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Split Cane rods

Have owned and fished a lot of these coarse rods.

Personally I wasnt too keen on the B.James rods. Very long handles and very thick tips.

I like the Allcocks rods, Olivers, Aspindales a lot as I do Linsley, Cook and Barder.

Allcocks can be all over the place. They are great if you can locate a really good one and can cope with the sometimes super short handles (e.g. in the Wizards). Olivers are more reliable and I have yet to see a bad Aspindales rod.

The newer makers are mighty expensive and somehow I rather fish with the old stuff (sometimes hollowbuilt!! e.g. some Aspindales) as the new ones feel more like cane versions of modern graphite rods.

Trial error is the name of the game to find a good one. Good thing is the old ones are still relatively affordable.
 
Whilst I can see the point in moving the reel position (the fulcrum) to a point higher up the handle so as to offset some of the 'weight' (the 'load') on the tip, this does, inevitably 'shorten' the rod ...to all intents & purposes. Whereas a lump of lead up the butt (steady!) does not.
It seems somewhat laughable that someone will buy an 12ft rod and have a foot of that rod behind their elbow when casting (i.e. they'll be casting, in effect, with an 11ft rod). For beach casting with a multiplier, ok ... but otherwise it's a waste of a foot of rod, IMO.
And whilst kind of maybe understanding the joy in using what's basically 'old gear' ... this dressing up in 1930's/1940's clothes? What's that all about then eh? I'd have thought you'd have hampered yourself enough wielding your ungainly heavy lengths of wood without trudging the banks in Mackintoshes, tweeds, flat caps and plus fours etc.
🤣 😂 🤣 😂 🤣 😂
Basically, I'm persuaded that nostalgia is not as good as it used to be.
 
Terry Simner said:
And whilst kind of maybe understanding the joy in using what's basically 'old gear' ... this dressing up in 1930's/1940's clothes? What's that all about then eh? I'd have thought you'd have hampered yourself enough wielding your ungainly heavy lengths of wood without trudging the banks in Mackintoshes, tweeds, flat caps and plus fours etc.
🤣 😂 🤣 😂 🤣 😂
Basically, I'm persuaded that nostalgia is not as good as it used to be.
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I’ve never been into that either. One of the reasons I stopped posting on another forum was when I realised it had become rather po-faced about the whole traditional thing and mere talk of carbon could result in stern warnings yet talk of having bought a Frank Spencer style tank-top knitted jumper from a charity shop to go fishing in was met with hearty enthusiasm.

I remember thinking, yeah, I’m done here now. Seen all I need to see. Time to move on.
 
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Terry Simner said:
..this dressing up in 1930's/1940's clothes? What's that all about then eh? I'd have thought you'd have hampered yourself enough wielding your ungainly heavy lengths of wood without trudging the banks in Mackintoshes, tweeds, flat caps and plus fours etc
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It’s a strange one isn’t Terry? I once bumped into a bunch of anglers on the Wye who were all dressed head to toe in tweed etc, wicker creels and kelly kettles galore. All competing to be the most like Chris Yates it seemed, I guess none of them saw the irony in that, but whatever floats your boat I suppose.

This slightly acerbic blog article hits the nail on the head:

secretangler.home.blog

The Cult of Chris Yates

Chris Yates. What a guy! One-time carp record holder, with a fish caught from Redmire to boot; Britain’s favourite fishing writer with several books to his name; most well known member of the Golde…
secretangler.home.blog secretangler.home.blog
 
. Chris Yates is a supremely gifted author and on film comes across as a thoroughly nice gentle fellow , he succeeds wonderfully in expressing the essence of what angling is all about and his use of old tackle and simple methods only enhances his philosophy .However he seems to have acquired an almost cult like following of people who hang on his every word and action , it can be a little cringe worthy and I often wonder what he thinks of it all .As for the whole cane rod vintage tackle scene , to me its just like vintage cars or vintage anything for that matter , people like using old school gear it gives them pleasure . Mr Simner cane is not wood , technically it's actually grass !
 
David Rogers said:
They're certainly lovely rods, but have to be watched carefully for signs of delamination, to which they seem to be more prone than most other brands.
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I have had many hundreds of cane rods go through my hands and would agree Aspindales are by far the worse for a tendency to delaminate , however find a good one and they are lovely to fish with .
 
Mike Hodgkiss said:
Nothing like the smell of a well used Barbour Jacket .
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I dont mind the smell, its the damp patches that annoy me I have had Barbours since 1972, and TBH, they are imo no better or worse than some of the Lookalikes availabe, but cost a weeks wages more , and need reproofing as much as any of the others.

David
 
Marcus Ruoff said:
Have owned and fished a lot of these coarse rods.

Personally I wasnt too keen on the B.James rods. Very long handles and very thick tips.

I like the Allcocks rods, Olivers, Aspindales a lot as I do Linsley, Cook and Barder.

Allcocks can be all over the place. They are great if you can locate a really good one and can cope with the sometimes super short handles (e.g. in the Wizards). Olivers are more reliable and I have yet to see a bad Aspindales rod.

The newer makers are mighty expensive and somehow I rather fish with the old stuff (sometimes hollowbuilt!! e.g. some Aspindales) as the new ones feel more like cane versions of modern graphite rods.

Trial error is the name of the game to find a good one. Good thing is the old ones are still relatively affordable.
Click to expand...
The early B James Mk. IV rods were reputed to have been made by Bob Southwell to RW's specifications. I have read that the rods they made after around 1958 went away from the original spec' and had thicker tips. Effectively not Mk. IVs at all.

I have rods from JB Walker that were sold in kits for home assembly. Those have the correct compound tapers and match RW's specifications.
 
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