Jim Payne, son of legendary Ed Payne, started at an early age (10) working with his father. The Payne shop founded by his father was based in Higland Mills just 1 or 2 miles away from the Leonard's shop in Central Valley. The area is at the footstep of the Catskills Mountains, a popular and famous holiday resort area for New Yorkers..and fishermen.

The Payne shop was smaller than the Leonard's shop had a maximum of about 7 employees working there. The bamboo was kept in a shack opposite the road. The trade secrets were kept strictly, unlike today's attitude of bamboo rod makers.

Ron Kusse, former worker of the Payne shop, gives us an interesting glimpse on the atmosphere of those early years of last century:

"To say that things were secretive and a little tighter in those days is an understatement. In the years I knew Jim Payne I never called him Jim. He was Mr. Payne and I was Ron."
(Source: www.flyanglersonline.com/features/bamboo/part124.html)

And here is a nice glimpse on their way of working, again by Ron Kusse:

"When I was at Leonard, being a larger company, we were splitting cane every week. The two cane room employees would carry what they needed in from the cane shed. At Payne they would cut cane about once a month or two, I cut a year or so of cane at a time, then work on cane for about a month and spend the rest of the year finishing rods. In fact, my shop is very small and the miller takes up 13 feet, so when not actually cutting cane during that month, it is taken apart in three large pieces and stored to give me more working space. "

In my opinion, that meant they were making lots of rods and in a chain. That means that most probably the would take strips from any culm, unlike the bamboo rods made by myself and today's rod makers: each rod is absolutely made from the same culm of bamboo! Time is not an issue for us, but, at most, only 30-50 rods per year are made in the end. They had to make a living by producing much larger quantities.

Jim Payne rod's are different from those of his father Ed. Shorter, lighter. In 1916 he started experimenting and producing dark (flamed and more tempered) rods. After the mid' 30s, he discontinued the light rods and kept only the medium-brown rods.

Concerning the taper, Jim changed completely from his father's. He produced more "parabolic", rods and introduced shorter rods, 7' in 3 pieces. Bob Summers says that Jim's rod were in-between Young's and Dickerson's as far as action: a mix between the more parabolic Payne's rod and butt-swelled Dickerson's rods.

This is an interesting passage by Hoagy Carmichael that I found on a forum of bamboo rodmakers

"I remember well going into the Payne shop not long after Jim died. I was working at WGBH in Boston, and my friend, who was a brilliant -director, not long out of Harvard, Tim Mayer, was "given" the Payne Rod. Co. by his father who then owned the Gladding Co. Tim didn't know ANYTHING about fishing, rods, fish, or even worms, and he asked me to join him one day to look the place over. I didn't know much myself, but I could see that there was stock all over the place, some finished, blanks, and little going on save for the part-time efforts of Dave Decker. Dave gave me a 7'0" rod to try to sell for $350 at a friend's little fly shop on the Battenkill, and I returned it about a year later. No interest! In fact, I was in the shop for two days when Harold Bacon was loading as much as he could into a van post-Carpenter. I had my hand out, and a few things stuck to it. The varnishing room did not have a "tube" in 1969-70, as I remember. I suspect that Walt and Lawson Upchurch installed that. The old varnish was stacked high, and I remember pretending that Jim was there, and I was watching him varnish, he sharing his secrets as he went."

"...Yes, the Harold Bacon takeover was years later, maybe around 1982. I had tried to get the American Museum of Fly Fishing to buy the place, move it, and make it an exhibit that would rival all others. In fact, I tried to get them to buy the Vince Marinaro collection after he died, but they hardly knew who he was. Anyway, Harold bought the name, machines, and everything in the shop. A musician friend of mine and his family live in the place now on Maple St. His daughter sleeps in the varnishing room..."

