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Modern or old?

N

Nick Anderson

No Longer a Member
Folks. Just a very basic question. Would you prefer the modern technology of today? Or just fish as you have since day one?

Sorry I don't know how to do a poll on here or photo shop. Cheers pells
 
It depends to a certain extent on how old you are. I started fishing in the 1950's with a tank aerial for a rod and I later inherited an old floppy split cane rod and Mitchell reel with a half bail arm off my dad. Consequently, I can state quite categorically that modern gear is fabulous in comparison with the rubbish that was available to the average angler in those days. I wish our rivers contained as many fish nowadays as they did then - the roach and dace fishing that I once took for granted has unfortunately disappeared!
 
Oh but I feel left out now. I love my modern rods and reels: light, super efficient and very shiny. But then I was chatting to Edward Barder a couple of months ago on a cool sunny morning at his workshop on the banks of the river Lambourn and now I am quite a bit poorer as the 2 year wait for my slightly stepped up Kennet Perfection split cane rod begins. But then I will be richer, sort of. I admire the fantastic craftsmanship and attention to detail. I may even fish with it every now and again. And yet I also adore my Fox Kevlar barbel rod because it's the first "proper" barbel rod I owned.

It doesn't really matter, I just like fishing. Modern, old, a bit of both perhaps, who cares if it makes you happy and you enjoy your fishing.
 
Hi men,

I can see why people like old /antique tackle , because angling lends itself to a thread of history . This is more prevalent in carp fishing , because that side of our pastime pushed the development of tackle , and some of the venues are iconic .

Personally , since I started carp fishing in the 70's I have strived in to have the best tackle in every way . Rods were from glass Bruce and walkers through to the fantastic Century rods I have now , reels from Mitchell's through to the bait runners / big pit reels with their fantastic clutches , and multi bearing construction . Hooks bear no resemblance to the early ones , line is now fantastic with tapered leaders built in , dedicated floater lines , I like the evolution , and long may tackle companies do so .

As a little observation , there also seems a bit of a fashion at the mo to slag off companies like Korda , quiet why I don't know . I have met Danny Fairbrass , and he seemed a nice bloke . It's quiet simple if you don't need some of these types of products then don't buy them , don't watch the DVD ,s as nobody is forcing you , but to me ?, well I started carp fishing when magazines came out quarterly , thank god we have moved on , as the Streets said " let's push things forward " !

Hatter
 
Mark Anderson said:
Hi men,

I can see why people like old /antique tackle , because angling lends itself to a thread of history . This is more prevalent in carp fishing , because that side of our pastime pushed the development of tackle , and some of the venues are iconic .

Personally , since I started carp fishing in the 70's I have strived in to have the best tackle in every way . Rods were from glass Bruce and walkers through to the fantastic Century rods I have now , reels from Mitchell's through to the bait runners / big pit reels with their fantastic clutches , and multi bearing construction . Hooks bear no resemblance to the early ones , line is now fantastic with tapered leaders built in , dedicated floater lines , I like the evolution , and long may tackle companies do so .

As a little observation , there also seems a bit of a fashion at the mo to slag off companies like Korda , quiet why I don't know . I have met Danny Fairbrass , and he seemed a nice bloke . It's quiet simple if you don't need some of these types of products then don't buy them , don't watch the DVD ,s as nobody is forcing you , but to me ?, well I started carp fishing when magazines came out quarterly , thank god we have moved on , as the Streets said " let's push things forward " !

Hatter
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I seem to remember a photo, not too many years ago, of a centre pin fixed to an old match rod with insulation tape on Barton Court :)
 
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Hi men,

Yep Ian :D , every New Year's Eve a group of us meet up at Barton court ( tarnish tail club ) , bacon rolls , coffee , mince pies . I also fish with silly :p tackle for a laugh , but given a choice it's wafer thin carbon ! :D

Hatter , not old tackle , it's me that's old
 
Hi men,

Following on from my post , how lucky we are with books and magazines !. In the 70's I used to get the weeklies and have to cut out the carp catch reports !. The only dedicated mag was the CAA carp mag that was , let's be honest , very average . I can remember talking to Rob Maylin when we went down the pub one evening where he told me that Carpworld was going monthly :eek: , " monthly ? He said , bloody hell one day we will have a weekly Carpworld :rolleyes: " . Not long after Carptalk came out :D . I can also remember waiting very impatiently for books !, I had talked to people about a carp book that was being released by Rod Hutchingson called Carp Strikes Back , an iconic book and one of my favs , close to Tiger Bay , and Terry Hearns books , and waited I did !, that really changed the way angling books were written .

Now ? , loads of monthly mags , Carptalk weekly , and people bring books out all over the place . Online fishing TV , blogs to read , lots of free stuff , Forums for a chat , we are very lucky , and blasé . I used to spend loads on this stuff , but have reduced it to Carpworld & Talk , Carpology for the Savay articles ( I fished it , loved it , and know someone on there now ) . I do get caught by the odd other if there is something I want to see , and the odd angling times .

Hatter
 
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In the 'Good Old Days'our rivers were brim full of fish or so it seemed, and the crudest of gear would catch you fish. Fish seem less plentiful these days, besides we have probably made a rod for our own banks in making the fish more savvy with more refined tackle we use.

I love to look at old tackle, I own a few bits, split cane is really a beautiful material, as is an old 'pin, but convenience, weight etc is all important these days, so it has to be 'new'.
 
As you would probably guess I prefer to use cane rods and have a Barder Barbus Maximus and an F.J.Taylor Roach Rod, built by my friend Ian Tucker, amongst my collection.

