The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

I would like to know a little about the history of the mkv1 carp rod. How it came about, and how it was reproduced by various companies after, like B James. Example did Walker make any money with the using his name on the rods. Is there a web-site with all the information on it?

Tanks.

WildCarpFisher. wrote:I would like to know a little about the history of the mkv1 carp rod. How it came about, and how it was reproduced by various companies after, like B James. Example did Walker make any money with the using his name on the rods. Is there a web-site with all the information on it?

Tanks.

I wouldn't claim it to be totally comprehensive, but I have written about the development of the MK IV on my blog site, WCF...
Best wishes - FB

Very interesting stuff FB.

I take it you're talking about the mark 4 WCF? Your Roman numerals spell mark 6?

Anyway, this is a topic I have contemplated. The big question is; What happened to the Mark I, Mark II and Mark III?

Ooops, that's embarrassing, should've read your write up first FB...

No worries, Scott - and thanks for the kind comments, guys.

Scott wrote:I take it you're talking about the mark 4 WCF? Your Roman numerals spell mark 6?

Anyway, this is a topic I have contemplated. The big question is; What happened to the Mark I, Mark II and Mark III?

Scott,
The Mark II is owned by a collector and is safe and sound as is the Mark III which I am the keeper of. Years ago I was shown what was purported to be Walker’s Mark I, but I’ve heard nothing of it since.

Chris Ball wrote:

Scott wrote:I take it you're talking about the mark 4 WCF? Your Roman numerals spell mark 6?

Anyway, this is a topic I have contemplated. The big question is; What happened to the Mark I, Mark II and Mark III?

Scott,
The Mark II is owned by a collector and is safe and sound as is the Mark III which I am the keeper of. Years ago I was shown what was purported to be Walker’s Mark I, but I’ve heard nothing of it since.

Thanks for that Chris, interesting. So, was the Mark III ever reproduced? Are there replicas or something similar out there?

Scott wrote:

Chris Ball wrote:

Scott wrote:I take it you're talking about the mark 4 WCF? Your Roman numerals spell mark 6?

Anyway, this is a topic I have contemplated. The big question is; What happened to the Mark I, Mark II and Mark III?

Scott,
The Mark II is owned by a collector and is safe and sound as is the Mark III which I am the keeper of. Years ago I was shown what was purported to be Walker’s Mark I, but I’ve heard nothing of it since.

Thanks for that Chris, interesting. So, was the Mark III ever reproduced? Are there replicas or something similar out there?

Scott,
I can’t ever remember anyone running a micrometer over the Mark III (I’ve owned this rod since 1970), it was the only carp rod that Dick personally made that was double-built - a hexagon within a hexagon and of a straight taper design.
However, he found that this type of building only added weight not extra strenght which he was looking for. For the later Mark IV he reverted to single building but incorporated a compound taper design plus a section of straight taper dowel hidden under the cork handle into which the butt section of cane was plugged. This gave a sort of ‘lock-up’ of the rod which aided casting and playing fish.
A number of people including Edward Barder, Alan Bramley (of Partridge), Steve Weaver (of Scottie rods) and Shaun Lindsey have run a micrometer over Mark IV No 1.

I was toying with the idea of a MKIII replica to go with my MKIV No1 replica but times are a bit hard at the moment so I have had to put that project on the backburner.