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Split Cane rods

Hi men ,

I have a couple , one I purchased off Mr Arbrey sort of all round carp/barbel rod . The other was given as a pressy to my grandson from my good friend , and wooden rod mad Colin Culley to use when he gets out with me 🙂 , and is almost certainly a top rod 😉

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Great gesture from my old friend who we meet through barbel fishing .

Hatter
 
Hello Joe , I restore cane rods and may have something to get you going with . I will send you a PM and we can swop details . The advice given in this thread is basically very sound . For the purposes you outline something from the Edgar Sealey or MARCO[ modern arms company] range would suit you best , there build quality is generally very good and they don't command the higher prices like the sought after makers like B James , Ogden Smith , Hardy , Farlows etc . Cane has it's limitations , with a few exceptions you would struggle to find a cane rod to propel 4 oz leads to the horizon or to use in flood or hit and hold situations and they are obviously heavier in the hand than fibreglass or carbon rods . I have sold a few rods to members on BFW new to cane and they have all become converts as it were . In the right circumstances with balanced tackle they are a joy to use
 
Interesting thread, because I’ve been having a similar hankering to Joe, so the information is really useful. I’ve never used a cane rod, let alone owned one, but the temptation is there. It really started when I bumped into somebody on the W Avon using a beautiful looking bit of wood who turned out to be a rod builder and restorer. Sadly, I can’t afford (or do I mean justify?) one of his products, but the seed was sown
 
A few years ago I made the mistake of finding out that I lived a couple of miles from Mr Barder’s workshop. I compounded that mistake by popping by and having a chat with him. Mistakes followed thick and fast after that. He operates in very unassuming surroundings, renting a barn from friends with a workshop crammed full of rod building stuff including of course lots of bamboo. Your eyes then quickly dart to some pretty much completed rods, ready to go and for someone like me, utterly hopeless at anything practical, I was stunned by the process and transformation.

Back then I was fishing the Kennet so we discussed a rod that he could build for me that would be a stepped up version of his usual Kennet rods. Not that I really had any intention of using such a rod routinely but thought it would be nice to at least relate it’s build to the fishing I was doing then. It is, as has already been pointed out, very expensive but as I was going to have to wait 2 years for it I worked out that a few quid put aside each work should get me there.

My motivation for buying it was mostly because I totally admire the craftsmanship and love that goes into building these rods and that it’s surely a dying art. I feel a bit the same about centrepins. So I felt like I was buying a bit of history, something that, in a small way would help to keep the tradition going.

I never got to use it on the Kennet but have used it a couple of times on the Wye, rolling meat. It certainly feels very different to my other rods. Certainly fun to use and there is something about a sense of going back in time and striping back the fishing experience. But for 99% of my barbel fishing, I will reach for the Torrix. Every now and again though, it’s great to take the Barder out instead .
 
still got my dads old cane rod at home somewhere, remember him letting me cast it as a young lad.
 
Over the weekend I used an Andrew Davies Roach perfection, the next day I used a Fred J Taylor roach rod, I have a good collection of cane rods, also a pole from my great great grandfather purchased in the early 1920's which is often, I just like going back in time and the feel you get from catching fish on a cane and pin, is to me far better than a bit of carbon and a fixed spool reel, though there are occasions when if I am trotting all day, then I use an Acolyte at 83 i'm not so strong as to hold a cane rod all day for trotting.
 
Joe Winstanley said:
Some brilliant info there gents, it's given me much food for thought.

Many thanks 👍
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If I were you Joe I'd try to borrow one and use it for a few sessions. I've owned and used a Hardy Avon Mk. IV, and yeah, they're nice ...but I sold it on. That was years ago, and I reckon what with me using a Torrix and F/S Hi S SU's these days, they'd be a massive (probably negative) 'shock to the system' if I used one now.
 
I've got an Ebay alert on for Avon rods so get to see all the cane rods including mk 1V Carp rods as they're advertised. It strikes me that there are far more B. James and other famous name rods for sale now than at any time in the past.
B. James in fact was just a tackle shop in Ealing not a major rod maker.
I suspect a lot of these rods are in fact counterfeit.
Or am I wrong?
 
Just had a quick look in Kevin Cliffords History of Carp fishing . There is a fascinating and very detailed / well researched chapter on a history of Carp tackle . Kevin states that B james made approx 15,000 MK 1Vs split cane rods, I presume he is referring to the MK1V carp rods and not the Avons . I think if you research carefully counterfeit rods are fairly easy to spot particularly if you have them in your hand . I must have had over 40 pass through my hands and have never seen one that looked a wrong un . There are however a fair few rods that come up for sale that are stated as MK1V Richard Walker carp rods but the transfers . ferrules , rings are usually wrong . The traditional anglers forum is the go too place for info on all things cane , there are some very knowledgeable people on there and its full of information open for all to see. I am not saying there aren't counterfeit rods out there , modern technology means that the transfers would be easy enough to replicate but to try and knock up a replica with the correct rings ferrules etc would be pretty expensive , hardly worth the bother unless you were trying to pass of one of the very early first version models which co command a premium price
 
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Paul your correct, there are a lot of counterfeit rods out there, as you mentioned there are several really top class people on TFF who know what is going on as regards cane rods and centrepin reels.
 
Paul Collins said:
I've got an Ebay alert on for Avon rods so get to see all the cane rods including mk 1V Carp rods as they're advertised. It strikes me that there are far more B. James and other famous name rods for sale now than at any time in the past.
B. James in fact was just a tackle shop in Ealing not a major rod maker.
I suspect a lot of these rods are in fact counterfeit.
Or am I wrong?
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Getting in a little late here as I have only just seen this post whilst looking for something else.

B. James got Richard Walker's permission to market their Mk. IV Carp and Avon with his signature on them. RW stated in a letter to another angler that the early BJ rods were made for them by Bob Southwell aka Captain of Croydon. He, Bob had earlier produced the cane blanks that were supplied to RW by J B Walker of Hythe and used by RW and his friends.

There are claims that the later rods sold by B James after around 1958 were not made to RW's specifications and so are not technically Mk. IV rods. This also apllies to other makers. There are many different types of Carp and Avon rods, but only those made to Walker's specifications can be termed Mk. IV rods. It is easy for someone to replicate the label, wrappings, etc on a rod to make a fake Mk. IV. but it would be almost impossible to change a straight taper rod into a compound taper one.

I have just acquired a French salmon spinning rod made in 1944 that has a compound taper similar to the Mk. IV, but is more powerful. One issue with cane carp rods is that they are only suitable to cast 1.5oz or gently lob 2oz. Some British salmon salmon spinning rods also have a compound taper to allow them to cast lures and handle heavy fish and would be able to cast 3 to 4oz. These can often be bought quite cheaply and for around thirty to forty quid in rod building materials can be converted into useable carp rods.

Last year I converted an old fly rod into a light Avon. This too had a compound taper that loosely resembled a Mk. IV design giving it a better action than my Chapmans 500 Avon type rod. It cost me £15 at an estate auction and about €35 to convert. If I can do it, anyone can.
 
With all the experience of cane on here some advice please .

I have a beautifully finished FT Williams Dorset rod. It has the green reel holders.
Is 12ft one.

Suitable for chub, ok for barbel?
 
Never used one myself Graham but I know a few who’ve used them to take carp to low doubles so chub and barbel should be ok on a Dorset. Why not take it out and try it somewhere where you‘re unlikely to connect with anything to troublesome?

Another one of the underrated makers, F T Williams, IMHO. I picked up a ‘Foreavon’ recently. I’ve only used it once but it seemed a nicely balanced and well finished rod.
 
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