroll down

Coming Soon: 902df HB two tip hex

Rod Building Update: It is now over two years since my diagnosis with prostate cancer and I am feeling really very well. My wife Jean and I have been able to do significant travel including much fishing and photography, and I am now back in the rod shop on a consistent basis. I am still working on several 834-2df HB rods, though these are already spoken for. This fall and winter I will build two hand rods of 'Scottish' action, complete 902-2df HB rods, and build other rods that interest me. These will be listed on this site as they become available.  

I have been diagnosed with a serious but treatable illness and because of this I will no longer be accepting new tackle for consignment sale. I will need to focus my time and energy on treatment and other priorities for the foreseeable future. 

​RODS AND REELS CURRENTLY IN STOCK

Photo by Daryl Burry

I try to describe rods and reels as completely and accurately as possible; in case of any discrepancy, however, I offer a three day inspection period during which time the item may be returned for a full refund, minus shipping costs. Please note that all customs duties, inspections, etc. are the responsibility of the buyer in international sales. Also please note that all international sales will be shipped insured and declared for the full price paid; please don't ask me to do otherwise. Within the USA I usually ship via priority or express mail insured. Massachusetts residents must also pay a 6.25% sales tax. Shipping to Europe or Japan is usually in the $100-$175 range if I can ship using the U.S. Postal Service; cost is a bit higher if I need to ship via UPS (the USPS will only insure packages up to a few hundred dollars to many international destinations). Please note that all international packages valued over $2500 must be shipped via UPS. Payment may be made by credit card, paypal, wire transfer, personal check, money order, or international bank check.  
If interested in any of the rods or other items listed below, please call me at (413) 625-6259 or email to [email protected]. If phoning and no answer, be aware that this is the rod-shop phone in a one man shop and I am not always available to answer. Please try again if no answer, or leave a message and I will get back with you.
Each item listed will have one or more photographs illustrating the rod for sale; the photos appear below the description of the item. If you are interested in one of the following offerings and want more visual information, feel free to request additional emailed photographs of the item. Let me know if there are any particular details you wish me to emphasize in taking the photos. Note that if there is more than one photo of an item, these smaller images can be enlarged by simply clicking on them.

​Rods


IF YOU CONTACT ME THROUGH THE 'CONTACT ME' LINK ON THIS SITE AND DON'T HEAR BACK FROM ME, PLEASE EMAIL ME AT [email protected]

When there are Brandin rods available, they will be listed first, followed by other classic rods in order of ascending length and in alphabetical order.

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~Brandin 793-2 'P' HB; 7'9" 2pc/2 tips semi-hollow quad parabolic taper for #3 line at 2 3/4 oz. This model had its genesis in the Paul Young Perfectionist, a fine example of American parabolic rods. It has a new reel-seat design I have used on some more recent rods with a diminutive slide band and n/s pocket under the cork, so tightening up rather than down on the mahogany filler. It was inspired by a reel-seat I saw on a Carlson rod from many years ago and it is very functional and I feel pretty. In a nod to its parabolic action this rod also has a ventilated grip, allowing the action right into the corks. Rod is in new, mint condition and comes with ferrule plug, rod bag, labeled aluminum / brass tube and outer tube bag. $6,250 (For Domestic Sale Only) SALE PENDING

Brandin 793-2df HB; 7'9" 2pc/2tips semi-hollow quad dry fly taper for #3 line at 2¾ oz.  It is a lively, medium-fast dry fly action perfect for small to medium waters and smaller flies, a slightly longer version of my standard 763-2df HB built for my own interest in 2023. It has a new reel-seat design I have used on some more recent rods with a diminutive slide band and n/s pocket under the cork, so tightening up rather than down on the mahogany filler. It was inspired by a reel-seat I saw on a Carlson rod from many years ago and it is very functional and I feel pretty. Rod is in new, mint condition and comes with ferrule plug, rod bag, labeled aluminum / brass tube and outer tube bag. $6,250 (For Domestic Sale Only) SALE PENDING

~Brandin 803-2df HB BR; 8ft 2pc/2 tips 3 oz for #3 line in hexagonal construction. This rod was inspired by the green rods by Leonard from almost 100 years ago now, so it is also inked 'Green Hornet' and the entire rod is dyed green. The idea is for the green color to act as camouflage against the foliage of eastern rivers and there are situations where this makes sense. The 'Green Hornet' designation is also a nod to Sam Carlson who always seemed to have a seven foot, #4 line rod wrapped green as a demo rod on his bench and he dubbed this the 'Green Hornet.' This rod is also marked 'BR' and this stands for 'barrel rod' a term coined, I believe, by Paul Young for rods assembled from blanks around the shop. That is the case with this rod, being assembled from a solid butt and semi-hollow tips, making up into a great casting dry fly rod with exceptionally fine tips. Tip tops are size 3 from the old Payne shop as such fine tip tops are no longer available as far as I know. This is a one of a kind rod, though I wouldn't be surprised if I make another. Rod has been lawn cast only and remains in excellent condition with original bag (can be replaced with more current style bag if desired) and labeled tube (tube bag also available). $5,850 For Domestic Sale Only 

