The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

You could build a shrine around that reel, enjoy it, and well done on recognising the significance of it.

It would indeed be most interesting to compare it to the reel Richard Walker made for 'BB'.

Does anyone know just how many of these reels RW made?


Mike Wilsom wrote:
"On a visit to Dick I took the photo and asked him about the reel and learned that it was one of two that Dick had made, one for BB the other for Jack Thorndyke, then Editor of the Angling Times".

That rather suggest there was only two and since yours has a 'telephone latch' it must surely be either the one made for Jack Thorndyke or an earlier version.....??

Your reel is also 40 grams lighter than BB's ! Could that simply be the saving of not having a centreboss?
Opening up two Windows and comparing the two reels I'm quite convinced that yours too has a gearwheel as a check clicker, the teeth are identically shaped, even if the gear is fitted in a different manner.

Just bringing this to the top again as there are some more images added to the original post now, I think.

Zooming in ( Hold Ctrl and scroll mousewheel ) you can clearly see the reel on Dick's desk has a telephone latch.

The JAP Villiers box, by the way, would date from post 1957 when the latter absorbed the former. If RW made the reel in 1951 he must have kept it until 1957 at least presumably?

This reel does really look like the other large diameter centrepin made by Richard Walker, the blood-brother to the reel Dick made for 'BB', which I currently own. It is so similar in so many ways, but there are undoubtedly differences between the two which are to be expected, given the considerable period of time this reel has been off the radar. Besides, which, I wouldn't have thought Dick made them precisely similar in every respect at the outset.

The major difference being this 'second' reel doesn't have, and never has I suspect, a braking mechanism.

I'm almost certain Dick told me that although made for himself he later presented this reel to Jack Thorndike, (Jack was the editor of Angling Times in the early years of the paper's existence, and later a director.) I asked Jack Thorndike about the reel in, I think, about 1988, and was informed that he had no recollection of it. (Thinking about it now, that statement may have been made just to put me off; but who knows?)

I'm hoping to meet up with John, the new owner of the reel, in the near future, so the reels can be compared side by side and, of course photographed together.

For my part, this isn't just 'the find of the year' but the find of any year!

Regards,

Len.

Fascinating Len, thanks for the info, love too see them together

I think RW's first reel does have a braking mechanism, Len. There's a drum outside of the cogwheel and the lever operated ratchet check also has a felt ( ? ) pad on it....I'd guess it's arranged to bear against the drum before the pawl strikes the cogwheel. Probably meant as an easily adjustable current compensating drag for trotting rather than a brake though.....

Beresford wrote:What a find, just amazing. It's worth an absolute fortune. A holy grail type moment I think. It would be interesting to compare this to the BB reel, who owns that? Doing so could confirm the provenance beyond any doubt. What I don't understand is why a woman in Yorkshire with no knowledge of or interest in fishing would acquire this in the first place. Either way it doesn't matter. It's your's now. Possibly the most significant fishing find of the year!

Staggering find!!!!

The BB reel is owned by Len Arbery, I was indeed allowed to hold the reel when I visited some time ago

I wonder which reel was made first.
I feel the Walker model possibly served as a prototype for the BB version.
The exposed spool rim on the Walker model looks to have oxidised more than the backplate.
So just maybe that is the Magneseum version abandoned for the later improved finish of the BB one.
Speculation of course. But it might go someway to explain the story !?

Thanks, Nobby, for pointing out my error; will endeavour to be more careful in future.

What I really meant is that this new find doesn't possess, and suspect never has, an 'independent' braking system, compare pics below:




The first shot shows the 'BB' reel, the second being John's new find.

Regards,

Len.