Cult carp reels.

22 Thursday May 2014

Tags

300, 66, abu, altex, cardinal, carp, classic, Cult, daiwa, Hardy, mitchell, reels, ss1600, ss2600

I think its time for a bit of tackle talk, its been a while and I quite enjoy it…

I’m constantly chopping and changing when it comes to my general carp set up, the rods stay pretty much the same, for jungle warfare I use my B James IV with six inches missing off the top (possibly my favourite rod), general carp fishing a standard B James Mark IV full length, and for slightly heaver fish or snaggy swims my Allcocks Carp Superb with its longer handle, this rod has a little more back bone in the butt although it sports a Mark IV taper.

When it comes to reels though I can never make my mind up. For margin work I always use a Speedia Wide drum with 12lbs line or an Allcocks C815 for lighter lines, say 8-10lbs. But when it comes to fixed spool reels I keep using different models and find they are not quite right for one reason or another. I have the problem that my basement is fast becoming a museum for old fishing tackle, I’m a user not a collector so I am trying to sell the ‘deadwood’ and use the ‘keepers’. Letting go of the ‘deadwood’ can be a hard process but I generally have never regretted selling any old tackle especially if it under performs.

For a fixed spool reel you need something that pairs well with a cane rod (my rod material of choice), call me a bit of a tackle tart but it needs to look right and feel well balanced. The obvious choice is the Mitchell 300 but that scratchy clutch, no line roller, and general coffee grinder mechanics can leave you with a heart-in-the-mouth moment when a larger fish takes flight. The Hardy Altex has a beautiful smooth clutch and casts very well but I don’t trust that bail arm, maybe its because my particular example has let me down in the past, I keep thinking its going to let go just at a critical point.

So where do we go from here? I want a good retrieve, good size spool, excellent clutch, decent size handle, quality engineering, overall reliability and finally something that sits well on a cane rod. I think the answer comes from Sweden.

Finally after some trial and error I have found my reel of choice for carp or indeed pike and barbel fishing, the Abu Cardinal 66. The clutch is so well set up that I can use it as a Baitrunner, slackening off the clutch and then with a quick twist engage the reel into a fighting fish mode. The engineering is superb with a metal spool, roller on the bail arm, ultra smooth gears, decent sized handle, tight springs on the bail arm that slam it shut with a clunk, its the right weight, and overall it is the right size, not too large or too small. The green and cream is a good looking reel that sit well on a cane rod, only draw back, getting spare spools, anyone?

Looking forward I have a plan for the ultimate rod and reel set-up. I would stay with the Mark IV cane option but place something completely modern on it, a reel that showcases the best of new technology but already holds some form of cult status. I still want to experience the qualities of split cane but combine it with high octane engineering incorporating quality clutch control and line lay. The analogy could be that of placing a modern tuned and reliable engine with efficient brakes and cram it into a classic car. The reel I’m thinking of is the Daiwa SS2600 Tournament or its little brother the SS1600. Will it look strange? Possibly, but not as strange as the looks in the tackle shop when I rock up with a Mark IV and ask to place a SS2600 Tournament on it! Personally I can see this working, it could be a joyous set-up to use. Ok, tackle talk over and out.

Lest we forget…Angling Auctions this Saturday.

26 Wednesday Mar 2014

Posted by The tuesday swim in Tackle

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

2014, angling, auctions, chiswick, freeman, hall, london, march, neil, town

This friday from lunchtime onwards you can visit Chiswick Town Hall and spend the afternoon looking through collections of vintage fishing tackle all broken down into lots. Using simple but well built tackle from a bygone era is an experience many of us now cherish when escaping to the waters-edge. On saturday you will get the chance to bid on such items from midday onwards.

As ever the Tuesdayswim and Arcadia will be donning suitable attire and showing you the selection of fishing rods on offer.

Angling Auctions – October 4th & 5th 2013

29 Sunday Sep 2013

Posted by The tuesday swim in Tackle

≈ Leave a comment

Two dates in spring and autumn have now become set in stone for the Tuesday Swim’s diary. As ever I shall be looking after the rod section with fellow protector of the cane John Andrews of Arcadia. Viewing starts on Friday the 4th October from 1.30pm to 7.00pm and continues on saturday morning from 8.30am. The auction starts at noon.

