Sealey Cutdown

[Rotrax]

Winging its way to the UK from far flung New Zealand is a two piece Edgar Sealey nine foot - or was nine foot - spinning rod. It was severely water damaged and in a bad way. I found it in nearby Petone, gracing a secondhand shops stock. I offered half of the asking price of 40 NZ Dollars and bought it. The knackered bits were cut away, a new ferrule sourced from an ebay supplier, nice whipping thread and rings from Steves Fishing in Guznee Street in Wellington. Covid then hit and my wife and I were locked down, fortunately in a family 'bubble' with our NZ Grandchildren. We were repatriated two months later and could not return until recently.

The lockdown gave me plenty of time to ensure the remains were sound, scrape the cane to get a really good fit on the ferrules and whip the rings and give it three thin coats of good varnish. We arrived back in Wellington on January 4th this year. Once over jet lag I checked out my NZ Cane Rod. Wow! Better than I remembered. Now shorter with 16 inches off of the top joint and six off of the bottom, it will make a cracking rod for large Chub in my local small river, the Ock. With a small fixed spool reel it chucks a 3/4 ounce bomb accurately, essential in the overgrown bankside vegitation and snaggy bottom. I could land the bomb in a household bucket eight times out of ten from twenty paces.

Really looking forward to putting a bend in it!

[Nobby]

Didn't know anyone fished the Ock. If it's the one near Godalming the EA thinks it's full of chemicals, I read. I hope that is out of date information.

[Rotrax]

No Nobby, it is the little chalk stream that rises by the Uffington White Horse, wends its twiddly way through Wantage and Hanney before reaching the Thames at Abingdon.

I have had three personal bests from the Ock, a 2.14 Roach, a 6.1 Chub and a 3.4 Perch. All taken the same week, river fining down after a few wet weeks, half a lobworm on a simple link ledger, size 8 spade end, two swan shot. The Perch was a close run thing too - it snagged on an underwater branch and I slacked off and left it for a minute and it came out free. Phew!

[Rotrax]

Update Nobby - after the recent days of heavy rain the Ock has burst its banks near Abingdon, flooding the nearby Tesco Superstore.

It has become half a mile wide........................................

[Nobby]

Apparently we just had the wettest March in 40 years. I can believe it. It seems there are several Ocks in the UK . It may be a Celtic word for salmon, I read. You might need a bigger rod!

[Ljm183]

I've got a nice little float made by Simon Glass with a map of the river Ock where it joins the Thames.

[Rotrax]

Thats the bit I fish! A lovely unspoiled stream, splits into two. It belongs to the Abingdon Corporation. Abingdon Residents get a cheap annual ticket, non residents can by one a bit more expensive. There are other bits of fishery too, including the Swift Ditch which offers slack water fishing during flood conditions.