Ever since I became interested in cane poles, I've wanted one of 20 feet plus. Whether it's because I've been unlucky or whether there are just fewer of them I don't know. What I do know is that the occasional ones I have come across so far seem to be priced as if they were made of silver rather than grass. If they had been stuffed with 'grass' I would still have baulked at the cost.
The latest was no exception and others must have agreed because I watched it for weeks until I felt I could afford to make an offer closer to my own valuation. The description was a stumbling block. "Possibly a Sowerbutts" very rarely means anything in the world of old timber poles. Nearly everybody who has one for sale and has heard that legendary name tries to tie them together. Caveat emptor was never more appropriately advised than when buying cars or poles, I urge you to set no store by that description. And yet....
As luck would have it, my offer was accepted and I was surprised to see, on its arrival, that this one was in far better condition than the photographs suggested. I was very pleased to see that minimal work would be required to put it back into use. A pole is a simple object. There are limited ways that one can investigate its history and none of them are guaranteed foolproof. A butt cap may be engraved with the maker's name. Newspaper may be stuffed into the lower sections to buffer the next section as it is dropped inside when packing up. That can give a date. Or there may be a clue on the bag.
As I say nothing is beyond fakery. The butt cap may be off another pole. Just because a piece of newspaper is dated 1905, that only ages the newspaper. A bag can obviously be of any vintage or from any other rod, so trust me when I say that I am very wary of leaping to conclusions. In this instance my pole came in a sleeve tailored to the different lengths of the sections with an angler's name and club written on it. There was a little of that mist seeping in around the window.
Nobody on here should be in any doubt about this forum's value and the depth of knowledge available within it. A little while ago, I posted a plea for information about my pole on here which drew a pm from Mark (daceace). He had recognised the angler's details. He had asked around his contacts and Keith Arthur came up with an email address and permission to contact that very gentleman. What are the chances?
The owner has been very generous with his information, more generous than I can reveal here, but he was able to positively identify the pole as his and give me its entire backstory from its commission to the time he sold it and I can't tell you what a surprise it was.
Edward Sowerbutts was president of his fledgling angling club and after much badgering agreed to make him a pole. Edward had long since stopped producing poles and his last ones, I believe, were produced somewhere around 1957. This one was made up from remaining stock but having long since lost contact with his Asian suppliers, he was unable to find a piece for the butt whose quality he was entirely happy to put his name to.
The need for this pole was becoming urgent as important matches approached so Mr Sowerbutts fitted a temporary butt section of slightly lower quality as a stopgap. The pole was put to good use on the Lower Thames but three months later he abandoned the quest for a piece of suitable cane. Consequently, this pole remained functional but with a serviceable butt not yet finished to Sowerbutts high standard and thus unsigned.
Brian has copied me a photograph from the Angling Times of his pole, apparently minus the butt, in use very soon after completion dated 1965, making this almost certainly the last pole ever made by Edward Sowerbutts.
Being able to tie the history of a cane pole to its original owner and to specific matches and the swims that it was used in is something remarkable, to me at least. The pole is 57 years old and the chances of finding the owner must have been vanishingly small and yet thanks to Mark and his contacts, I had this fascinating story within a week. Edward Sowerbutts last pole is now standing in line awaiting its day in the sun once more. I am very grateful to Brian Gent for so patiently answering my requests for information and hopefully he will be receiving some new images of his pole in use later this year.
