In reply to Post #40
Similar to me, my grandad gave me his gear, basket, Prince royal reels and split cane rod with fibreglass tip. Broke the rod at the handle and still continued to use it, looked like and extra long fly rod, happy days
Similar to me, my grandad gave me his gear, basket, Prince royal reels and split cane rod with fibreglass tip. Broke the rod at the handle and still continued to use it, looked like and extra long fly rod, happy days
In reply to Post #43
Expensive but a good shop though, had some gear from there
Expensive but a good shop though, had some gear from there
Same as some on here, at 7 got my first fishing kit as a job lot off what was then smoking vouchers that came with cigarettes, my whole family parents and grand parents smoked. It was a pike spinning kit i didn't know better but gave it ago at Clapham Common. Some random old boy who was fishing had a look at my kit and said get rid of the spinner and set me up with a float some weights and a size 16 hook and some maggots. Spent the rest of the day and caught a small roach.
When i was packing up he said take your kit to Dells at Clapham Junction and say Barry told you to bring it in and get them to have a look at it. Next day jumped on the 77 bus with my kit, you were safer in those days and the bus fare was 3p one way, walked into Dells and was in awe at all the shiny stuff. Was greeted by a member of staff and I said Barry said to pop in. They took my rod, reel and float and hook. Laughed then respoolled the reel with right line put a selection of floats, weights and a packet of hooks in a maggot box and gave them back to me. I said i didn't have any money to pay for this. He just laughed and said I now have a customer for life, don't worry about it.
He was right used to shop there regularly for the next 20 years, spent loads and he more than made back the cost of the few bits he gave me!
Brought my first optonics there, high and low, first carp rods and first Mitchell reels. And everything else, boy did he make his money back
When i was packing up he said take your kit to Dells at Clapham Junction and say Barry told you to bring it in and get them to have a look at it. Next day jumped on the 77 bus with my kit, you were safer in those days and the bus fare was 3p one way, walked into Dells and was in awe at all the shiny stuff. Was greeted by a member of staff and I said Barry said to pop in. They took my rod, reel and float and hook. Laughed then respoolled the reel with right line put a selection of floats, weights and a packet of hooks in a maggot box and gave them back to me. I said i didn't have any money to pay for this. He just laughed and said I now have a customer for life, don't worry about it.
He was right used to shop there regularly for the next 20 years, spent loads and he more than made back the cost of the few bits he gave me!
Brought my first optonics there, high and low, first carp rods and first Mitchell reels. And everything else, boy did he make his money back
In reply to Post #48
Great story......
Great story......
In reply to Post #49
My Father was a fanatical Thames angler and as soon as I was old enough to hold a rod I went with him every weekend no matter if I wanted to or not in the winter we switched to lakes where he fished for pike I had to fish for the live baits and freeze my arse off ! the first rod and reel I remember properly was a tank aerial made into a rod and a half bail arm Mitchell reel when I got to around 10 years old my Dad got bitten by the Match fishing scene we would all go in a coach I won the Christmas match one year and got the top prize a 14ft Apollo Taperflash steel rod I loved that rod lol
My Father was a fanatical Thames angler and as soon as I was old enough to hold a rod I went with him every weekend no matter if I wanted to or not in the winter we switched to lakes where he fished for pike I had to fish for the live baits and freeze my arse off ! the first rod and reel I remember properly was a tank aerial made into a rod and a half bail arm Mitchell reel when I got to around 10 years old my Dad got bitten by the Match fishing scene we would all go in a coach I won the Christmas match one year and got the top prize a 14ft Apollo Taperflash steel rod I loved that rod lol
6ft rod, one of them steely ones, black prince, and my dad nicked me a wicker basket, creel? From outside the local tackle shop, on hes way home from the pub....pissed, he didnt tell me until i was an adult though 🤣 1960s.
In reply to Post #48
That's a lovely story.
That's a lovely story.
In reply to Post #48
Lovely!
You'll remember Barry and Dells forever.👍🏻😀
Lovely!
You'll remember Barry and Dells forever.👍🏻😀
In reply to Post #53
Mine was a bit if a sob story really lol as my mum and dad would never buy me anything fishing related no matter how much i begged so i used to save my pocket money for months till i had enough to get on the bus to southend and visit going brothers. I didn't have enough for proper rods but they used to have a bin of odd rod bits at the entrance so my first rod was probably about 5 ft with a brown glass butt, a bamboo mid section that slid like the modern day scopes and a red glass tip section. I put brown foams on for grips and sandwiched between them were some sliding coasters, all odd rings out of the pennies box held on with insulation tape and my reel was a cheap bakelite centrepin, unsurprisingly i didnt catch much but i was hooked for life.
Mine was a bit if a sob story really lol as my mum and dad would never buy me anything fishing related no matter how much i begged so i used to save my pocket money for months till i had enough to get on the bus to southend and visit going brothers. I didn't have enough for proper rods but they used to have a bin of odd rod bits at the entrance so my first rod was probably about 5 ft with a brown glass butt, a bamboo mid section that slid like the modern day scopes and a red glass tip section. I put brown foams on for grips and sandwiched between them were some sliding coasters, all odd rings out of the pennies box held on with insulation tape and my reel was a cheap bakelite centrepin, unsurprisingly i didnt catch much but i was hooked for life.
In reply to Post #50
In reply to Post #48
Thats a great memory to have .
Thats a great memory to have .
ahh Winfield
In reply to Post #43
Bennett's, that's a blast from the past. Bought a nash wideboy from them which I still use to this day also bought 3 TXI+'s got the lot on interest free. When did it go bust about ten years ago?
Bennett's, that's a blast from the past. Bought a nash wideboy from them which I still use to this day also bought 3 TXI+'s got the lot on interest free. When did it go bust about ten years ago?
Bought my 1st rod from Woolworths (think the fishing range was called Winfields) about 1973 ... My parents bought it as i was 7!!
And it was about 9 ft, bright green and i could bend it in half .... Id completely forgotten about until 2002 when my father passed away and i found it when clearing his house
whipping on the rings was falling apart and the cork handle had fallen apart ... So i spent a small fortune on getting it completely rebuilt and on the 7 July ( day he died on) I go with the rod and go fishing for a few hours down the local harbour where it all started
Sentimental crap I know but its i nice way to remember the old man and reflect a little bit
And it was about 9 ft, bright green and i could bend it in half .... Id completely forgotten about until 2002 when my father passed away and i found it when clearing his house
whipping on the rings was falling apart and the cork handle had fallen apart ... So i spent a small fortune on getting it completely rebuilt and on the 7 July ( day he died on) I go with the rod and go fishing for a few hours down the local harbour where it all started
Sentimental crap I know but its i nice way to remember the old man and reflect a little bit
In reply to Post #1
Like many on here I also started with a visit to Woolies with my dad who bought me my first rod in the form of a starter kit. He wasn't an angler himself but on that first trip to Brooklands in ‘77 I caught my first fish - a stripey tiger fish he called it as he made the perch sound more exciting. Bless the old man he spent most of the day untangling my birds nests and freeing line and floats from the nearby willows. I've still got that 6ft glass rod and introduced my own lads to fishing years later. Happy memories!
Like many on here I also started with a visit to Woolies with my dad who bought me my first rod in the form of a starter kit. He wasn't an angler himself but on that first trip to Brooklands in ‘77 I caught my first fish - a stripey tiger fish he called it as he made the perch sound more exciting. Bless the old man he spent most of the day untangling my birds nests and freeing line and floats from the nearby willows. I've still got that 6ft glass rod and introduced my own lads to fishing years later. Happy memories!