Maxcatch centrepin reel

[@Clive]

When I had the ABU Ferralite Mk. 6 my two fishing friends had the earlier Mk. 5 and a Milbro Enterprise. The difference between the ABU rods and the Milbro was astonishing. The butt diameter of the Milbro was considerably larger and the bulbous ferrules made it look odd. On a waggle test mine stopped first, Dave's Mk. 5 not much after, but Rob's Milbro . You had time for a cup of tea before the tip stopped moving. The whole top half of the rod shook like a labrador after swimming! The half ounce ledger chucking test again showed ABU dominance, but double the weight and the Milbro was better. It should have been branded as a beachcaster. There is no way that it was a match rod.

The Hardy Matchmaker that I was gifted by the seller of a Youngs centrepin is how I remember the ABU Ferralite used to be. I'm comfortable using it for bleak and dace and it has handled accidental carp to over 6lbs and barbel of the same sort of weight. If you can overcome the wider diameter brown blank and long cork handle it is a lovely rod to use. Especially with a period ABU 506 or Mitchell Match.

 

[RMNDIL]

I still have a couple of fibreglass rods:

10ft Vortex Avon rod in green glass

That's the first time I've seen the name Vortex mentioned. Was it the company from Thames Ditton in Surrey ? I had one of their rods which was 11ft or 12ft 'two' piece but the upper part of the top section could be changed between a hollow part or a spliced solid glass quiver part. Must have been 1979 or 1980.

 

[nottskev]

There is a

Shakespeare Superteam Specification Sigma wand 1880 rod​

amoorcro
On eBay Kev.

I wish you hadn't done that, Mike
Will I put my money where my mouth is?

 

[mikench]

Sorry Kev but you can’t take it with you. Go on spoil yourself. You have the space.

 

[markcw]

Sorry Kev but you can’t take it with you. Go on spoil yourself. You have the space.

Is that the original fibre glass wand ?

 

[xenon]

Is that the original fibre glass wand ?

no idea, but I did have an original one back in the day and it looks legit.

 

[steve2]

Don't fall into the nostalgia trap with this rod. I fell into the nostalgia cane rod trap.

 

[nottskev]

Don't fall into the nostalgia trap with this rod. I fell into the nostalgia cane rod trap.

It's ok, Steve. This is a good rod.

 

[markcw]

The original wand was the sigma ,
I don't recall superteam being mentioned in the name .
The bloke selling this must be hoping for a mug buyer .

 

[nottskev]

The original wand was the sigma ,
I don't recall superteam being mentioned in the name .
The bloke selling this must be hoping for a mug buyer .

Did you read the blurb, Mark? It looks right enough- I recognise the blank, whipping, handle with the screw cap etc. Tempted, but the price is high, there's a tip missing, and I've got several equivalents.

 

[markcw]

Did you read the blurb, Mark? It looks right enough- I recognise the blank, whipping, handle with the screw cap etc. Tempted, but the price is high, there's a tip missing, and I've got several equivalents.

It was when it came out a couple of friends had one , but I don't recall superteam mentioned .
I've got a later version , the mach2 the blank is pencil thin .
Nearly as good as my 30+ year old Daiwa lightning canal picker .

 

[nottskev]

It was when it came out a couple of friends had one , but I don't recall superteam mentioned .
I've got a later version , the mach2 the blank is pencil thin .
Nearly as good as my 30+ year old Daiwa lightning canal picker .

The seller gives a reason for the Superteam bit, re lined rings.
Going back to the glass rod theme, there are precious few occasions where glass beats carbon, but by common consent the much later carbon wand, the Mach 2, was good, but not as good as the glass original. I sold mine for a song, along with a neat little seatbox and a 14' Daiwa Whisker Kevlar to a friend who'd fallen on hard times, an ex-army bloke earning a pittance doing security on a retail park. I'd love to have both rods again, but like you I need less gear not more. Mike was right, you can't take it with you, but you can't take all your rods fishing either.