For anyone interested in fishing tackle or fishing related items please take a stroll down to the Chiswick Town Hall in West London W4. For those who wish to take it one step further and have a bid, please register here Angling Auctions.

Ghosts of Farlows.

17 Wednesday Apr 2013

Posted by The tuesday swim in Tackle

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

andrews, arcadia, club, Farlows, fishing, fly, history, john, knott, london, Mall, pall, wilton

Farlows of Pall Mall took on a slightly different mood yesterday as John Andrews of Arcadia and John Knott, author of the recently published ‘The History of Wilton Fishing Club’, both greeted visitors to No 9 Pall Mall, London.

Fishing tackle shops for me have become a lost world that only conjures up memories of childhood, sadly all the ones with character have nearly all but gone. I have mixed emotions about Farlows now, when I first moved to London in the early nineties Farlows was still an exciting place to visit, situated on the corner of Burlington Arcade and Piccadilly, a small packed shop full of tackle, a place of questions and discovery. From what I can recall the staff were generally elderly and extremely polite, even to a young rascal like myself who insisted on handling the large aray of Hardy rods and reels. I of course had no intention in buying but they knew that so with a little guilt I would purchase the odd nymph or dry-fly.

At that time there were still a few good local tackle shops surviving around London but the only other ‘premier’ tackle shop based in central London was Hardys (coincidentally in Pall Mall), this place seemed very upmarket to me and quite intimidating with its dark suited staff in comparison to the more friendlier and informal Farlows.

Farlows holds on in 2013 with speculation of buy-outs from afar but throughout the day a little soul was given back to Farlows as tea was poured and a hand of Happy Families was played across the counter.

Angling Auctions spring 2013

28 Thursday Mar 2013

Posted by The tuesday swim in Tackle

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

2013, 6th, angling, april, auctions, chiswick, fishing, freeman, hall, neil, tackle, town

Twice a year The Tuesday Swim and Andrews of Arcadia meet for the biannual Angling Auctions at Chiswick town hall, West London. Viewing is available from Friday lunchtime and the main show commences at twelve noon on Saturday the 6th April.

This not so un-likely pairing shall as usual be holding fort on the rod section, please come along and re-arrange the rods from their allotted places and enjoy our anguished faces as said rods are moved back INTO THE CORRECT ORDER!

If only the military was organised with such efficiency and precision.

A few more floats.

08 Friday Mar 2013

Posted by The tuesday swim in Tackle

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

avon, cook, float, maker, making, paul, vintage

After posting a shot of two rather nice old floats on the Traditional Fisherman’s Forum for the float builders to use as reference, I was most surprised to be contacted by master builder Paul Cook who has used the colours as a reference for some Avons.

Below are the original two floats that i posted on the TTF.

And here are Paul’s versions, amazing work as to be expected….

I was also given a sneak preview of something that Paul has been working on, the results are stunning but I’m afraid its all hush hush for now!

The joy of engineering – The Hardy Altex

21 Thursday Feb 2013

Posted by The tuesday swim in Tackle

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

altex, british, fishing, Hardy, jack, luke, mark, no2, reel, v

Continuing on with the theme of British craftsmanship in angling, I move from artisan float builders to Jack Luke, the engineer.

Jack Luke was an employee of Hardy’s of Alnwick from 1936-1987, a man dedicated to his job and the reels that he made. Why am I interested in Jack Luke? Well, he built my Altex Mark V No2 fishing reel over fifty years ago, having his initials stamped on the reel would have added a sense of pride to the makers at Hardy, no mass manufactured reel could adhere to this level of craftsmanship.

Why do I like these Hardy reels over more popular reels like the Mitchell 300 or the Young’s Ambidex, although both still excellent reels? The Altex is an engineers reel, the spokes on the clutch control adjuster and the tiny anti-tangle wire bar that is fixed in the bail arm are all finished by hand using soldered parts. Every reel seems to have a ‘signature’ that you don’t get with the mass produced reels. Some find the Altex to be the ugly sister compared to the french curves of the Mitchell but I like the deco looks with its combination of burnished metals.

