Homer's (Remembering Gudgeon Jim)
Posted: Thu May 10, 2018 4:38 pm
It was a very cold January afternoon in 2017 when Mal and yours truly attended Jim’s funeral to pay our last respects. As with any funeral it’s a sad and sombre affair made worse by the young family he left behind to fish the great lake in the sky.
The service was held against a background of music from “The Who, Kate Bush, and the Style Council" in typical Jim style - always something a little different.
Jim and I had become firm friends over a number of years. This started with several messages on TFF before realising we both fished the Kennet on the Wasing estate and as members of Newbury Angling Association plus we lived barely 4 miles from each other.
Following this discovery we spent many hours together on the Kennet, Barton Court and drinking coffee together in our respective homes.
Two things went mainly unnoticed unless you knew Jim well:
1. He was a superb angler who loved cane and pins; along with Martin James I would consider him the best Chub angler I have ever had the privilege to be friends with, and fish with. His PB was 7-2. Jim was more than just a Chub angler - he had other PBs that most would give their right arm for; he also loved his Perch and Roach fishing. His best Perch was 4-6 , his Roach 3-3 and his Gudgeon were of course legendary . Like I said, he was a superb angler.
2. Jim also had the finest collection of Homer's rods I have ever seen and although he would always deny it, he was an expert in the whole history of that great company from Forest Gate, London.
I will never forget an afternoon during the spring of 2016 Jim called me and said “Fancy a coffee at my place and take look at some rods especially as I value your opinion.” Three hours and three coffees later I left with an amazing twin tip Homer Roach rod which Jim had the full history of, including relatives of the match secretary who had previously owned the rod. “It will be much better in your hands Bumble,” such was the man.
Bringing the story quickly up to date before I bore you all with my ramblings, but in November 2017 my great friend, fellow member and amazing restorer Cane&Able called me: “I have found this superb Homer whole cane butt. Are you interested?” Memories of Jim came flooding back and almost without hesitation I said yes. Restoration has been under way now for a couple of months and I get more excited every time I get the next batch of pictures from Cane&Able.
The rod is 11’ in length, with a three piece whole cane butt, split cane middle and tip section. It has a 21” handle with a convex cone end which is blued alloy with an aged patina as have the reel bands and butt cap.
The action is best described as classic Avon, soft slow progression throughout the taper. It’s definitely not a rod for a big flow nor big Barbel . Homer’s were geared for Match and general course fishing, particularly Roach fishing with their rods and poles so a whole cane butt from circa 1950 possibly was based on a Wizard from a rival camp. To back up this supposition the tip section of this rod has an identical taper to a very early Wallis Wizard that I am very proud to have in my thicket.
The Homer rod is dressed with black whips tipped with red with a single very fine red whip either side of the whips with black inters - classic Homers simplicity. Sometimes less is more.
Hopefully I will get to fish with the rod when I meet up with great friends Cane&Able and Martin James to the fish for Cucians and Tench during June. If you’re looking down on us Jim and keeping up with TFF, let’s hope I catch something, anything, with this beautiful old piece of cane to put a smile on your face.
Seldom has any piece of cane touched me so much and many emotions have kicked in so please excuse my reasons to post, Jim, loved TFF so I say without fear of contestation he would have approved. The really good stuff is out tonight my friend raising a glass to you as I post.
Bumble.
The service was held against a background of music from “The Who, Kate Bush, and the Style Council" in typical Jim style - always something a little different.
Jim and I had become firm friends over a number of years. This started with several messages on TFF before realising we both fished the Kennet on the Wasing estate and as members of Newbury Angling Association plus we lived barely 4 miles from each other.
Following this discovery we spent many hours together on the Kennet, Barton Court and drinking coffee together in our respective homes.
Two things went mainly unnoticed unless you knew Jim well:
1. He was a superb angler who loved cane and pins; along with Martin James I would consider him the best Chub angler I have ever had the privilege to be friends with, and fish with. His PB was 7-2. Jim was more than just a Chub angler - he had other PBs that most would give their right arm for; he also loved his Perch and Roach fishing. His best Perch was 4-6 , his Roach 3-3 and his Gudgeon were of course legendary . Like I said, he was a superb angler.
2. Jim also had the finest collection of Homer's rods I have ever seen and although he would always deny it, he was an expert in the whole history of that great company from Forest Gate, London.
I will never forget an afternoon during the spring of 2016 Jim called me and said “Fancy a coffee at my place and take look at some rods especially as I value your opinion.” Three hours and three coffees later I left with an amazing twin tip Homer Roach rod which Jim had the full history of, including relatives of the match secretary who had previously owned the rod. “It will be much better in your hands Bumble,” such was the man.
Bringing the story quickly up to date before I bore you all with my ramblings, but in November 2017 my great friend, fellow member and amazing restorer Cane&Able called me: “I have found this superb Homer whole cane butt. Are you interested?” Memories of Jim came flooding back and almost without hesitation I said yes. Restoration has been under way now for a couple of months and I get more excited every time I get the next batch of pictures from Cane&Able.
The rod is 11’ in length, with a three piece whole cane butt, split cane middle and tip section. It has a 21” handle with a convex cone end which is blued alloy with an aged patina as have the reel bands and butt cap.
The action is best described as classic Avon, soft slow progression throughout the taper. It’s definitely not a rod for a big flow nor big Barbel . Homer’s were geared for Match and general course fishing, particularly Roach fishing with their rods and poles so a whole cane butt from circa 1950 possibly was based on a Wizard from a rival camp. To back up this supposition the tip section of this rod has an identical taper to a very early Wallis Wizard that I am very proud to have in my thicket.
The Homer rod is dressed with black whips tipped with red with a single very fine red whip either side of the whips with black inters - classic Homers simplicity. Sometimes less is more.
Hopefully I will get to fish with the rod when I meet up with great friends Cane&Able and Martin James to the fish for Cucians and Tench during June. If you’re looking down on us Jim and keeping up with TFF, let’s hope I catch something, anything, with this beautiful old piece of cane to put a smile on your face.
Seldom has any piece of cane touched me so much and many emotions have kicked in so please excuse my reasons to post, Jim, loved TFF so I say without fear of contestation he would have approved. The really good stuff is out tonight my friend raising a glass to you as I post.
Bumble.
