Milwards Floatcraft

[SeanM]

I'm close to completing a Milwards Floatcraft and I thought some pictures would be a useful resource. The rod was originally advertised as part of a job lot of old tackle on Ebay and as it was a local collect only I kept an eye on it. I didn't want all the other stuff and the start price was a bit high anyway so I was glad when the final day arrived with no offers. I sent the seller a message asking him to contact me if he didn't sell and wanted to sell the rod on its own. The tackle didn't sell and the seller sent me a message asking if I'd like to pop over and have a look at the rod.

The tackle had all been owned by the seller from new, having been bought for him as a boy by his parents. We spent a pleasant hour drinking tea and chatting before agreeing a price on the rod. It came in its original bag complete with ferrule stoppers and original stock label, but damp had done its work and the intermediate rings were corroded beyond saving.

After a complete strip and rebuild, with reset ferrules, a reshaped handle to allow the reel to sit higher up the rod and a new set of rings here she is:











I love the action of the rod - the split cane splice in the middle section gives it a nice tippy action which blends nicely into the whole cane and it's light enough to trot with all day. A rub down, a couple more coats of thinned varnish and a final tidy up will see it put through its paces as a grayling rod over the winter.

[Nobby]

Very nice, Sean. A 'full' restoration, but it looks totally original.

[AshbyCut]

Looks lovely, Sir ... I'm quite envious.

[Macdescruple]

Here is another Floatcraft for viewing. Its a 14' model that I purchased with a very specific purpose in mind. ie. Fishing a very deep slow river.
Its in excellent condition and the price was pretty good which I assume reflected the fact that the 14 footer is a less desirable version?

I was told that any Cane rod would be heavy at that length but crikey this is substantial !

Trying to trot with it for any length of time would require some significant gym work, I think it will be pretty good for laying on or fishing static float in deeper swims though.

First thing I did on getting it home was to put a reel on it and thread it up to check the balance and power curve. All I can say is that it seems very powerful, much stronger than I expected.
The tip is pretty responsive but the mid section really delivers some beef. I was too nervous to really put a bend in it in the confines of my back garden but if I get it onto the bank this week we'll hopefully find out what its capable of.