Like most fanatical anglers buying tackle is an addiction especially those with a taste for cane rods. In an ideal world a rod room would be appropriate but with my current moving from one abode to another and roving small hands, a safe but fitting way to store cane rods is in an old Victorian or Edwardian rod box.
Back in the day one would lift the solid pine box laden with salmon rods onto an awaiting carriage and there onto Paddington station, then take the night-sleeper to the North West of Scotland in anticipation of a salmon or two. Well those days are long gone but these well-built boxes still exist and you maybe lucky enough to find one still covered in the old transportation labels of yesteryear and possibly the initials of a previous owner. The ends are normally reinforced with metal on the outside and internal brass fittings on the inside, the hinged lid held down with leather straps buckled around each end and a built-in brass cabinet lock to secure it, these boxes were built to last!
The insides are plain apart from some retaining leather straps to hold the rods in place. These days a Cordura covered aluminum tube have put these old boxes out to grass, but may I suggest for home storage these boxes are beautiful to look at and perfect for the task of storing old rods. For the purist, one can place brass hooks on the inside so to hang your beloved cane rods but I gently pack them full so that they stay together in a neat straight bundle.
I have two rod boxes, both with leather handles just like an old suitcase, one is five feet six and can take all my ten foot two piece rods, the other box is a bit of a monster at seven feet but comfortably takes all the longer two piece eleven foot six rods I possess. The larger of the two have the monogram ‘O C B’, I’m afraid I have no idea who that person was but he or she must have owned some seriously long salmon rods, possible spliced rods?
The smaller box which is a really nice size and still has the Paddington station railway label stuck on the box from many moons ago.
