Wonderglass by Shakespeare

[Daniel Lee]

I am looking for info on a PB-B11 rod. It is 2 pieces and 4'11" and I am pretty sure it is light or ultra light with a slow action tip. And it is a spincast rod.

Anyone know what reels people used on these rods originally? I bought two of them for some vintage wondercast reels I have and those are not ultra light reels. The 1771 and the 1797 are probably not the reels meant for these rods. I only bought them because the reel seats line the reel up with the guides. No modern rod has the off set reel seat. Wonder rods are so expensive and these were a good price. But I haven't fished with them yet and have a 1771 on one of them and I can't remember what lb test I have on it. Probably 10 lb.

Anyway, any info would be appreciated!

[foakes]

I am looking for info on a PB-B11 rod. It is 2 pieces and 4'11" and I am pretty sure it is light or ultra light with a slow action tip. And it is a spincast rod.

Anyone know what reels people used on these rods originally? I bought two of them for some vintage wondercast reels I have and those are not ultra light reels. The 1771 and the 1797 are probably not the reels meant for these rods. I only bought them because the reel seats line the reel up with the guides. No modern rod has the off set reel seat. Wonder rods are so expensive and these were a good price. But I haven't fished with them yet and have a 1771 on one of them and I can't remember what lb test I have on it. Probably 10 lb.

Anyway, any info would be appreciated!

The Shakes Wonderods are very superior fiberglass rods.  They were manufactured using a special process called the Howland process.

Tough, flexible, sensitive,good backbone, forgiving, long-lasting, and fun!

I just picked up a 6.5' Wonderod in white which has a date code showing it was manufactured in February of 1960.  It is unused, 2-piece, and still in the plastic sleeve from the factory!  For sale, if anyone wants it.

Best, Fred

[oc1]

Hmmm....  I think the drop-down, pistol grip, offset handle (there needs to be a standardized name for those things) were available before spincast reels.  Not by much though; maybe 5 years.  That style rod handle is as appropriate and useful for a baitcasting reel as it is for a spincast reel.

It's called the Howald process for making Wonderods..
https://macfishes.com/shakespeare-wonderod/#:~:text=The%20Howald%20Process%20involved%20wrapping%20multiple%20layers%20of,rod%20that%20was%20both%20lightweight%20and%20remarkably%20durable.

At that time, there were two basic methods of making tubular rod blanks; the Howald Process and the Havens Process;.  Here are my recollections of how it worked:

The Howald process rolls pre-impregnated woven fiberglass fiber cloth around a tapered steel mandrel.  The ridges where the fiberglass tape overlaps are not sanded smooth on a Wonderod.

The Havens process lays loose fibers longitudinally along the mandrel, impregnates them with resin and binds them with tow in a crisscross spiral wrap.  The cured rod is then sanded smooth.   In both processes, the mandrel is removed after the resin has cured.

Somewhere around here I have a Wonderod with a foam-core blank.  That was an early, but short-lived, technique that did not require pulling the cured fiberglass rod blank off a polished steel mandrel.

Funny because there used to be a really good description of this stuff on the internet.  Now, AI has bastardized and mixed it all up so you can't get a straight answer.   Someone needs to look up the two patents and clear it up for posterity.

[Daniel Lee]

I hate how AI has messed up searching. Used to be you could do an image search and get the name of a person or great photos of the thing you were searching for or information that was accurate. I really would like the specs for this wonder glass rod. I don't know much about those old shakespeare bait casters.

I saw an old ad that referred to the spincast rod handle as the 'Tru-Aim handle.'

[Daniel Lee]

I am looking for info on a PB-B11 rod. It is 2 pieces and 4'11" and I am pretty sure it is light or ultra light with a slow action tip. And it is a spincast rod.

Anyone know what reels people used on these rods originally? I bought two of them for some vintage wondercast reels I have and those are not ultra light reels. The 1771 and the 1797 are probably not the reels meant for these rods. I only bought them because the reel seats line the reel up with the guides. No modern rod has the off set reel seat. Wonder rods are so expensive and these were a good price. But I haven't fished with them yet and have a 1771 on one of them and I can't remember what lb test I have on it. Probably 10 lb.

Anyway, any info would be appreciated!

The Shakes Wonderods are very superior fiberglass rods.  They were manufactured using a special process called the Howland process.

Tough, flexible, sensitive,good backbone, forgiving, long-lasting, and fun!

I just picked up a 6.5' Wonderod in white which has a date code showing it was manufactured in February of 1960.  It is unused, 2-piece, and still in the plastic sleeve from the factory!  For sale, if anyone wants it.

Best, Fred

Well, is it spinning or spincast or fly? What is the action and power? I just purchased an ultralight for my 2052 spinning reel. If yours is compatible, I am going to regret purchasing the Temple Fork trout and panfish rod. 🙂

[foakes]

It is a 7', not 6.5', as I thought previously.

It is a Model 1416 with the sliding rod mount that can be used for either open-faced spinning reels or fly reels.

The action is light.

Never out of the plastic sleeve until now.  Never had a reel mounted on it.

1960.

It is for sale, along with about 30 ultralight combos which include Fenwick, Eagle Claw, Shimano, and other ultralight rods.  Paired with Gold Mini-Mites, Silver 500C's, Shimano MLZ-10's, DAM Quick Microlites, Penn ultralights, Presidents, and many others.

Just need time to list and sell them.  Great for trout, bass, panfish, etc..

Sold about 16 combos at my sale two weeks ago.  Got about 30 remaining.

Best Regards, Fred