 

[markcw]

I got the mach2 for nothing or a swap for interlastic topkit . If I go after bream I sometimes get the old Daiwa Lightning 10' feeder out , lovely soft action over 30+ years old .
I saw a couple of Bruce and walker flyer rods in the tackle shop last year £20 each .
I had one in the mid 70's , thought it was the dogs do dahs , picked it up ,had a waggle and put it back .

 

[nottskev]

I saw a couple of Bruce and walker flyer rods in the tackle shop last year £20 each .

My ts is often good. But not often that good.

 

[@Clive]

I thought that this article was interesting. It relates to salmon anglers who were lure fishing the mountain rivers in the south west of France.

For the old ones who started with the split bamboo, passed to the fiberglass, before investing in carbon, let us remember, including and perhaps moreover more, with the rods to be thrown, of the increase in the number of lost fish, unhooked in the course of fight, when of the hollow fiberglass we passed to carbon.

I remember that on the Gave d’Oloron, at the end of the 70’s, the last professional anglers were looking everywhere to buy old and heavy Telebolic casting rods (in fiberglass) from Pezon & Michel, loosing as many salmon with the carbon “Plateau” rods as a priest could bless, as Raymond Pourrut said.

The anglers found the new carbon rods were causing salmon to be lost during the fight. As a result some anglers retreated back to fibreglass rods. The "old and heavy" Telebolic casting rods they went back to were made from Hardy blanks. The story was repeated in the experience of fly anglers.

It was the same with the “first generation” carbon salmon fly rods, including the famous 16 feet Navarrenx from Plateau, which must have saved more salmon than all the efforts of Cogepomi and Migradour combined. This rod was a real boner that allowed athletic fishermen to lengthen 35 meters of line, but it also caused most of the salmon that had been hooked to be unhooked during the fight.

There was for a short period a hybrid fibreglass / cane fly rod that combined a glass lower section with split cane upper section. It bombed as a commercial venture, but is still highly regarded today as being the perfect casting rod.

 

[markcw]

My ts is often good. But not often that good.

I'm on a few fishing buy n sell sites along with forums .
Top brand fibre glass rods and early carbon one come up for sale , even early poles such as a Dam Tectron with topkits and no repairs . Brilliant silvers pole .

 

[seth49]

This has reminded me of when I attended a days course on casting with a long double handed salmon fly rod, and the instructor was saying it’s not the weight of the rod, but how it’s balanced which makes it feel heavy or light, the balance point was above the reel, from memory around the top of the handle, and if it wasn’t they would add thick lead wire, about 3/8ths of an inch in diameter, inside the bottom of the handle, which did seem to make a difference to how it felt, so actually adding weight to the rod could make it feel lighter, the average length of these rods was around 15 foot.

 

[S-Kippy]

There was a period when carbon/glass rods were around. I had a particularly lovely Avon type glass/carbon rod made by Normark….cheaper than all carbon and a beautiful sweet action.I also owned a similarly terrific carbon/glass heavy quiver rod designed for chucking block ends across the Thames which caught me countless chub and the odd whiskers. I’m surprised they weren’t more popular. I’m not sure I’d revert to glass as I can’t see what I do now where that would be advantageous.

 

[steve2]

The seller gives a reason for the Superteam bit, re lined rings.
Going back to the glass rod theme, there are precious few occasions where glass beats carbon, but by common consent the much later carbon wand, the Mach 2, was good, but not as good as the glass original. I sold mine for a song, along with a neat little seatbox and a 14' Daiwa Whisker Kevlar to a friend who'd fallen on hard times, an ex-army bloke earning a pittance doing security on a retail park. I'd love to have both rods again, but like you I need less gear not more. Mike was right, you can't take it with you, but you can't take all your rods fishing either.

You are right about the number of rods and reels you can use that is why I gave all the tackle that I don't use away to an armed forces charity. Still left me with more than I need. So will have to do another clear out.

 

[markcw]

You are right about the number of rods and reels you can use that is why I gave all the tackle that I don't use away to an armed forces charity. Still left me with more than I need. So will have to do another clear out.

I've done that also to save the children charity shop , but I price it up for them so no one will buy it and make a few quid by putting it straight on auction sites