Tesco To Sell Fishing Tackle

[Dick Dastardly]

Remember Gilfin but not the store Im afraid Steve.Big Co-Op stores used to have a fishing tackle department though.

 

Im not holding my breath over the Tescos gear either!

[Vagabond]

The staff knew nothing about fishing of course,

 

Good job too They sold some very well tied trout flies - about ten different sorts at a tanner a fly (6d in old money)

They were displayed on the counter in little boxes - one for each sort of fly.

 

I remember on the way from school to bus stop (in Tunbridge Wells about 1948), popping into Woollies, offering my sixpenny piece for a Black Gnat (all the money I had with me) and being given a whole box of a dozen flies.

 

Rushed down to the bus stop to find my fishing mate Eric.

We borrowed as much cash from our school mates as we could lay hands on, and went back to Woolies and bought all the boxes of flies they had on the counter.

 

Several boxes at roughly a halfpenny per fly (0.21p in today's money) was VERY good value

Edited June 13, 2006 by Vagabond

[Steve Burke]

Several boxes at roughly a halfpenny per fly (0.21p in today's money) was VERY good value

 

[corydoras]

Well why not!

Bacause it would make logistics a nightmare, and they would make no profit. What have you got against folks being able to get hold of cheap tackle? Most supermarkets in France have an angling section, my local Carrefour at Mondeville has an isle about 50 yards long, with fishing tackle on both sides. Next door there is a Decathlon which has an even better selection.

 

As for licenses, I don't think that Tescos would even have the right to sell them. AFAIK you can ONLY get them from the EA or the Post Office. Anyway I'll bet most of these kits will be bought for expeditions to the sea side and won't see much fresh water.

 

People may laugh but I tell you now the Winfield range of tackle was way way ahead of its time design wise....

 

And extremely good prices

I agree mate. I would not have been so well equipped when I was a teenager if it had not been for Woolies fishing tackle.

Edited June 14, 2006 by corydoras

[Brian Carragher]

People may laugh but I tell you now the Winfield range of tackle was way way ahead of its time design wise.The amount of rods they had that would now be classed as "specialist rods" was amazing.I started collecting them just so I could show people how good they were! If Tesco's range is any where near as good (which it wont be as most tackle shops didnt stock a range like this) I will be buying the lot!

 

Every thing from baitcaster outfits to specialist still water specimen rods with salmon spinners and beachcasters and everything in between.Dont forget that this was the early 70's as well when you would have struggled to buy a carp rod in most tackle shops.One of their rods (the Surf Caster) a fibre glass,rung for fixed spool 11' job held almost "cult" status with Bass enthusiasts for fishing Peeler Crab.Top of the range design wise (wonder who their adviser was anyone know?)

 

And extremely good prices.............especially if you swopped the sticky labels (wernt cut in them days!) as we were prone to do as kids!

 

 

Don't know who the advisors were but the tackle concerned was Shakespeare gear unbranded and sold to Wollies under the Winfield brand.

 

At the time that Woolies were selling their gear, and it was good stuff well ahead of its time,Shakespeare were reckoned to be selling their own branded gear to the tackle trade for a lot more money than Woolies were retailing it at and it's fair to say a few feathers were ruffled as a result.

I bought plenty of their gear and have to say that as a young kid their cheap tackle helped keep my intrest going at a time when most of my mates were drifting off into other things

[Steve Burke]

Don't know who the advisors were but the tackle concerned was Shakespeare gear unbranded and sold to Wollies under the Winfield brand.

 

At the time that Woolies were selling their gear, and it was good stuff well ahead of its time,Shakespeare were reckoned to be selling their own branded gear to the tackle trade for a lot more money than Woolies were retailing it at and it's fair to say a few feathers were ruffled as a result.

I bought plenty of their gear and have to say that as a young kid their cheap tackle helped keep my intrest going at a time when most of my mates were drifting off into other things

 

Thanks, Brian, I wasn't aware of that. It probably explains why their lures were so good - certainly the Shakespeare Paw-Paw range were. A lot of my pike in the 70s were caught on these Shakespeare versions of top designs, yet in 1977 they cost from just 46p! Even copies of wooden Creek Chub Pikies were only 75p!

[DavyR]

I had the Winfield Roach Fisher and the Stillwater Leger (I've still got the latter) and they were both excellent rods. The only duff one I remember was the Pike Fisher, which for some reason had metal ferrules that used to stick. All their other rods at the time had spigots.

[Tony U]

My first carbon rod was a Winfield 12ft model purchased from Woolco's in Killingworth near Newcastle back in 1982 and b****y good it was to. It was half the price of the equivalent Shakespeare models and lasted me well over ten years.

[Steve Burke]

Going back to the Shakespeare Paw Paw range, I'd add that these were made in Hong Kong. The Big S was also available then, but wasn't in this range, and cost quite a bit more at £1.10.

 

I got on to these lures after reading Plugs and Plug Fishing by Barrie Rickards and Ken Whitehead who thought highly of them.

 

Anyone else remember them?

[DavyR]

I got on to these lures after reading Plugs and Plug Fishing by Barrie Rickards and Ken Whitehead who thought highly of them.

 

Now you mention Ken Whitehead, Steve, I'm pretty certain that he was the technical adviser for Winfield tackle. When I get home, I'll have a look for an Angling Times logbook that was given away free in the late 70s. It's got an ad for Woollie's tackle on the back of it and it might mention his name.