I also like to use a centrepin as much as possible but, this might come as a surprise, I frequently use my Hexagraph with a Shimano. Great stuff!

I have also visited Edward Barder in his workshop and what a wonderful craftsman and totally decent chap he is.

Almost forgot, I do have two carbon fly rods.

You pays your money and you takes your choice.

As ever,

Hugo
 
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Mark Anderson said:
Hi men,

Following on from my post , how lucky we are with books and magazines !. In the 70's I used to get the weeklies and have to cut out the carp catch reports !. The only dedicated mag was the CAA carp mag that was , let's be honest , very average . I can remember talking to Rob Maylin when we went down the pub one evening where he told me that Carpworld was going monthly :eek: , " monthly ? He said , bloody hell one day we will have a weekly Carpworld :rolleyes: " . Not long after Carptalk came out :D . I can also remember waiting very impatiently for books !, I had talked to people about a carp book that was being released by Rod Hutchingson called Carp Strikes Back , an iconic book and one of my favs , close to Tiger Bay , and Terry Hearns books , and waited I did !, that really changed the way angling books were written .

Now ? , loads of monthly mags , Carptalk weekly , and people bring books out all over the place . Online fishing TV , blogs to read , lots of free stuff , Forums for a chat , we are very lucky , and blasé . I used to spend loads on this stuff , but have reduced it to Carpworld & Talk , Carpology for the Savay articles ( I fished it , loved it , and know someone on there now ) . I do get caught by the odd other if there is something I want to see , and the odd angling times .

Hatter
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I was an Avid reader of all the weeklies/monthlies but never bother now, just old stuff recycled really. But the old Angling Times was a different thing altogether, as a young lad the articles by the great and good of the times inspired generations of young lads to get out there and fish, also it certainly must have helped with our essays's at school.

Of course way back then there was little regard to the 'pc's one particular Times article I recall was 'Slaughter On The Whitham', together with pictures of 100lb plus net of bream flapping around on the grass, and those landing nets could strip of any slime at a stroke, keepnets were hideous, and the only mat we knew of was the one by the back door.:)
 
I see in the times that the chappy near Fladbury is selling his shops entire antique fishing collection. I do like a look around in there, but till now have resisted the temptation to buy an item or two.
 
i have been fishing since 1952, 1st time was a bike ride from shoreditch to the lee at tottenham with 2 of my mates, that was a long bike ride for 6 year olds (about 6 miles or so), i caught my 1st fish on rod and line , god knows how using an avon float loads of shot and a hook which i now reckon was a size 8 and line about 6 lbs:eek::eek: now 6 lb line then aint nuthin like now, an old tank aerieabout 7 ft and the most seized up alloy centrepin you easily hate,
i quickly learned about good tackle and big fish and havent stopped learning, i kept my big fish caprtures to myself and crept around in bushes ect so i couldnt be seen, i think back and wonder how nothing bad happened to me in those days, i was eventually persueded to join the carp society and think my membership number was either 158 or 258 , never looked back but eventually got dissillusioned when they got more interested in making money than fishing
one thing was i always and still do look for the best in tackle and still do, back in the early days i made a lot of tackle i needed and improvised other stuff but
i look at my barbel or carp gear now and wonder how any kid around 11=12 years old could ever get the kinda cash needed to equip with top quality stuff when reels are fetching as much £500 each and rods at £400+
 
John, they don't, Usable Tackle is cheap and decent now, when i started, Mitchell 440a's and 55's were the IN reels and cost a small fortune,Cheap stuff back then was cheap for a reason, truly dreadful!!!!!
Youngsters have never had it so good thanks to the Chinese.
 
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John Walker said:
my 1st half decent reel at the time was an intrepid de luxe, me next upgrade was an ambidex:)
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I agree with Dave John. Cheap tackle when you and I were lads was truly dreadful stuff...as in your hateful centrepin (I had one of those...if you clicked the ratchet on it made a noise like a football rattle and frightened cattle in the field behind you :D)

On the other hand, relatively cheap stuff now is frequently better than the best of the stuff available back then. There still is SOME dross about...but bye and large, there is a lot of utterly brilliant stuff around at absolute bargain prices.

Mind you, it was great fun working up to the quality stuff when we were kids wasn't it? I did a paper round before school and a milk round at weekends in my determination to buy what my parents couldn't afford to give me. The only disappointing thing about that was that neither my Mum nor the girl I fancied down the road were even the slightest bit impressed by the coveted things of beauty I eventually bought. Life can be a bitch :D

Cheers, Dave.
 
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David Gauntlett said:
I agree with Dave John. Cheap tackle when you and I were lads was truly dreadful stuff...as in your hateful centrepin (I had one of those...if you clicked the ratchet on it made a noise like a football rattle and frightened cattle in the field behind you :D)

On the other hand, relatively cheap stuff now is frequently better than the best of the stuff available back then. There still is SOME dross about...but bye and large, there is a lot of utterly brilliant stuff around at absolute bargain prices.

Mind you, it was great fun working up to the quality stuff when we were kids wasn't it? I did a paper round before school and a milk round at weekends in my determination to buy what my parents couldn't afford to give me. The only disappointing thing about that was that neither my Mum nor the girl I fancied down the road were even the slightest bit impressed by the coveted things of beauty I eventually bought. Life can be a bitch :D

Cheers, Dave.
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Yes it was Dave, i went out washing cars every weekend so i could afford my first carbon rod....lol
 
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