Darryl Whitehead Presentation Fly Rod 7'6" 2/2 #5

An excellent Darryl Whitehead Presentation fly rod, 7'6", 2-piece, 2-tip, built for a #5 line. Mint, unused rod with the shrink wrap still on the grip. A previous listing of this rod suggested that the ferrule on the butt section had been reseated by Chet Croco, a protege of Darryl's, but I could find no obvious evidence of that. Serial #172. Medium action. All the hardware has been engraved by master engraver Paolo Barbetti, and the cap, ring, and ferrules are beautifully done. The cane is a light caramel color, possibly oven tempered in a three-up node pattern construction. The tip node pattern is mirrored. Super high-quality varnish finish like a pane of glass. Wraps are as follows, a thin band of black at the base of the front cork check, at the ferrules, and tip tops. The main wrap is caramel color with a thin edge of darker brown at all the guides and male ferrules, then a band of yellow at the keeper and the male ferrules and then another band of darker brown. The snake guides are bronze. The agate stripper has lovely bands and comes close to matching the color of the cane and wraps. The grip is a western-style and 6" long. The cap and ring reel seat wood is a fantastic piece of quarter-sawn walnut shot through with smoky bands. The cap and ring have been engraved by Paolo, as indicated earlier, and the cap is lettered "D.L. Whitehead, Maker, Sn172". The ferrule plug looks to be fossilized ivory. The rod is packed in a grey cloth bag and a heavy-walled aluminum tube with brass top and bottom. A sticker on the tube presents the rod specifications and further details, including that it was engraved by Paolo Barbetti, and is signed by Darryl and dated 12/8/05.