I am looking for reproduction vintage casting handles, similar to 1970's Fenwick handles. All help appreciated.

I may be wrong but I don't think anyone has "reproduced" such handles. But you should be able to find some old stock somewhere. I've seen those, the Lews types and even a few old Featherweights in the last few years.

This may help

[www.google.com]

Bill - willierods.com

I saw three repro handles in a matagi catalog recently(this years). seemed like one was german silver(just to add to the allure!). I am looking to get myself a good close quarters rod ready for a certain unnamed headwaters locally. I can get a small boat in there and even throw/flail a flyrod about but honestly a 7'casting or spinning rod is just a bit unwieldy. close quarters small waters; just right for a pistol grip rod.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/22/2014 01:40PM by woody osborne.

I have a number of the Lew's Fuji casting handles, what are you looking for?

I saw some online a year or so ago, might have been on the Matagi site but I can't find them there now. I have a couple of the lew's but they aren't quite what i,m looking for. I like the Fenwick Lunkerstik handles but I only see them with rods.

give them a call an ask if they sell them on who supplies them ??? just an idear

William Sidney
AK

If I am not mistaken, the Fenwick handles were made by Fuji, except in the brown color.

They weren't the same thing as any the Fuji handles (although I have no idea who made them for Fenwick). The Fuji's, particularly the nylon/graphite models, were much, much stronger and not prone to cracking in half due to skip and screw over-tightening. All the plastic and primarily glass handles tended to be sensitive to over-tightening of the seat clamp.

................

The plasticc(nylon) Fenwick Lunkerstik handle were molded by a southern California plastic injection molder using Fenwick's own molds. Lunkerstik handles were designed in-house at Fenwick by David Myers with input from Hank Parker and other Pro Bass fisherman. These handles did not use ferrules like most of the Fuji models. The butt of the CA & GCA series blanks were ground to the specific O.D. and the blank locked directly into the collet. Fenwick ceased production of this type of handle in the early 1980's. Prior to 1974 the Fenwick Lunkerstiks used a diecast metal body with cork handle that was similar to the old Featherweight metal handle. These rods did use a metal ferrule system. They were also much heavier and had a tendency to deaden vibration which detracted from the performance of the fine Fenwick blanks.

The Lunkerstik handles were available on factory rods as well as available separately through any of the Fenwick rod blank retailer/wholesalers like Bullard International and Clemens. These handles were offered in dark brown for larger butted Fenglass blanks and in charcoal for smaller O.D. HMG graphite lunkerstik blanks. A quick Google of the term "Lunkerstik handle" will turn up photos and offerings on web @#$%& sites.

When they ceased production of the molded Lunkerstik style handle, Fenwick moved to "blank through the handle" Triggerstik models . This was done to reduce weight, increase sensitivity and to eliminate the handle breakage issues that Tom mentioned. There was also a national trend towards casting rods longer than 6 feet which were not suited to molded pistol grip type handles. Fenwick was one of the first production rod companies to offer pistol grip blank through handle designs. They were able to do this because they made the investment in plastic injection molds to produce tubular graphite reel seats with integral triggers. These molds were then used by PacBay to mold the original GT16 and GT20 graphite reelseats that became standard issue on all Fenwick Triggerstik casting rods until the 1990's.