Aspindales Windale

[Crucian]

Can anyone confirm that these are the original whipping colours for a Windale please?
The colours used remind me of Ted Olivers rods.
The rod has been over varnished with a dark stained varnish which doesn't help.

[Nobby]

I think the Windale, like the similar Suredale came in a number of colours. I've seen several combination, but have no idea if this reflects bespoke making to order or seasonal variations. I've seen Suredales in quite subtle 'Ted Oliver' indeed, colours as well as very bright green, double tipped in red with yellow inters !!!!

I can confirm the 'double tipping' is original...and a right pain to do as well



http://s259.photobucket.com/user/nobby4 ... 9.jpg.html

http://s259.photobucket.com/user/nobby4 ... 1.jpg.html

The only image I can find of a Windale though is a much later rod though:

http://s259.photobucket.com/user/nobby4 ... sort=4&o=8

This is from a time around the mid-Seventies I'm afraid and has nothing to do with Aspindales bar the hands of one expert rod maker who once worked for them.

[Crucian]

Thanks Nobby,

I was sure someone would know, do you have any idea when it was made, I would have thought early to mid 60's, but I recently read a post about the Dalesman series being made for a longer period than we had previously thought.
I rather like the double tipping even if it does take a little longer, would this have only featured on their better rods?

If anyone else has a Windale, I would be pleased to find out what colour whippings yours has. This one has an extremely fine tip (1.7mm) and is a light rod at 9.7 oz's.
11' long, whole cane butt, built cane middle and top joints.

[AshbyCut]

We know from the advert that I posted in this thread ...

http://www.traditionalfisherman.co.uk/v ... 13&t=16880

... that 'Dalesman' rods were being produced as early as 1953 ... but that advertisement also shows the 'Fisherman' logo ... and the fact that the company by then was "James Aspindale & Son."

Looking at the script on your rod it seems to be signed "Jas. Aspindale" without "& Son," so there may be a possibility that your rod dates to as early as 1949 when the two brothers split and went their own way.

This is pure conjecture on my part ... but possibly based in logic given the evidence ... though we'll probably never know !

[Nobby]

I can be fairly certain it's a post 1949 rod as that's when Jimmy Aspindale and his son Peter started their own firm using the 'Dalesman' brand to differentiate the firm from the early outfit of Jimmy and his brother William, which seemingly only lasted 3 years.

I do think only the top Dalesman rods got the double tipping and I've only see the Suredale at 12 feet and the Windale at 11 feet with it. Both have fine tip sections like a fly rod and medium weight whole cane butts. I guess they are pretty close to a B.James Avocet, bar the lengths.

Surely there must be some other Windales out there other than that 70's one I found an image of? But I've only ever seen one myself.....

[Mushy]

I have a Windale, whippings seem to be claret with back tippings and inters, as you say cane has been dyed to darken. Can post some pictures if required.

[Olly]

Just a question - were all the "Dalesman" rods marked with that logo?

[Nobby]

We can only guess so....if it didn't have it we wouldn't know it was a Dalesman period rod I suppose. Aspindale always went to the trouble of quite a lot of wring on their rods in a very fine hand....and since pre-Dalesman rods are in the same hand ( look at the capital 'A'....very unusual ) it's my guess that its was James Aspindales writing.


I'm not sure what became of James. He was a master builder of hollow-built rods from his time at Milwards apparently, but after personal tragedy he shut up shop.
The name continued however, when an ex-employee started up the firm again, though initially under another name. This ex employee was then joined by James' son Peter Aspindale, and it was decided to use James' name again....presumably with his permission, but he was no longer involved in making rods.

Only a guess, but later rods display a fine hand too, equally as involved and intricate, usually more so, and I can only think son Peter had similar handwriting to his father.

I also think Peter just might have 'written-up' rods for others as his writing seems to be on a few other makers rods like Norcro and Falcon.

[Olly]

Just that only 2 out of my 7/8 Aspindale rods have the "Dalesman" logo!

[Chavender]

I've had a quick look at my set of aspindale ref. pictures and there is a windale in there ,it looks like its a black (blue) whipped with the same gold as tippet ,the inters are blue/black ,the pictures are small ish so its hard to tell if its darkened blue or black thread ,to me though its blue that's aged darkened (often the case with aspindales the varnish takes on a tint as it ages and ambers ,the extra amber tint (yellowing) darkens the appearance of the underlying thread .

yours has a similar whipping pattern ,a small company like aspindales wouldn't have a set colour as such just highly recommended combinations (especially if they're doing a few in the same threads) and customers choices .some like subtle colours others flashy reds and blacks and some ostentatious jasper/twist threads etc

there is of cause the holly grail the legend only spoken in soft words ......Da Da Daaa a aspindales catalogue/guide list .

they just probably never bothered as rods where ordered rather than retailed ,you discuss what you want from the rod ,they offer you a corresponding model (rod pattern) or made one up to suite ,then gave you a choice of colours for the whippings and tippets etc .in the time honoured way .where as a retailer like allcocks you chose a existing rod from a catalogue that came in set colours (red/claret or green maybe black options) making so many in each colour in that production run or taken from a stock of finished rods from popular ranges.