The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Mine is similar two section, plus detachable butt (a bit like a Chapman 500) honey coloured glass thats quite cane looking, black ring whippings with burgundy intermediates,high bells with agates butt and tip and tip has screw in for quiver/swing tip. It just feels very good in the hand.

Gaz

I have a honey coloured glass Sportex rod that has that same set up as the Chapman 500 GTA. There aint arf some models out there aren't there!! I am glad I do not collect rods like I do old local bottles, I would have no space left to live in!

Reedling wrote:I am glad I do not collect rods like I do old local bottles, I would have no space left to live in!

Too much information AC?

Reedling,

I like to collect new Shepard Neame bottles and empty them!

Perhaps AC is running out of room in his man cave.

Gasz

I am going to make you jealous now GTA..my son is getting married next year and the reception has been arranged at the Shepherd Neame brewery at Faversham..Burp, hic etc I do like a drop of Sheps beer.

PS.. I also have an old early 19th C embossed bottle from Sheps as well, amongst my collection of old bottles from old long gone Kent breweries. I must stop going off topic you know.

Nice Reedling I like the idea of that

Gaz

Tom watson's used to build a rod called the "Trent special". Which was a two part match rod, 11.9 ft in length , japanese selected cane butt with top joint of double spliced cane and built cane top. Later an improved version was made called the 'Trentman mk 1'.

My God that sounds very promising PondLife that describes my rod almost exactly barring the length. Mine is about 11ft 3 inches and as you can see in the pictures it does not look short on the tip at all, maybe it is the MK 1? I hope you do not mind me asking but..who were Tom Watsons, where were they and around what date roughly would this rod have been built please. All the best and thankyou. Reedling.

Hi Reedling, the spec i put down was for the "Trentman mk 1 which according to my catalogue was basically an improved version of the "Trent special" which is the rod is suspect you bought, which possibly could of been slightly shorter than the improved "Trentman mk1". Tom watsons were based in canal street Nottingham and they/he made their own rods. My catalogue from 1964/65 includes models such as : "The Sedge', "The Black gnat", The Midge mk11", "The Hornet" , "The Wasp", "The Trentman mk1" and the "Scorpion".
Tom Watson rods occasionally appear on ebay and usually make more then £50 upwards. Also there are some pictures of the Midge on the in the net website. Hope i've been of some help, kind regards, pondlife.

By the way "The Trentman mk 1" cost £7.5.0 in 1964, so it looks like you got a bargain.