The question now, is it any good to fish with? Yes, its excellent, despite the spool being quite narrow the Altex can cast a long way with little effort and the line lay is extremely even. The bail arm is automatically closed from an internal pawl, this makes for a very smooth action as it is triggered close to the reels central spindle, needing less inertia to trip the bail arm. And talking of smooth, the Altex clutch is exquisite compared to the Mitchell 300, it is a pleasure to turn using the front four spoked brass adjuster.

Designed originally as a spinning reel for salmon (it was probably considered too expensive for the lowly coarse angler) but it has now become popular with traditional carp anglers mainly due to the fine clutch. I shall be using it with lines from 5lb to 12lb and for a wide range of fish including chub, tench, barbel, carp and pike. This year I’m keeping my angling more simple than ever before using just one fixed spool reel, the Altex and a few centre pins where suitable.

: Hardy Altex Mark V No 2

: Hardy Altex Mark V No 2

: Hardy Altex Mark V No 2

: Hardy Altex Mark V No 2

: Hardy Altex Mark V No 2

: Hardy Altex Mark V No 2

: Hardy Altex Mark V No 2

The modern traditionalist – the artisan float maker.

16 Saturday Feb 2013

Posted by The tuesday swim in Tackle

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

fat, fish, fishermans, floats, flshing, forum, making, norfolk, reed, traditional, wagglers

With little success on the bank at present despite a few trips out, The Traditional Fisherman’s Forum has become a winter refuge for me, and for many of its forum members it has become a gathering place for traditional float makers.

I’m not sure if staring at a float while waiting for its disappearance draws the eye of the beholder to find beauty in such an object? Just like a salmon fly the colour combinations and use of materials is close to art and the artist.

Yesterday, a parcel arrived from one of the artisan float makers from the aforementioned Traditional Fisherman’s Forum. Stuart AKA ‘Fatfishfloats’ had sent me three exquisite Norfolk reed wagglers which I originally spied on the forum and commissioned Stuart to make three variations with yellow tops. The results just like Paul Cook’s floats are things of beauty, works of art that shall be launched into the British countryside, with much care!

Anyone who appreciates traditional floats should look at Stuarts website or The Traditional Fisherman’s Forum and see what talented floats builders are doing with new and creative uses of colour and materials but keeping the traditional float building ethos.

An over-dressed victorian

31 Thursday Jan 2013

Posted by The tuesday swim in Tackle

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

angler, artist, cook, fishing, floats, handmade, paul, traditional

A package arrived the other day in an eight inch length of plastic tubing, I knew what it was but I was quite taken by surprise by the exquisite fishing floats that were carefully packaged inside. Within the tube was a rolled up note from artist, writer, rod restorer, angler and all round gentleman, Paul Cook.

I met Paul a few years ago, at his house to pick up my rather sorry Allcocks Carp Superb rod which needed a new top and some general tender loving care, the result was stunning, and still is after three years of abuse. To say Paul is a restorer of rods or maker of fishing floats would be like saying Michelangelo is a decorator of churches, Paul is an artist, his floats are true works of art.

The four floats that arrived yesterday were simply stunning and even a non-angler would appreciate their beauty, a careful mix of feather, wood and coloured thread, all with an inscription ‘The tuesday swim.’ The question is, shall I cast these floats (often quite badly) into a weedy pond or a snaggy river? The answer is “yes” they have to be enjoyed in the field.

In Paul’s covering note he talks of an extra float, in his words states “Its a copy from an original Victorian float that I have overdressed for the occasion!” Bloody brilliant!

Mr Cook, the tuesday swim salutes you. Thank you.

Tackle boxes part twelve. The split shot tin.

08 Thursday Nov 2012

Posted by The tuesday swim in Tackle

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

allcocks, fishing, Hardy, Henry, milbro, opsprey, PDQ, shot, split, tackle, tin, tins, wilco, wilkes

I’m not a collector of these little tins but more an accumulator of such items. These tins tend to turn up in job lots of tackle bought, found at the bottom of larger old tackle boxes or bags. I’m too young to remember them being available in tackle shops but I’m quite familiar with them being used by more elderly fishermen when I was fishing club matches on the Sussex Ouse, along the Lindfield stretch in the early eighties. I still use these tins for small items of tackle such as swivels and beads, more for nostalgia than for any other reason, as the sliding lid does tend to stick, especially in cold weather!