Every so often there is a post on the Tackle Tour forum about Daiwa Interline Rods. These are graphite rods in which the line is threaded inside the rod shaft, rather than through guides mounted on the outside of the rod blank. I only saw salt water versions of the Interline rods in the most recent Daiwa catalog, but they have also manufactured these rods in freshwater baitcasting versions. For years Cabela’s sold the Interline baitcasting versions with their own house brand name.
I have no interest in arguing the merits of this type of rod. Anglers have been testing these “guideless rods” for over a century and the overwhelming majority want guides on their rod shafts.
The first rod in which the line ran inside the shaft was patented by Everett Horton, a clockmaker in Bristol, Connecticut. Horton made a telescoping tubular steel rod which he could slip into his pants and hide from his neighbors in Puritanical Bristol. He was then able to enjoy fishing whenever he chose – even on Sundays. Luckily for Horton, some honest businessmen in Bristol felt his rod had some merit and acquired a patent for him, which was granted on March 8, 1887.
These businessmen then formed the Horton Manufacturing Company, paid Horton royalties and built the company into one of the largest tackle manufacturers in the world, and Everett Horton went back to making clocks.
Bristol tubular steel rods were of the highest quality and were produced for all types of game fishing, from trout to tuna. Most of these, however, did not have 
the line running inside the rod shaft. Their three piece steel casting rods with agate guides were probably the most popular bass rods in the country in the early 1900s. An example with an early 1900 Shakespeare level wind reel is shown above.
The Bristol steel rod with the line running inside was produced by Horton Mfg. Co. until the 1940s when World War II interrupted fishing tackle manufacturing. Horton continued to produce the shafts for the duration of the war, which were used as antennas on trucks and Jeeps. Production of this rod was not resumed after the war.
The Bristol steel rod was promoted in Horton’s 1910 catalog as “at their best when used along streams that are lined with brush, and are especially popular in the Rocky Mountains where this condition prevails.” The first inner line rod that I ever saw was a Bristol steel rod used in this exact manner by a very good teenage fisherman in a small town in eastern Oregon. He fished a small Colorado spinner with a worm on “step across” creeks that were surrounded by brush. No one else in town was able to fish his spots and he caught some dandy trout.
My first fishing rod was a telescoping steel rod with a reversible handle that allowed it to be used as a fly rod or casting rod. It was an inexpensive “Rainbow” model manufactured by Horton. It has the line running through snake type guides on the outside of the three sections.
The next time someone argues the merits of a Daiwa Interline rod, just remind them that this type of rod has been around since 1887 and still hasn’t grabbed a major share of the rod market. Nothin’s New.
A few examples of Bristol Telescoping Steel Rods from my collection are shown below:
In 1917 the W. J. (Bill) Jamison Co. of Chicago, IL started manufacturing the Shannon Twin Spin. This lure was nearly weedless with its twin overhead Indiana spinners on wire shafts. To my knowledge this was the first overhead “spinnerbait”. The lure became immensely popular. A testimony to the success of the Shannon Twin Spin was that nearly every tackle box found by lure collectors in the 1970s and 1980s contained several Twin Spins. They were so common that no one wanted to collect them, and they had little collector value. 
the time, bucktail and feathers. There were limited colors available in the Shannon baits, with black, red & white, and all white seemingly the most popular.
I failed to catch a second fish, but even if I had it would have been anti-climatic. Seeing those snoring beavers from 10-15 feet away made my day. I initially regretted not having my camera with me, but I’m now convinced that the snap of the shutter would have alerted them to my presence, and they would have been long gone.
I also see lots of deer while fishing. Water is scarce in the high desert, and game is concentrated along rivers and lakes. One memorable morning I watched three coyotes stalk a big eared mule deer doe before they apparently decided she was too big for them and there was no fawn hidden anywhere in the sagebrush. The doe took matters into her own hooves and swam out to an island. The coyotes sat on their haunches for a while, as if holding a conference, then headed off in search of easier game.
Shown here is the Meisselbach Flyer #645. This reel was introduced in 1927 by the A. F. Meisselbach Mfg. Co. of Elyria, Ohio. A. F. Meisselbach & Bro. started manufacturing fishing reels and accessories in 1886, and in the early 1900s they were one of the largest fishing tackle manufacturers in the world. After the retirement of A. F. Meisselbach and his brother William, the company was sold and moved to Ohio, where it continued making fishing reels until World War II.
One of the “coolest” features of the Flyer is that it has what are called raised pillars. The cross bars, or pillars, are raised above the frame, which allows for a smaller profile. All the Meisselbach designers had to do was bend the footplate in toward the spool, and the Flyer would have been a smaller reel than most in use today.
ephemera, whether they know it or not. The magazine covers shown here are all from the month and year of my birth – yes, I really am that old.
most professional fishermen and their semi-pro imitators, advertising rod and reel displays, and other items given away at trade and sports shows. The Shimano V spool samples shown here are in a boxed, beautifully labeled, jewel case. I have no idea where they came from, but would guess they were a salesman’s sample.
in Box. However, some of the highlights of my collection are items such as catalogs, correspondence, a company scrapbook, and… to top them all – A. F. Meisselbach’s umbrella.
This Wiggler featured an aluminum spinner blade very similar to most buzz bait blades used today. The famous writer from the 1930s-50s era, Robert Page Lincoln in his book Black Bass Fishing wrote of his first experience with the Sputterfuss as follows. 
started using rods specifically made for black bass fishing. They were long, with straight grips. In the 1880s fishermen also had rubber worms and creatures in their tackle boxes. Fishermen were using buzz baits in the 1870s. Fishing tackle that also has a long and ancient history are spinner baits, low profile reels, braided lines, lipless crank baits, guides with linings, flipping, and lots of other techniques and tackle. The list goes on and on.
