Maxcatch centrepin reel

[peterjg]

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.

RMNDIL, to be honest I'm not sure. Decades ago I removed the decal and varnish and reringed it. The rod originally had hard chrome Bells rings. The test curve is about 1lb 6ozs, I used to use it mainly for chub fishing on the Colne. The handle is too long at 30 inches which was the standard length then.
The Bruce & Walker rod I mentioned but omitted to fully name is the 12ft "Flyer" L.

 

[peterjg]

In a way it's a shame that carbon rods were invented. At that time glass blanks were being developed to a high standard and they virtually disappeared overnight.

The first carbon rod I bought (about 1980?) was the ABU 11ft Specimen rod two piece (still have it). It's the only rod that I've ever seen that had a sliding carbon collar which reinforced the spigot.

 

[S-Kippy]

I had a B&W CTM @ 13ft, action like a stick of rhubarb but I loved it. Nicest handle too.

Sadly, a group of heifers danced on it one day on the Kennet and that was that.

 

[Philip]

All this fibre glass talk has me seriously considering digging this once popular relic out of the tackle shed mountain, sticking some better rings on it and taking it down the local stream..I am sure more than a few of you will recognize it

 

[Keith M]

All this fibre glass talk has me seriously considering digging this once popular relic out of the tackle shed mountain, sticking some better rings on it and taking it down the local stream..I am sure more than a few of you will recognize it

View attachment 28946

One of the first rods my parents bought me back in the 1960s had the same rings but had a blue rod blank (I think it was a 9ft Abu Atlantic 403 Zoom spinning rod with a blue solid fibreglass blank).

Keith

 

[steve2]

One of my first rods was a 7ft solid glass spinning rod built by my brother. After that I had a number of what at the time were to very good hollow glass rods. The only ones I might still like were the Fibreglass mk1v carp rods which made very good pike rods.

 

[@Clive]

One of my first rods was a 7ft solid glass spinning rod built by my brother. After that I had a number of what at the time were to very good hollow glass rods. The only ones I might still like were the Fibreglass mk1v carp rods which made very good pike rods.

In the later days of built cane and through the fibreglass period many rod makers used the same blanks on their carp and spinning rods. You could pay a fortune for a S/H Hardy Mk. 4 Carp rod in cane or glass or buy their salmon spinning rod for a quarter of the price and get a rod made the same blank. Same went for Sharpes, Walker, Bampton, Bruce & Walker and Farlows amongst others.

 

[Nomad1]

I had a B&W CTM @ 13ft, action like a stick of rhubarb but I loved it. Nicest handle too.

Sadly, a group of heifers danced on it one day on the Kennet and that was that.

I had one of these too. Bought it 2nd hand from J Hoyles tackle shop In Blackburn - about £3 as I remember. I thought it was the bees knees at the time. Lent it to a friend whilst I was in basic training at Catterick & never saw it again..

 

[nottskev]

I had a B&W CTM @ 13ft, action like a stick of rhubarb but I loved it. Nicest handle too.

Sadly, a group of heifers danced on it one day on the Kennet and that was that.

I didn't care for the rod I had, a CTM 13A, but I get your handle comment. A fine cork handle is a lovely feature, and I've turned down many a good modern rod because some of these Duplon and plastic affairs are just not on. I've had rods with screw seats retro-fitted with cork, and bought the occasional old rod just to transplant the handle. It's possible I have a cork fetish. There are worse vices.

 

[S-Kippy]

I transplanted my CTM handle onto a rod I was building ( when it was worth doing) because it was such a lovely handle and it fitted the blank beautifully. It was a little long but it was a little long imo anyway so I had no qualms taking a couple of inches off.
Nothing beats a good cork handle imo

 

[steve2]

Were CTMs made by B James and son or bruce and walker. Back in the day I was given a CTM 12S to try out made by
B James. This was around 1970, I returned the rod after a trial because I found it too stiff. Did anyone use this model.

 

[alantherose]

Has anyone tried this Maxcatch centrepin reel? As I've suffered from repetitive strain injury in my forearm in the past I need to find the lightest tackle possible for trotting. I've recently bought a Drennon acolyte plus and would like to pair it with a light centrepin reel. This one is claimed to be only 186g, lighter than anything else I've found. The rest of the specs also look pretty good.

Center Pin Floating Fishing Reel Aluminum 6061-T6 Floating Reel

Center Pin Floating Fishing Reel Aluminum 6061-T6 Floating Reel

www.maxcatchfishing.com

You should look for an original Hardy Conquest (without the wheel-in-hole on the face). Mine is 181g, spins beautifully and is by far the lightest centrepin I’ve come across. Next nearest is the new version of the Conquest in 4” (arbour diameter is almost the same as my 4.5” Youngs Triton reel) which is 191g. You should be able to find an original one for about £100.