The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Lovely photos and fish, especially the rudd. Nice to see one of Ashmead's big 'uns fall to cane too. Congrats to the captor.
Looks like a good time was had by all.

In a word – epic! What an amazing looking fish. Another bit of carp fishing history has been made. I hope the story of the capture is published somewhere worthy.

I haven't got much to add to what others have written about following our 5 day adventure into the Somerset watery wonderland. It was a truly great experience with some superb guys who were keen, yet not totally obsessed with fishing, but more determined on enjoying the place and the people. I will get my thoughts together and write my fishing diary, when I will try to put into words the fishing side of things. That must wait for a while yet.

Meanwhile my thoughts are of communal evening meals and the odd tipple loosening tongues. They are of being with old friends and meeting guys which are now new friends. The big skies with Mars glowing red and the shooting stars. There were dragonflies flying in the mist at 5am which turned out to be tiny bats! The mouse type creature in my fishing bag one morning, which I must try to identify. The sparrow hawk chasing an LBJ (little brown job) which was acrobatic enough to get away. The beautiful flash of blue that was the kingfisher and the raucous call of the green woodpecker as it frequently flew across and clung to a willow. The misty morns and the red evening sunsets are all still in my mind as I wake for the first time in a week indoors between fresh cotton sheets, back in the 'real' world.

Thanks to Skeff and Shona for being custodians of Ashmead, to Nigel for including me for the second year and for the one to come. A special thanks to Tel (Bobthefloat) for helping the old fella set up his home and to everyone for just being you. Hearty congratulations to Guido (Jon) on his well earned capture of Moonscale. It was an honour to have witnessed it and to have taken some of his picture memories. I see another chapter coming on Jon!

Hardly a blank, was it?

Old Man River wrote: ↑Wed Aug 08, 2018 8:35 pm A lovely thread, and great photographs.
Nice to see a 3500 btr being used in the 4 th from last photo, I have one and it is used regularly, I wonder, they arent all that old,maybe 20 yrs, I dont know really ? Do they count as ' traditional ? They certainly have the look .

OMR

I was selling them new in 1987/88, but traditional means different to different people and no doubt different generations. I still consider the Cardinal 55's I was using in the late 70's as quite modern, but a lot of younger anglers think of them as ancient. I'm happy in my life of no set rules and doing what pleases oneself, rather than what pleases others. I've never put one of my 55's on cane but would not knock anyone for doing so, yet I have used modern centrepin's on mine when I've not had the right breaking strain on a 'closer to the age' pin. It only really matters to the onlooker unless we are forced into a regiment.
For what it is worth, our very own Bob Brookes was the first person I ever saw with one when he brought one into the shop that had been gifted him by Shimano in the days when he worked for Raleigh bicycles.

Great fishing holiday stories.

Thats more or less my outlook as well Shaun, we could /can buy a new build split cane rod, it would be traditional in the sense that it is made in the spirit of rods that were made 70 plus years ago, but it would still be new manufacture .

I like rods /reels / nets etc for what I personally get out of using or making them,much as you, not so much because the tackle item is conisdered to be Vintage. I quite like using Fibreglass rods,but I would hazard a guess that most anglers these days have never handled one,they have a place in the scheme of things and fit in quite niceley in my limited collection, even though they seem to be more a niche item than even cane is .

OMR

Yes a big era seemingly mostly forgotten about by many. I see less glass used than I see cane which I find quite amazing.

I had quite a collection of glass rods I had built up from blanks prior to 1982 when I first dabbled with the other material. I have many fond memories of my North Western AC2's, SS3's, SS4, SS5's SS6's, PK2, BB8's as well as some Fibatube including a fly blank with a 6 oz test curve I made up for ultimate fun small carp angling.
The good old soggy feel of glass. This is 1980 and a Sportex glass blank. I did stop using these as they used to break on me. I never had that issue with the North Western's.

Santiago wrote: ↑Tue Aug 07, 2018 7:48 pm Cheers Gary, I suspected there was a good reason for the claim biggest carp on cane and pin! I didn't realise Chris Yates used a fixed spool reel.

It would have been nice, I think, if the Bishop had fallen to a pin....

A lovely start to the winter syndicate this morning after my first night at the wetland. Thirty-five on the nose.

That fish is stunning