Old meets new - Maybe?

fishplate42 · Oct 4, 2015

I was given a nice old 12 ft, Avon rod a couple of months ago. It has a nice through action and appears to be made of fibreglass. It is an Edgar Sealey Float rod 'Black Arrow'. It is brown in colour, has the rings whipped on with black cord, red 'decorative' whippings and has a cork handle.

While fishing with a flat-back method feeder this week, I was finding the fish were up in the water waiting for the feeder and following it down, eventually catching the hook-bait when the feeder settled on the bottom. I am thinking about using a longer hooklength, longer than 4 inches, to give them a chance of catching it. This was suggested to me by one of the other match guys and I am sure it will work, but I have another idea. I am thinking of using my old Avon rod with a feeder float set up. It as it has a much smoother action than any other rod I have and my be better equipped to take the savage takes I might expect. I plan to use 8lb main line and 6lb hooklengths, size 10 or 12 hook baited with punched bacon grill.

The plan is to fish the feeder as usual and if the fish are up in the water change to the feeder float set up (clipped up at the same distance) to catch them higher up in the water.

What do you think?

Also, regarding the Avon rod, It has a female thread in the tip of the tip ring, is this for installing a swing tip?

Ralph

peter crabtree · Oct 4, 2015

Might be worth getting a Fox bubble float which you can put water in. Fill it enough so it sinks very slowly then attach a longish hook link and hang on tight. The same effect can be achieved with a heavy float if you overshot it so it sinks very slowly.

wanderer · Oct 4, 2015

Not my type of fishing, but the bagging waggler or pellet waggler can be deadly in those conditions

sam vimes · Oct 4, 2015

fishplate42 said:
I was given a nice old 12 ft, Avon rod a couple of months ago. It has a nice through action and appears to be made of fibreglass. It is an Edgar Sealey Float rod 'Black Arrow'. It is brown in colour, has the rings whipped on with black cord, red 'decorative' whippings and has a cork handle.

Also, regarding the Avon rod, It has a female thread in the tip of the tip ring, is this for installing a swing tip?

I have the next incarnation, the Black Arrow 2. Despite the threaded tip ring and soft action, I don't believe that the rod was ever meant to be an Avon. It was just an awfully floppy float rod. Mine was my first ever rod and I still have it. However, I wouldn't dream of actually using it. If I were forced to fish with it, I'd probably choose to fit a screw in swing tip and fish for relatively small fish. The threaded tip ring can take either screw in quivers or swing tips. However, if your rod is anything like mine, the chances of finding a quiver that comes close to blending with the action is extremely slim.

arthur2sheds · Oct 4, 2015

I have a Black Arrow... it is indeed a float rod, they also made a ledger rod, they are no way meant to be used for specimen fish.... they're just too soft.. However when the odd larger/harder fighting fish shows up, they can be pushed into landing them..

This is my Black Arrow paired with a Youngs Rapidex II and a little Tinca that surprised my Rudd fishing a season ago

robtherake · Oct 4, 2015

Lovely pic there, Arthur.

john step · Oct 5, 2015

Today the weather has changed to its Autumn mode. With the cooling water I think the fish (carp?) will be less and less up in the water so I would get out and do your experiments before its too late.

As to old rods. I have a couple from my earliest days and although they get the occasional airing I don't think they are a patch on even a very modestly priced rod nowadays.

My old Edgar Sealy split cane nearly breaks my wrist and my origional Normark 1st issue carbon match which I thought was the dogs doodaas now seems thick clumsy.
I think I paid over £100 for that in the 70's I think.
You can get better nowadays for much less.

Best of luck with your progressions. Let us know.

fishplate42 · Oct 5, 2015

Yes, I think you may be right (what am I saying, I know you are right!) about the old rod but never having been through that stage I will give it a go another time as all I know are modern, cheap rods.

May plan is to fish the method all match. I am going to take the feeder float rig, on a cheap 12ft match rod, just in case I get to the situation where I am missing bites on the way down even with a longer hook length.

I will start off fishing with a 4 inch link, if I am getting moderate surface activity I will try a longer link and if it starts to go mad, as it has done on the last couple of visits, I will give the feeder float a go. If it does what I hope it will then great, if not I will go straight back to the method...

... but don't tell anyone

Ralph.

robertroach · Oct 5, 2015

I too used to have an Edgar Sealey Black Arrow. It isn't a good rod by today's standards but the choice then was much more limited.
I moved on to a Milbro Silver Shadow which was a much better rod. I then moved on to a Silstar Traverse X match rod which was a much better rod. I then moved on to an Abu Esprit Match which is much better again.
Fishing rods have become better and cheaper (relatively) over the years, so what is the point in going backwards?

fishplate42 · Oct 5, 2015

robertroach said:
...Fishing rods have become better and cheaper (relatively) over the years, so what is the point in going backwards?

No point at all. I have only been fishing for a year and although I was born in the 1950s I had never picked up a fishing rod until a year ago. I missed out on all the old rods and as this one was given to me I just wanted to try it out.

My cheap modern rods are a lot lighter and thinner that this. After reading all the comments here and elsewhere, I have no intention of using it for any other reason than to experience the difference for myself, idol curiosity, that all.

Ralph.

Old meets new - Maybe?

fishplate42

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peter crabtree

AKA Simon, 1953 - 2022 (RIP)

wanderer

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sam vimes

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arthur2sheds

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robtherake

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john step

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fishplate42

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robertroach

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fishplate42

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