~Brandin 902-2 fdf; 9ft. 2pc/1 tip, 3 1/4 oz, semi-hollow hexagonal rod for #2 line. 'fdf' stands for fast dry fly which may surprise you on a nine foot bamboo rod for #2 line; it is a description of how this rod bends and that is progressively more into the tip. This is a very refined example inspired by the Truckee River Special series of rods developed by E.C. Powell and described in my book A Fly Rod With a Soul. A more delicate version of this rod, marked 'df', will be offered on this site soon. A 2 weight line yields remarkable delicacy of presentation and the nine foot length of this instrument provides great line control. You simply have to cast this rod with the correct line (I like a DT2 Sci Ang 'Amplitude' or Terenzio silk) to appreciate its unique qualities. I am excited to have evolved my understanding of tapers and hollowing to the point where I am now able to build these hitherto impossible rods. Stripping guide is low bridge agate acquired many years ago from West Germany through Hoagy Carmichael, wraps a lovely translucent brown and reel-seat filler my traditional mahogany of a Leonard-inspired design. Condition is new and rod comes in original bag and labeled tube with outer tube sack as well. $4,375 (Domestic Sale Only)

Brandin 834-2 Ldf HB, 8'3" 2 piece, 2 tips light dry fly action in semi-hollow hexagonal construction. Many of you know that I was close friends with Tom Morgan who built R.L. Winston into a world class company. He developed a rod in graphite that he dubbed the 'Tom Morgan Favorite' and it is emblematic of the softer tipped, more delicate type of rod he preferred. This 'Ldf' rod is a nod to Tom and to that type of rod. It is a variation of my standard model 834-2df HB and will be at home on spring creeks and mid-small size eastern and western rivers, whereas I think most anglers would prefer the stronger action of my standard model on rivers such as the Henry's Fork or the Missouri. 

This rod is new, just off my bench this winter and has my 'quiet' varnish finish, agate stripping guide and cinnamon color wraps. The reel-seat is all cork 'skeleton' with an extra wide slide band to minimize its digging into the cork and a 'Thomas Steamer Style' extended butt cap. An aluminum band is fitted under the pocket of the butt cap to secure one end of the reel foot. The reel-seat is also long enough to accommodate most of the old, longer than average, Hardy reel feet. Another departure from my standard 834-2df HB model is the use of a truncated step-down ferrule in place of the micro-Swiss style used on the standard model. 

My model 834-2df HB rod has been a favorite of mine and customers for many years now, and I have had it in my mind to make variations of this action; this rod is one such variation, while I also have in mind a full parabolic version and I currently have blanks made up for a semi-parabolic version that I expect to offer on this site within the month. 

This Ldf model comes in original bag with provision for ferrule plug storage, labeled tube and outer tube bag. SOLD

Please note that I can now accept payment via credit cards as well as through Paypal with a 3% fee for domestic sales. 

Please go to the 'E.C. Powell Book' page on this website to purchase copies of my book A Fly Rod With a Soul about the fishing rods and life of E.C. Powell, the extraordinary rod designer, caster and angler. I have plenty of the trade edition still available while the Limited and Deluxe editions are now sold out. 

Note that I have a few of the E.C. Powell "Essays on Fly Fishing" pamphlets edited by Press Powell and produced in the 1990's for sale at $25.00 ea. You can see scans of these between the rod listings and reel listings on this page.

Some reels reduced in price!

Newly listed reels: Hardy 3⅛ in Uniqua; Hardy St George 3 inch; Hardy Perfect 2⅞ inch

If interested in a most distinctive fishing jacket, go to my link on this page "Gobillot Designs Fishing Wear."

Rods

For Sale:

No items currently available, but I am back in the shop and expect to list items this coming fall of 2024.

Photographic Prints

Photographic Prints~Per Brandin B&W print. Stroboscopic view of John Napoli casting my Tournament Trout Fly Rod at the Long Beach Casting Club about 1995. Signed digital print image size 13X20 inches, paper size 17X22 inches. Suitable for mounting or framing. Signed. $475 SOLD, but other prints of this image are available. 

Note that there are many more photographs displayed on the 'Street Level Photos' page of this website. I am currently in the process of re-organizing and expanding that page to show more of my work. 

~Per Brandin B&W print. 'Fish Watches Man'; Chinatown, NY City 1980. Image size 33X22 inches. Digital print suitable for mounting or framing. Perhaps my single favorite image. Signed. $795 SOLD / A larger signed version at 42x28 inches is available for $1,125 Original silver prints of this image are in the collections of the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, France and of the Neue Sammlung in Munich, Germany. 

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Shin Creek enters the upper Beaverkill river at Lew Beach, New York, 2002.  Available as silver gelatin or digital print. 

I have many other prints available for sale, both in digital and silver print modes; please see the section of my website I call 'Street Level Photos' for more information.

E.C. Powell Essays on Fly fishing, edited by Press Powell

I have several of the E.C. Powell pamphlets from the 1990's edited by Press Powell at $25.00 each. This is a great and useful compendium of the better known essays written by E.C., including A Discourse on Trout Angling and Tackle, The Mechanics of Fly Casting, and A Short Common Sense Treatise on Fly Rod Construction. This pamphlet also includes some other writing from the Powell family, as well as photographs from the Powell family archive. 

Reels

No reels are currently available.