Known originally as the six-strip Trout Rod, the name "Standard" came into use when new trout rod models such as the "Rainbow" and "Special" Trout rods began to appear in the Divine catalogs. There's nothing "standard" about the "Standard Trout". The name simply means that this is Divine's "original" Trout Rod.
For nearly 40 years this model was the backbone of the Fred D. Divine Co., comprising about sixty percent of the total number of rods made. From the very beginning this rod's appearance was very much as it is in its newest incarnation. A Standard Trout Rod can be easily identified by its light cane, cigar grip wrapped over with silk thread at the distal end and a stepped-down reel seat made of wood, or in some cases, of solid nickel silver.
The distinctive Divine stepped down wood reel seat is a hallmark of the Fred D Divine Company. The concept for this reel seat is simple, elegant and very functional. Many grips on classic rods become worn at the proximal (reel seat) end of the grip. Normal wear and tear often causes the cork to become brittle and eventually it will lose its clean edge and perhaps lose chunks of cork. The Divine stepped-down reel seat insert protects the proximal end of the cork grip from this deterioration…and it looks good, too! The mortised groove helps hold the reel in the proper position on the reel seat.
The Fred D. Divine Company offered the rod with a choice of the wood seat or a solid nickel silver seat, both with a sliding band to secure the reel. We've elected to use Cherry wood for the reel seat insert. It has almost the same pleasing red color of the original cedar seat, but is a much harder wood and should retain its beauty longer.
Bob Venneri has created reel seat hardware that is distinctively Divine in appearance. The butt cap is a long, domed cap with two bands of knurling. It is almost identical to those in use on Divine Rods of the 1912 to 1920 era. The sliding band is similar to those used in the same era, but is made of heavier gauge nickel silver to help prevent warping and bending.
All New Divine Rods have a gold-filled hookkeeper ring to resist tarnishing and to make it easy to see on the rod. Above the keeper ring wrap is the New Divine Rods logo decal.
As it has been since its inception in the 1890's, the New Divine Standard Trout rod is wrapped in dark red with black border wraps and full intermediates in dark red. The intermediates begin just above the distinctive original Divine signature wrap and continue in ever decreasing intervals right to the tip-top of the rod. There are 163 of these tiny trim wraps on a Standard Trout Rod!
No matter how good a rod looks…it's made to cast and catch fish. The Standard Trout rod is an eight foot rod designed for a DT5 line. The casting action is best described as a moderately fast action that flexes into the mid. It casts very comfortably at distances from 15 to 40 feet (where most trout are caught), but can handle much longer casts when necessary. This is the kind of rod that will handle most of your fishing needs in many kinds of water. There's enough power for distance, and enough control for accuracy.
Price: $1495