For sale here is an early Maxwell-era H.L. Leonard Model 50M-6 bamboo rod.

8' 3/2 for a 6 weight line (I actually like the rod with a DT5 line as well). Serial no. 184 (84th Maxwell-era rod).

The rod is in excellent+ condition. 

The rod features blonde, straw colored cane. The wraps are a transparent honey color with burgundy and honey colored tipping at the winding check and tip-tops. The ferrule wraps are a dark burgundy with bright red tipping. The tips are marked one and two at the ferrules. Blued guide and ring hook keeper. A gradually swelled butt with Maxwell's trademark lettering. Blued nickel silver checks. Cigar style grip with a slender nose. The grip is only slightly soiled. Finely turned, blued nickel silver cap and ring reel seat with a highly figured mortised tiger maple spacer. There are a few very faint marks on the spacer from the reel foot and well as a few marks from the ring itself. The rod weighs 4 1/4 oz. The ferrules are size 9/64 and 14/64, the fit is perfect. No repairs to the rod are evident and none are needed.

You'll notice that the bluing on the butt section ferrule is a darker gray like on the cap and ring, and slightly different in color that the bluing on the other ferrules. I've been told by the original owner of this rod who bought it directly from the Leonard shop that in Maxwell's early time at Leonard they experimented with different bluing solutions but at the end of the day, the rods had to go out the door to prove to the new owner, Johnson Wax, they could deliver revenues as expected! However, since I personally wasn't there and can't say with certainty that this is accurate, I will leave open the possibility these components were re-blued.

The rod action is medium-fast. The stout butt section with the fine tips make for an excellent dry-fly rod, though the rod is by no means limited to dry-fly fishing. Includes original bag and tube with fine brass fittings. The early-era Maxwell rod tubes were not like the later ones with squared-off brass ends.

Don't miss out on this nicely preserved early Maxwell Leonard fly rod!