The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

kenkroy wrote:Very nice Paul.Like the handle interface.Well done mate.
ken

I agree, far neater than my work on the Lucky Strike.

I read this thread with interest because although I know it is nothing special, I was fortunate to pick up a Lee's of Redditch 'The Leeway' 12.5 ft Match rod today for just a £1

The rod has whole cane butt and middle sections in good order and a superb greenheart top section. Perhaps some of the experts on here can tell me a bit more about it.

The top section is dead straight, but the rust on the stand-off rings means a full restoration will be the next job.

See photo

What a bargain Old-CodJA.

Hi Mark,

I thought so, I don't know much about the model, but in useable condition for a quid pretty well anything has to be worth a look.

I made a 'pigs ear' of trying to post multiple photos on the first post, but hopefully this will give a flavour of that super greenheart top piece

There is a 1962 Leeway rod, but it's a 2 piece ledgering rod for chub and barbel with a whole cane butt and a 'glass tip section. As you say, yours in surely a match rod.

Thanks Nobby,

Like I said, I know it's nothing special and I don't know anything about the model at all, but would like to find out more if anyone knows.

To avoid any doubt I've added a photo of all three sections.

Quite thin cane on that, surely a through actioned match rod. Lee were quite well thought of and when they merged with Allcocks in 1964 it was not a takeover. The future company was called Allcocks, but the new transfers on the rods were in the pale green and black Lee livery and the next Allcocks Guide in 1965 had a foreword by the Lee director, not an Allcock.
J.W. Youngs joined them too and the combined company called them selves Top Tackle, but were bought out by Shakespeare within two years, sadly.


I don't know if the Lee factories in Pershore and Redditch stayed open after the merger, but the Allcock one burned down and they had to re-locate quickly, so I suppose that suggests not.

Fantatstic help Nobby,

Thanks very much

John

Now re-registered on the forum again, it’s coincidental that my first question should be about another Lee’s of Redditch cane rod and I have ‘bumped’ this thread because Nobby was a mine of information last time.

The photo I posted back in 2012 was of my Lee-Way, which I sold during a low period of illness that had me thinking I wasn’t going to be doing any more. Anyway, to the point.

At the weekend I bought a bundle of old tackle in auction and amongst other cane rods, there is a 10 foot Lee rod, bottom two sections are whole cane and top section is split cane. The Lee’s logo is pretty well intact and the rod name, in the usual green disc looks like ‘The Float Boy’

I’ll post some pictures later, but any help will be very welcome. (There are a couple of other good buys in the bundle too )

When I took the rod out I mistakenly noted it as a 10 foot, but in fact it is a fraction over 9 feet when assembled

The bottom & middle sections are 37 inches, whole cane and the 39 ins tip section has a split cane tip spliced into a 10 inch whole cane section

Any dates or other information will be very welcome [img]F:\JOHN'S PERSONAL PHOTOGRAPHS[/img]

(Sorry, mistakenly uploaded the same image twice …. and cannot get the second one to delete! Internet numpty here