Hiram Hawes 8 ft 3pc/2 tips 3½ oz
Hiram Hawes 8 ft 3pc/2 tips 3½ oz. This rod was the prize in a national casting competition in 1929, the last year of Hiram Hawes' life before his son Merritt took over the Hawes rod operation. It was won by Art Neu who was the national dry fly accuracy champion that year and is so marked in script on the reel-seat as seen in the photos. Hiram was himself a very accomplished tournament caster and that certainly would have helped him in developing the remarkable rod actions he is known for. A little known fact is that though he was a wonderful caster, he did not fish! Rod remains in excellent condition for its age with good varnish and ferrule fits and it is straight as a pin. Most of the guide wraps look to have been redone a long time ago and was so stated by Marty Keane when he sold this rod in the 1990's. It has a light action and I loved it with a DT4 when I first cast it about 25 years ago, very smooth and unmistakably Hawes; his rods almost always have a distinctive and wonderfully smooth feel. I appreciate the shorter step-down ferrules, somewhat akin to what Leonard was doing on their Fairy Catskill rods. Light line Hawes trout rods very seldom come to market. In original bag (with some wear and tear) and tube. From the Thomas H. Clark collection. SOLD