Here some values for a Jim Payne's rod:

Ultra Rare Payne 6 ½’ – 2/2 – Model # 96
“Abercrombie & Fitch” , very good conditions, $3950 (internet search, November 2009)

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From the New E.F.Young Rod shop:

1.         6' Payne Model 95-H CIRCA 1964, 6',  2/1, 2 ½ oz, #4 line, Up Screw Lock Seat over Spanish Cedar Spacer.  Originally sold with one tip as ordered by A & F.  Marked “Made for Abercrombie and Fitch N.Y.”    Refinished at Payne.  New Bag & Tube.  Excellent Plus Condition.   $2,750.00

2.         7' Payne Model 97 CIRCA 1927, 7', 2/1, 2 ½ oz,   #3/4 line, 6 ½" Cigar Grip with Slide Band Seat over Dark Spanish Cedar Insert.  This rod given by Jim Payne to Cleve Speer former Payne employee.  Historic Provenance.   Mint Restored Condition.   $2,900.00

3.         7' Payne Model 196 CIRCA 1930, 7',  3/2,  2 3/8 oz, #3 line, 5" Cigar Grip with Slide Band Seat, Spanish Cedar Insert with extremely rare “Fancy Knurled” Hooded Butt Cap.  Given to Cleve Speer (former Jim Payne employee) by Jim Payne.  Small hook dig mark on butt section otherwise in beautiful mint restored condition.  Historic Provenance.    $6,500.00

4.         8 ½ ' Payne Model 204 CIRCA 1930’s , 3/1, 3 ¾ oz, #4 line, Cigar Grip Slide Band, Reel Seat over Spanish Cedar Insert.  Wonderful light Dry Fly Rod.  Very good +Condition.  $1,950.00

5         6' Payne Model 95, 6', 2/2, 1¾ oz, #2/3 line, 5" Cigar Grip Spanish Cedar Insert with the Tiny Payne Slide Band and Cap Seat.  Lawn Cast only, Excellent Plus Condition.  $3,500.00

6.         7' Payne Model 97, 7', 2/2, 2 5/8 oz, #3/4 Line, All Cork Cigar Grip and Reel Seat, Slide Band with Hooded Butt Cap, New Unused Condition.  $3,500.00

7.         7' Payne Highland Model, 7',  2/2, 2 7/8 oz, Dry Fly Taper for #4 Line, Cigar Grip with Slide band  Reel Seat.  New Unused Condition.   $2,800.00

8.         7 ½ ' Payne Model 100, 7 ½ ',  2/2, 2 7/8 oz, #4 Line, All Cork Grip and Reel Seat with Slide Band and Pocket Butt Cap.  Made from vintage bamboo strips given to Cleve Speer by Jim Payne.  This rare Payne taper is exactly as made by Jim Payne for Charles Speer, both Ed and Jim Payne’s life long Tool and Die Maker.  New Unused Condition.   $3,500.00

9.         7' Payne Model 97 CIRCA 1927, 7', 2/1, 2 ½ oz,   #3/4 line, 6 ½" Cigar Grip with Slide Band Seat over Dark Spanish Cedar Insert.  This rod given by Jim Payne to Cleve Speer former Payne employee.  Historic Provenance.   Mint Restored Condition.   $2,900.00

10.         7' Payne Model 196 CIRCA 1930, 7',  3/2,  2 3/8 oz, #3 line, 5" Cigar Grip with Slide Band Seat, Spanish Cedar Insert with extremely rare “Fancy Knurled” Hooded Butt Cap.  Given to Cleve Speer (former Jim Payne employee) by Jim Payne.  Small hook dig mark on butt section otherwise in beautiful mint restored condition.  Historic Provenance.  Price available on request.

11.       7 ½'  Payne Model 100 L, 7 ½ ' ,  2/2,  3 ¼  oz, #3 Line, 7" Grip, Up Screw Lock Reel Seat. Rare early Ed Payne taper, made exactly as the rod given to Charlie Speer (Payne Tool and Die Maker) in 1905.  Delicate smooth light line presentation for small flies.  New Unused Condition.   $3,500.00

Sources: Rolf Baginski's book Split-Cane Rods -- Bamboo Treasures; http://www.flyanglersonline.com/features/bamboo/part124.html,

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