bromley

Can anybody help? I have a much loved split cane float road inherited from my Granddad that must be over sixty years old. It gets an outing occasionally and catches a few fish. While the ferrules fit snugly, the one on the butt has developed a “knock”, the female ferrule is beginning to come loose and it appears that that the original glue may have dried out with age. Is it possible to repair it, by simply taking the ferrule off and re-glueing it? If so, anyone got any ideas how I do this? Alternatively, am I better off sending it to a professional restorer and having the ferrule replaced? Advice gratefully appreciated.

No need to buy pricey tackle shop pastes. Here are a couple of recipes which are good for tench, bream, chub and carp. Pilchard paste Take one small tin of pilchards in tomato sauce. Pour into a bowl and liquidise with a hand blender. Add instant mashed potato bit by bit until it forms a doughy consistency. Wrap in cling film until needed Cat meat paste Buy a small tin of cat food (you want the cheap ones with a smooth, pate like consistency rather than ones with chunks. Take about half a dozen slices of white bread, (it needs to be at least a day or two old). Spread cat meat on to one slice and put a another of bread on top, continue process as if you were making a club sandwich and finish off with a slice of bread on top. Cut the crusts off and place the “”sandwich” into a clean tea towel. Screw the ends together so the “sandwich” forms a ball at the bottom and then hold under the tap until it’s soaked. Squeeze the water out, remove from the tea towel and knead in your hands until you get a doughy consistency. Wrap in cling film until needed. Both will keep for ages in the freezer. Cheese paste Grate about 4 ounces of cheese and put in a bowl. The cheese should be as strong as possible and its arguably even better if it’s a bit off (ask nicely in you local deli and they will often give you stale cheese for free, but tell them its for fishing and not for human consumption). Take about half a dozen slices of white bread that’s at least a day or two old and make cheese “sandwiches” as described above. Cut the crusts off, place in a knotted tea towel, hold under the tap. Wring out the excess water, remove from the tea towel and knead until you get a doughy consistency. Particularly good for chub and quality roach Finally, don’t neglect old fashioned bread paste. Still a great bait, particularly if you add a teaspoon full or so of cod liver oil into the mix. Hope this helps

I fish a number rof small, overgrown streams and could not find the rod I wanted. So I bought a cheap 13' match rod from ebay for about £20, threw the butt section away, and made a 17" cork handle on the middle section, plugging the end with a plastic bottle cap. I took a couple rings off and voila and was left with an ultra light 8' 6" float rod that's ideal for small river work

I recently bought three split cane rods from a boot fair for a the princely sum of 10 quid for the lot. One is a 12' Modern Arms 'Jest" (or "Test", can't really tell as transfer is very faded, one an, 11' Mordex "Ideul" and the other an Edgar Sealey 12' ESS "all rounder". The first two look to be float rods, the latter has a whippy all through action and may be a fly rod (although its double handed). The blanks are straight, the ferrules fit well, but a few of the rings need replacing. They are obviously heavier than the carbon rods I'm used to, but I thought they would be fun to restore and use. My question is, were these rods ever any good anyway, or were they the mass produced cheap and cheerful match rods of their day? If the latter I am wasting time and money restioring them and might as well hang teh wall of my shed? Advice appreciated.

I The traditional Wallis cast can be a bit difficult at first. Although your reel needs to be very free running, ironically I find that the modern ball race pins are not as efficient as the traditional ‘true’ ‘pins. Also you do need a bit of weight to set the reel rotating and with much less than 3 or 4 bb on the line, it won’t really work. Just wind it so t float is an inch or so below the rod top. Trap the reel with your thumb, put the rod back to around one or two o’clock and then flick forward while simultaneously giving the rim of the reel a slight ‘nudge’ with your thumb to set it revolving. Keep an eye on the float as it sails through the air and once it hits the water, immediately stop the reel revolving with your thumb to prevent a tangle The trick is getting the timing exactly right. Some learn faster than others (it took me ages!) but once learned is a bit like riding a bike. Happy to teach you how if you can get to Kent. Alternatively, as others have written, there is nothing wrong with simply drawing loops of line off the reel through the rod rings and casting that way. Don’t get too hung up on the Wallis cast. My old Dad always used a pin for float fishing be it for trotting the rivers and on the lakes but never bothered to learn, - and he caught plenty. Finally, for those who want to use a pin and find casting difficulty, there is always the Shakespeare Lincoln which has a side cast mechanism. In terms of looks and class they are not up there with Hardy’s, Grey’s or JW Young’s reels, but every bit as free running and at below fifty quid in price, you can complain at the price

Hi there I have one for sale.

Booze and fishing don’t mix. You are a risk to yourself and a danger to fish welfare as how can the correct playing and unhooking of a fish be compatible with being half bevvied? I love a beer as much as the next bloke and as I’m luck enough to be able to travel b y train to my club lakes I look forward to pint or two at the end of the day in the local boozer knowing I’ve not got the hassle of driving home, but drinking at the waterside? No

[i have a John Wilson Masterline trotting rod that fishes very well with a centre pin (the butt ring is very close to the handle). Its 12’ but comes with an extension to take it to 13’ 6”. Its very light and I’ve been favourably impressed. Nice tippy action, great for silvers and works perfectly well on still waters and canals as a normal match rod. . There have been times when I could have done with a longer rod, but as I mainly fish smaller rivers, it’s not much of a problem. Not sure if they are still being made, but if you can find one, it’s worth a look.

In my experience, the answer is no. Like others on this forum, I used to be in a club which leased a small gravel pit. The water was very weedy and covered in lily pads during the summer. It held plenty of tench (and crucians) and was a lovely little water. The match anglers who dominated the committee agitated for the water to be “improved”, i.e. the weed cleared and stocked with carp. They got their way and with a combination of aquatic herbicide and dragging got most of the weed out. Over the years the tench fishing declined and with no weed to shelter the fry, the tench eventually died out. Result? Another carp puddle. A local commercial I sometimes fish has stocked tench but with no weed and little in the way of natural food, they are pale, skinny things and look nothing like a tench should. Leave well alone!

Wish it could be fixed! Problem is that the reel was (accidently) run over by a lorry and its not much use for anything other than a paperweight!

I use home made quills for most of my fishing. I gather bird quills, usually crow, Canada goose or gull when out with the dog over the common. Simply strip the feathers with a razor blade of Stanley knife, gently rub down with fine glass paper, dip the tip in fluorescent paint (I prefer orange), apply a coat of matt varnish to seal it, a couple of float rubbers and there you go. The smaller crow quills are good for still waters and canals, the bigger goose quills for trotting. I suppose if you took your time into account, there is no cost saving at all, given the low cost of mass produced floats. However, it gives me a buzz to catch fish on gear I’ve made myself.

Hi there My old Abu 501 has finally given up the ghost and I'm after a new closed face reel. I thought of the Abu 704 but I've read some negative reviews, particularly with regard to to the pick up pins not engaging properly. The only alternative is the Daiwa 125M. Which would be the better reel? - or I am better off looking on ebay for a second hand Abu 501 Advice appreciated lads.

Hello Does anyone know of a tackle dealer or private individual in the Greater London/Kent area who is able to repair and refurbish slit cane rods? Advice appreciated lads