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rods
made entirely by B.James. 8. Rods sold by The Captain in Croydon - made
by Bob Southwell. 9. Rods made from Bob Southwell blanks and
marketed by other shops. 10. Rods made to the original Mk.IV tapers by
B.James 11. Later Mk.IVs by B.James with heavier test
curve (condition here being very much more important). 12.
Carp rods made to near enough Mk.IV specification by other makers. Again,
condition and the reputation of the maker are of greatest importance. There
are some extremely desirable rods from makers such as Constable and Sharpes,
and occasional real beauties from quite obscure makers. There
are certain to be carp rod enthusiasts who would disagree with these
gradings, and I wouldn’t want to offend the proud owner of any venerable
Mk.IV. I’ve spoken to a few pundits about this, and the general consensus is
that this list is not far wrong. This list says nothing of the actual
usability of an individual rod. To a great extent this will depend upon the
attitude of the owner. Chris Yates uses his priceless Grade 2 Walker rod
without hesitation, whereas, as far as I know, Chris Sandford wouldn’t dream
of using his ex. B.B. grade 1. Rod. J.B.Walker
rods made from kits can be good. Whatever the results of amateur handiwork in
the assembly of these rods, the cane is often of stunning spring-steel
quality. J.B.Walker bought their cane stocks from various sources, but it
seems to have been generally excellent. The blanks that they bought in from
Bob Southwell of Croydon were among the best ever made. Southwell also
marketed his own Mk. IV version under the brand name of The Captain, and
these are very much sought after. Because of the extra stresses imposed on
the blank by Southwell’s method of pressing the cane knots, rather than
cutting off the excess material, they occasionally show small linear splits
in the area of the knots. Southwell’s natural successor was his one-time
apprentice Ted Oliver of Knebworth, who made Southwell type split-bamboo rods
from very high quality Tonkin. A
carp rod really doesn’t need to be called a Mk IV. Stalking enthusiasts will
find eight and nine footers much more appropriate. Salmon spinning rods make
excellent stalking rods. Carp rods do not have to be made with two equal
joints. Consider rods with separate handles, and other three piece rods. The
extra ferrule is anathema to many cane pundits, but some of these rods are
really excellent. I offer the opinion that the Constable Superb is a much
better all round carp rod than the Mk IV. |