Tom Watson "The Allrounder "

[Keston]

I recently bought a rod and I dont know much about it and wondered if anyone had knowledge to share . The rod is a Tom Watson "The Allrounder " and its marked Nottingham 11' and also 362 .
A forum search was helpful in showing Tom Watson was a Tackle shop and some rods may have been build by an ex Aspindales rod builder ? I havnt found any references to a " The Allrounder " though , mainly wasps and hornets .
Its 11 foot and straight , very slight droop , the cane looks sound but feels heavy (or heavier than I'm used to .The split cane itself looks sound although it seems someone may have bound a later reel seat to the cork . The rings are a puzzle too , they look much later than the rod however the whippings all seem quite in keeping with the rod and its age.

Any thoughts on the rod /builder and or Tom Watson appreciated .

[Olly]

Some piccys would be nice. Is it whole cane & split cane?

[Keston]

upload pictures

[Keston]

Some piccys would be nice. Is it whole cane & split cane?

Just added a couple of images , it's split cane .

[Tengisgol]

I suspect that could be a truly lovely rod but...you've got to get rid of those Fuji rings before the night is out (and its 23:18)...

[Keston]

I suspect that could be a truly lovely rod but...you've got to get rid of those Fuji rings before the night is out (and its 23:18)...

I agree on both counts , It has the potential to be a very nice rod , it has a lovely feel to it and action . Regrettably I failed miserably to meet the deadline I am always mindful of my old woodwork teacher and his favourite phrase stuck with me " keep it as long as you can for as long as you can ." Maybe it developed into a sort of phobia for keeping things as intact as possible until the last moment .

It looks like those rings were not a recent addition , but clearly they need to go .

[Liphook]

Please don't bin those rings or plate reel fitting Keston as I have number of late glass rods that would benefit from a few period replacements should you have no use for them?

[Olly]

It could be an Aspindale Swiftdale made and sold under the Tom Watson banner. But it has been "tampered with"!

Liphook - I have some older rings, etc suitable for glass rods.

[Keston]

Please don't bin those rings or plate reel fitting Keston as I have number of late glass rods that would benefit from a few period replacements should you have no use for them?

Yes , absolutely , when it is stripped I would be happy to send them to you , the rings have some paint rubbed from going in and out of a bag but apart from that are in good shape .

There is however a concern here , the more I "play " with it the more I like it , I think it would be interesting to fish with it "as is " for a while . Often I dont mind the history carried by tackle and the changes over time . In this respect it maybe I am not the best custodian for such a rod that may be better put back to its original state . It carries a reel well , if a little unbalanced but I can imaging tench fishing with it .

[Keston]

It could be an Aspindale Swiftdale made and sold under the Tom Watson banner. But it has been "tampered with"!

I'm struggling to see any information , it does feel like it was (is) a decent quality item . the ferrules and counters are all stamped with a 4 , its clearly had a good deal of use but is still sound .
I can image some years ago the chap who fished with it might have felt he was making some useful upgrades to keep the rod usable . He may even have found it aesthetically pleasing and was not nostalgic as we are now for having a vintage item look a certain way .

No doubt it will end up with a full refurb including cork , in doing so I hope it has some character .