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The
Market For Traditional Tackle |
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This
site which once offered dozens of excellent rods, is now becoming rather
thin. For the first time, I’m beginning to believe that the demand for
vintage traditional tackle may exceed the supply. Restored split bamboo rods
are in great demand, and are now frequently sold to anglers before they reach
the lists on the site. Decrepit old rods still appear, but those worthy of
the long hours required for first-class restoration are becoming fewer and
fewer. The answer will NOT be to accept unworthy base materials, therefore,
regrettably, there will be less choice. There’s
an unfortunate increase in label chasing
too. Some people, especially newcomers to the world of
traditionalist’s tackle, seem to believe that it’s essential for fishing rods
to have famous names on them. Certainly it’s nice to see a Judd, Allcocks,
B.James, Milwards or some-such label, but there’s much more to this than
flashing a swanky label around on the river-bank. Pride of possession is a
good thing: hopefully it promotes an inclination to use tackle as it was
designed to be used, and to store it in dry conditions. But the name of the game is fishing, and a
traditionalist’s fishing tackle is a pleasing means to that end. The end, is
fishing, not necessarily catching, although we all hope to lace the success
of simply fishing, with the occasional capture of a fish. Against that
essential distillation of what those who really understand know we’re doing,
label chasing seems to be a slightly shallow preoccupation. Having said that,
I understand that those who hope to see their collection of tackle appreciate
in value might see more long-term profit in the big names. There is certainly
far greater profit to be had in the use of beautiful tackle that often has
seen more summers than its owner. Anyway,
if you want a rod for a particular job it may be possible to offer you
something entirely suitable from an excellent
maker you never have heard of. The rod may also be profoundly better
than the big name’s alternative. Makers like Eggington of Merton in South
London, Priory Rods in Bournemouth, and Precision Rods of Redditch made rods
of the highest quality. When restored, their rods are superior to the great
majority of others with big-name labels. Good
news for the many lovers of whole-cane butt rods (Wizards, Avocets, Aruns,
Judd Senior Wizards, etc.) A stock of excellent 1950’s seasoned whole-cane
unmade butts has been discovered and secured. Such thick walled, straight canes have been impossible to obtain for
many years. These butt sections will
gradually find their way into Coxon & Waterman rods, and into good
vintage rods that require replacement butts. We
have also acquired the greater part of the rod-handle furniture left by the
respected old rod-making firm of Fosters of Ashbourne. These machine-made
blanks for tapered–ferrule-threaded-butt-caps, 7/8” sliding reel bands, and
fly rod housing butt caps (as also used on the very lightweight Hardy fly
rods) will be turned to their final
shape, and machine buffed to a high polish. Such vintage fittings are
extremely difficult to find, so regrettably, they are not being offered for sale as separate
components. A
small quantity (20 reels only) of
superfine 1920/30 quality silk has just come into stock. Lovely stuff,
for VERY special rods only, and certainly not for sale. |