The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Shaun Harrison wrote: ↑Mon Mar 05, 2018 6:11 pm Horseshoe Fishing Tackle in Long Eaton, Nottinghamshire where I would be served by the owner Cybil and sometimes Steve. Steve ended up working in latter years for the late Steve Parton at Sparton Tackle.
Sadly, Horseshoe Fishing Tackle slipped by the wayside many years back but their sticker still remains on one of my early diaries.

I seem to have revisited this thread 30 months too late. Steve Parton and I were both managers at the Raleigh Cycle company in the 70's and 80's. I was Quality Manager and at the time Steve was the Production Manager of the Toy Division, referred to as 'Toyland' at Raleigh. We had a common love of fishing with Steve into game fishing, particularly trout and myself into coarse and carp.

During the majority of my 12 years at the company the business was contracting with frequent rounds of redundancy so I guess we could both see the writing on the wall. Steve had several fishing related income streams. He wrote books and magazine articles, guided anglers, and was a consultant for Shakespeare on the game side. Inevitably he started Spartan tackle, initially as a mail order business selling flies etc. I remember several sessions of sitting in his office at work discussing his sideline and him suggesting that I join him to concentrate on the coarse and carp side of the business. Having a young family and a career on the rise at the time I didn't take him up on it.

A few years later after Steve had left Raleigh my son, Stu, was keen to start fishing. I contacted Steve and he 'acquired' through Shakespeare enough kit to get him started. I went to his house to collect it, by that time he was rod making too. I think I only met him once after that as he was taken from us much too early. Quite a character and one of the 'good guys'.

2 other random memories of Steve:-
1) I think his father was a rather clever chap, possibly a professor(?), who invented and patented a lightning conductor

2) Shakespeare were developing a close faced reel to try and compete with Abu. I can't be sure but it may have been 2020. Anyway, he gave me a prototype to try and report on. I tried it once and thought it was rubbish and reported so. I think it was launched but never found favour with anglers. I got that one right!

Am I right in thinking Triumph bicycles were part of Raleigh then, Bob? I and another lad in the village had identical bikes, but his was a Raleigh and mine a Triumph Palm Beach. Sold to Tubular Investments I think? Years later I knew Drew Lawson who started Muddy Fox, I think he sold to TI as well!

Quite correct Nobby. TI Raleigh made Triumph, Hercules, Carlton, Sunbeam, New Hudson, BSA and many others. Some of the old British names were top selling brands in certain overseas markets yet meant little over here.

When I joined them in 1975 they employed 12,500 workers and the Nottingham site was 35 acres. There was also manufacturing at the old Hercules factory in Birmingham where they also made Brooks saddles. The production figures were astounding. From memory we had 80% of the home market yet 60% of all production was exported. When I left 12 years later there were just 1000 employed and most cycles were imported. A sad reflection on UK manufacturing in general.

The name still exists but I believe it is just a warehouse with no production. I really don't know what happened post Tube Investments as I really haven't taken any interest in the company, or even bicycles, since I left.

Sorry, I seem to have taken this subject way off track.

Jacksons in the church yard at Hitchin. This was a modellig/ hobby shop with rods and floats in the window to lure young boys with pocket money to spend. Upon reaching the age of 13 I had started to fish for carp I took my hard earned cash up Nightingale Road to Alan Brown's. Gazed at the monster from Tiddenfoot in a glass case on the wall behind the counter whislt absorbing the atmosphere of a proper tackle shop. Bought my first pair of black conoflex rods from there later followed by 3 of Hutchy's LR 1's with 50mm folding butt rings

Bob Brookes wrote: ↑Sat Sep 26, 2020 9:23 am Sorry, I seem to have taken this subject way off track.

I think that was me, Bob...my mind wanders...

Bells of Hythe (now long gone)
Tight Lines Totton (again gone) was the place for those fishing TVAC waters and for bait making ingredients
Poingdestres now in a VERY big shop but when i 1st started going it was a high street shop with a separate carp cabin both were stacked to the ceilings with stuff, no charm now

Woolworths, Castle Street in Conwy North Wales.