Tom Moran rod company 7’ #4-weight 2-piece 2-top hand-made bamboo fly rod & its leather covered aluminium case c2001.

Model № 844/35.  The number denotes that the rod is 84” long for a #4-weight line, and it’s the 35th of this model produced by the maker.

Very close in character to the Garrison 202E, this is one of the greatest brook fishing rods of all time, made by one of the most talented people ever to build split bamboo fly rods.

We are excited and delighted to offer this rod for sale.  Tom’s rods are very rarely available and this is such a super example it’s been a pleasure to photograph and catalogue it.  For well informed connoisseurs of the very best fishing rods, this should be an essential part of one’s working collection.

Tom was living in the hamlet of Chisbury (about 4 miles west of Hungerford) when he made this rod at his workshop in Mildenhall on the eastern fringes of Marlborough.  He was working alone at the time.  We saw him on a very regular basis in those days and in my view his rods were especially good then, even by his remarkably high standards.

The action is progressive.  There are no radical tapers or problematic stress points, so the rod is a delight to fish with.  Accurate, capable of casting just the leader but assured up to 30’, this is a super refined but practical rod.

I trust my photographs give some idea of the amazing condition and superbly elegant understated looks of this rod.

Specification.  Medium flamed bamboo with pressed nodes staggered 3 x 3.  The tips are mirrored and the swelled butt is characteristically precisely formed.

Ferrules are Moran-made Super-Z pattern, blued and lacquered.  The unique Moran Rosewood ferrule stopper is in place.

The highly figured hand-made tiger Maple reel seat is fitted with Tom’s exceptionally well made butt cap, sliding band and grip check.  There are no chips or scratches to the finish of the butt cap –not even any silvering to its outer edge, which indicates how little the rod has been used.

Bronze finished snake guides and hook keeper are Tom’s own make (he was the only rod maker ever to design and produce his own professional quality guides), whipped in varnish-impregnated white silk.  One full turn of each whipping at each guide foot is dark tan and the effect of these fully transparent whippings is a famous and original Moran feature.  The butt ring is a size 8 Mildrum SRMC nickel silver and carbide.  The tip rings are bronze finished antique Perfection high carbon steel and nickel silver.

The tailor made bag was made by Tom’s wife Jan.  There is a stiffener within the bag to protect whichever tip is not in use.  The tan leather case is stitched around a heavy duty aluminium tube.  It was made by Ger Vroomen of Holland, as were all of Tom’s rod cases.  There is a darker tan leather Tom Moran Rod Company label sewn onto the outside of the case.