Profile: Dickerson 7011 Special

The Dickerson 7011 is a very rare model that unfortunately most people will never see or have the opportunity to own. For the same reasons I felt it important to document this model, about which little is known, with hopes it will be of interest to others.

Dickerson included the 7011 in his circa 1940 brochure. The model is shown as having a finished weight of 3 ¼ oz. There are no model 7011s in Dickerson’s records which fit the catalog specifications. More likely, the model 7012 took its place in production. A finished 7012 does meet the 3 ¼ oz. specifications and is a more common rod. All three of the currently known 7011s were made as lightweight models*.

*There was a 7011 sold on rod maker Bob Summer’s website which was made during Dickerson’s “retirement” years in 1963. It had a standard screw down-locking seat. The weight and other specifics are not known.

Above- Dickerson 7011 Special made in 1952 for Bill Brown. Photo courtesy of Per Brandin.

When the first 7011 Special was made in 1951, Dickerson went so far as to break down the weight of each component to insure a finished weight of 2 ¼ oz. The breakdown in the ledger entry is as follows:

Bamboo 1 5/16 oz, ferrules ¼ oz, cork 5/16 oz, guides & varnish 1/8 oz, reel seat ¼ oz. There are only three known lightweight model 7011s; two are in Dickerson’s records, a third rod, Bill Brown ’52, surfaced this past year as part of the late Tom Clark’s collection*. The rod was sold by Tom’s good friend, rod maker Per Brandin in 2022.

*Please see the topic in the Dickerson Articles section, titled, The Tom Clark Collection.

I have been fortunate enough to handle all three of the currently known 7011 models. There are some common traits between each which are highlighted below.

Shared features between the three known 7011 Special rods:

All three rods have the same small cigar grip and reel seat hardware consisting of a plain aluminum butt cap and an aluminum slide band with diamond pattern knurling. The mortised reel seat spacer is a light-weight reddish wood that has a step-up to the cork, Catskill style. I have not been able to definitively identify what type of wood the spacer is. Opinions include Redwood, Cedar, or stained Pine. My thought is that it’s most likely a stained/dyed type of Pine or of that family.

-Two of the three rods have a snake guide in place of a stripping guide. The other rod (Campbell ’51) has a small opaque white agate stripping guide.

-Two of the three rods have a small hexagon winding check followed by a short 1/8" wrap . The other rod (Campbell ’51) has no winding check, but has a decorative 3/8" tight spiral wrap above the grip.

-Two of the three rods have orange wraps with no black tipping anywhere on the rod. This feature is unusual for the period. Most Dickerson rods finished without tipping were made after 1959. The other rod (Campbell ’51) has Dickerson’s standard brown wraps with black tipping in all the usual places.

-The Boate 7011 and the Campbell 7011 were made within two weeks of each other in late 1951.

The Campbell ’51 rod has an opaque white stripping guide rather than a Perfection stripping guide.

above- Dickerson 7011, 2 ¼ oz. made in Dec 1951 for James Campbell. This rod differs from the others in that it has a small opaque white agate stripping guide*, brown wraps with black tipping, but with the same aluminum slide band reel seat with light-weight reddish spacer as the others. However, the finished weight is the same. It has no hook keeper or winding check, but has a decorative tight spiral wrap above the grip; an uncommon but known feature on Dickerson rods.

This 7011 was in the same Michigan family since the mid-1960s, when it was purchased from the original owner. In 2022 the daughter of the second owner contacted me wanting to sell the rod. I asked her if she wouldn’t mind writing a short blurb about her family's history with the rod that I could include in the description. The very cool story, as relayed from the daughter, is as follows:

Around 1965, I was probably about 10 years old, when I went with my dad to a house in downtown Detroit to look over a fishing rod a man had for sale. It was a bamboo rod that the seller said Lyle Dickerson had made for him. I can’t remember how much my dad paid him for it but I do remember him making me promise not to tell my mother how much it was.

During the short time he owned it (he died at 50 in 1974), he treated this rod as his most treasured possession. He used it sparingly, typically using one he could risk damaging, but I remember being with him on the Au Sable and Black rivers when fishing with this masterpiece made him as happy as a man can be.

After his death my mom gave away most of his fishing gear to a cousin who she knew liked to fish. But I knew how much this rod meant to my dad, and the memories of him with it meant so much to me. I confess that I took this from his stash of fishing gear and hid it in my closet before my cousin came to claim his booty. That was 49 years ago. For many years I harbored visions of learning how to fly fish and I planned to use this in his honor. But, alas, that is not going to happen. I’ve finally come to the point where I can part with it and be content with the memories. I’d really like someone to purchase it who will not only appreciate the skill of the maker but hopefully, its provenance as well.

* The opaque white agate stripping guide in place of the normal Perfection stripping guide is seen post-war on rods made for friends, rods marked Special, and unusual/unique rods. Dickerson used red agate stripping guides before World War II.

The third and final 7011 Special, was made in 1952 for Bill Brown. This example has orange wraps with no tipping, a snake guide in place of a stripping guide, and no hook keeper. It has three original tips and a three tip compartment rod bag. This rod is not listed in Dickerson’s production ledger, however, William Brown is a known Dickerson customer who ordered several rods. A more detailed photo of this rod appears at the very top of the page.

above- 7011 Special, 2 ¼ oz. made in 1952 for Bill Brown.

The 7011 Special is an important rod model in Dickerson’s production history. Many of his rods were made for local anglers in Michigan, where small trout streams are abundant. It is surprising that more light-action Dickerson rods were not produced. Most trout anglers of the day likely concentrated their efforts on larger waters such as the Au Sable, Pere Marquette, and Manistee, where good fishing for larger trout still existed.

The action of all three 7011 Specials are alike and the lightest-action rods Dickerson ever made. The model is a departure from Dickerson’s traditional tapers and were obviously designed for small stream angling, where short or delicate casts are needed and the ability for a rod to load at close distance is paramount. All take three weight lines and have a medium-action well suited for small water. They are not unyielding short “banty” rods for higher line weights capable of handling large fish. The 7011 Special casts very smoothly at all distances considered reasonable for such a light rod and is a true pleasure for small brook angling. If you happen to be lucky enough to uncover another one of these little gems, The Dickerson Site is interested in hearing about it.

Profile: Dickerson 7011 Special

Above- Dickerson 7011 Special made in 1952 for Bill Brown. Photo courtesy of Per Brandin.

Above- Dickerson pamphlet, circa 1940, showing the 7011 and other two piece models

above- Dickerson ledger entry for the first 7011 Special made in 1951 for John Boate