Hazel Rod Rests

[Kingfisher]

Does anybody have an insight into making hazel Rod rests. A quick trall of the web leads me to believe that some amongst us use them. Bamboo I don't have a lot of scrap peices but Hazel is in abundance down in the fields, so I was contemplating making some if I see others have dabbled.

Anybody have any photos of theirs that I could see please and get a rough insight of how they made them?

[The Sweetcorn Kid]

Taken from 'Fennel's Priory Website'

*Banksticks
My banksticks are, as you might expect, made from forked branches cut from trees. I have two that have lasted for over 25 years. Hawthorn and yew make the best traditional banksticks as they are a slow growing wood that becomes very hard when dried. I have one of each. My hawthorn bankstick was cut in summer, when green, and then straightened by seasoning it over the winter against a plank of wood (I tapped nails into the plank, and straightened the sticks by bending them round the nails). Hawthorn is best with the bark kept on and then treated with teak oil each winter to keep it preserved. My yew bankstick is deliberately crooked, making it look more natural when in use. Yew is a lovely pale-coloured wood, so I removed the bark, dried the bankstick in my garage over winter, and then varnished the bankstick, which provided an opportunity to inscribe it in Indian ink.

I’m not a fan of split cane banksticks. I have two pairs of them that I made from leftover rod blanks. They look lovely but are most impractical – the varnish scratches off as soon as they are pushed into stony ground. Only use split cane banksticks if you are fishing a swim where the bank is silty or stone free.


http://www.fennelspriory.com/angling/tackleguide5.htm

[Kingfisher]

That's excellent Stu, thanks very much for that. I've just spent the last three days cutting the trees down that were spoiling the view and blocking the light from my kitchen. They consisted of mainly Ash and Hazel, so straight branches have been kept for seasoning and I wanted to put them to some use.........to sort of show respect to the trees.

[Nobby]

I made dozens and dozens last year after coppicing down a few hazel trees and pruning a willow. The wood had been matured in a very dry shed for a year and is quite hard...even the willow!

Hazel is an amazing wood....so flexible when green and so hard when dried.


The willow is a little more problematic as there is nearly always a split in the bark at the crook...just big enough to trap your line, so these all need shaving out and I then treated them with linseed oil.

[Kingfisher]

I remember making some as a child. I cut some hazel and shaved it then glued in some thick wire at the top in the shape of a capital "N". They worked wonders and kept me out of trouble whilst knocking them together in Dad's Garage.

[RBTraditional]

I've been making these for a few years now, these are some I made for Pete Reading for the Barbel Society auction last year, I usually do some for the Avon Roach Project event too.........."it's all for charity mate". Living in Kent and in a hamlet called Platts *****, which means nut wood down here I am surrounded by Hazel..........deep joy!

[Kingfisher]

Thanks RB Traditional. Hannay has made some and sent me the pictures by email but I'm having trouble logging into my email at present. I told him I'd put them up on the forum for him but I can't yet.

Those are just what I had in mind. I live in a squirrels paradise too. Hazel's everywhere here and loads of ash too.

thanks for the pics RBTraditional.

[Kingfisher]

Sorry Nobby for not noticing your post, I completely missed it.

I'll be making some soon, as somebody else said, it doesn't look right having cane on modern bank sticks, so money being tight i'll make some of my own.

[RBTraditional]

My pleasure sir. Just ensure that you strip the bark and cambium where required before you season the sticks for around six months minimum or you'll find them a sod to do.....
In the middle of making some for Mal Brown (Barbel Society) lovely lady and has been badgering me for a couple of years... at the mo, which have come out a lot better than those in the pictures............

[The Sweetcorn Kid]

They are lovely, just lovely!!!