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Winfield Carbon Match


Chris Plumb

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Remember the 'good' ole days of Woolies fishing tackle???

 

Tomorrow will see a rare outing for one of my oldest rods - my first carbon fibre rod, a Winfield Matchmaster 12' Carbon Match rod. I remember vividly that it cost me the princely sum of £35 - a lot of money, which took a lot of saving and paper rounds as I recall - but I'm trying to recall the year I bought it. I 'think' it was around 1977/78 - but this seems a little early for carbon??? Were Woolies stocking Carbon fibre match rods in the late 70's - or am I mistaken??

 

C.

"Study to be quiet." ><((º> My Blog

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There were carbon match rods around from 1975 but they really kicked off in about 1978, mostly at around £100., very few less than £80 so it's possible the Winfield is a low carbon composite of which there were a few about in that era.

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I think b&w started making them in 1968? But you couldnt get blanks of the same quality time after time so were rare until the blanks became more predicable and of the same specs in enough numbers to bring out a series of rods.

Personally i hate the stuff it has advantages in thinness and lightness but going by the smashed rods i find when the bracken dies and the noise they make trying to get a float where i can with ease with fiberglass i think i will not buy another rod until my selection of glass ones finally run out of steam

I liked the composite rods they were almost as good as good fiberglass

Surprised at the number of short carbon rods i see at the pond !for years 8ft then 10ft then 12 13 14_feet were made now it seems they are getting shorter again ,how on earth you can connect with a 10ft carbon rod compared to a 14ft glass one mystifies me but its about the average lenght i see on the bank ?!?!

Edited by chesters1

Believe NOTHING anyones says or writes unless you witness it yourself and even then your eyes can deceive you

None of this "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" crap it just means i have at least two enemies!

 

There is only one opinion i listen to ,its mine and its ALWAYS right even when its wrong

 

Its far easier to curse the darkness than light one candle

 

Mathew 4:19

Grangers law : anything i say will  turn out the opposite or not happen at all!

Life insurance? you wont enjoy a penny!

"To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical." Thomas Jefferson

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There were carbon match rods around from 1975 but they really kicked off in about 1978, mostly at around £100., very few less than £80 so it's possible the Winfield is a low carbon composite of which there were a few about in that era.

I bought my first carbon rod shortly after I started in a new (then) job in 1981, It was a 13 foot Shakespeare President & i still have it but haven't used for years.

 

Paid for on the Never Never - £100 at about £3 a week from a workmate who was an agent for the Empire Stores Catalogue.

Edited by Martin56

Fishin' - "Best Fun Ya' can 'ave wi' Ya' Clothes On"!!

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I think b&w started making them in 1968? But you couldn't get blanks of the same quality time after time so were rare until the blanks became more predicable and of the same specs in enough numbers to bring out a series of rods.

Personally I hate the stuff it has advantages in thinness and lightness but going by the smashed rods i find when the bracken dies and the noise they make trying to get a float where i can with ease with fibreglass i think i will not buy another rod until my selection of glass ones finally run out of steam

I liked the composite rods they were almost as good as good fibreglass

Surprised at the number of short carbon rods i see at the pond !for years 8ft then 10ft then 12 13 14_feet were made now it seems they are getting shorter again ,how on earth you can connect with a 10ft carbon rod compared to a 14ft glass one mystifies me but its about the average length i see on the bank ?!?!

Dick Walker was working with Hardys and the Aircraft Research Establishment at Farnborough in the very late 60s and early 70s. They made less progress than he hoped and Hardys were less enthusiastic than Walker believed they ought to be. But these early rods were all fly rods not match rods. Without doing a lot of research I don't know when B&W started with carbon match rods but suspect circa 1978/9. I had a B&W XLS around that time but that was glass. There was a carbon pole for sale in 1975 at £300 which was 9 metres. From memory my first carbon match rod was a Sundridge Kevin Ashurst in late 79, a rod notorious for breaking easily and a massive flat spot on the tip.

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unfortunately it all revolves around "incorperating" only way to find out is FIGHT

 

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/66064212/scan0003.jpg

 

I like the term resin not plastic ,common name now you can buy 'resin' busts of Churchill for a great deal of money as the foolish cannot grasp its plastic lol

Edited by chesters1

Believe NOTHING anyones says or writes unless you witness it yourself and even then your eyes can deceive you

None of this "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" crap it just means i have at least two enemies!

 

There is only one opinion i listen to ,its mine and its ALWAYS right even when its wrong

 

Its far easier to curse the darkness than light one candle

 

Mathew 4:19

Grangers law : anything i say will  turn out the opposite or not happen at all!

Life insurance? you wont enjoy a penny!

"To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical." Thomas Jefferson

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Mine was a silstar traditional 16ft thing ,ok blank but vastly over ringed ,any line over 3lb and the friction was awful it was used half a dozen times then retired to the loft and back to trusty glass

I do though have a couple of british carbon kevlar carp rods ,dont know what they weigh they sit on a pod 99.999% of the time

Edited by chesters1

Believe NOTHING anyones says or writes unless you witness it yourself and even then your eyes can deceive you

None of this "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" crap it just means i have at least two enemies!

 

There is only one opinion i listen to ,its mine and its ALWAYS right even when its wrong

 

Its far easier to curse the darkness than light one candle

 

Mathew 4:19

Grangers law : anything i say will  turn out the opposite or not happen at all!

Life insurance? you wont enjoy a penny!

"To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical." Thomas Jefferson

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My first carbon was a 12ft Daiwa Match man Mark Downes in 1981. I received it for Christmas as a surprise from my Dad. I sold it at a car boot just before I got married in 91. Recently one came into my hands again and I can't believe I fished with it although holding it brought memories flooding back.

 

I have recently come across two of the Sundridge rods Kevin Ashurst rods and two of these Winfield rods and am ashamed to say, they went to the tip!! They were in a sorry state.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Mine was an 11ft, 1lb test jobby called 'The Hunter' back in the 70's which was an offer through the Angling Times. Surprisingly good action and recently had new rings and a handle fitted to make it into a cheeky Swingtip rod for Bream on the canal.

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