''The old stuff''.

[no-one in particular]

One brand of line I haven't seen mentioned on this thread is FOG - about 40-50 years ago they churned out a whole range of lines from 1.5lbs through 25lbs bs - all on the same pale blue spool - but the line quality was all over the place. You'd find the 3lb line was fine, soft and supple but the 4lb was stiff and like a coiled spring! The lines seemed to go like this through it's range - where depending on the strength - you could have a really good line or a total dud!
I think they re-launched the brand again about 20 years ago - but the damage was done as far as I was concerned!

Funnily enough Greenie I bought these a couple of weeks ago. They looked 50 or 60'syish. I think I paid about 50p in an old shop. I am a real sucker for anything like that; I just cant help myself.

 

[dorsetandchub]

I remember both PDQ and Lion d'Or as being OK ish. PDQ did a lot of odd bits of tackle - I get the feeling that they were a marketing rather than manufacturing company.
One brand of line I haven't seen mentioned on this thread is FOG - about 40-50 years ago they churned out a whole range of lines from 1.5lbs through 25lbs bs - all on the same pale blue spool - but the line quality was all over the place. You'd find the 3lb line was fine, soft and supple but the 4lb was stiff and like a coiled spring! The lines seemed to go like this through it's range - where depending on the strength - you could have a really good line or a total dud!
I think they re-launched the brand again about 20 years ago - but the damage was done as far as I was concerned!

FOG line - golly, yeah, I remember that. Can't think I ever used it. I've used Maxima, Bayer and Drennan for years now. Maxima, I'm told, went through a bad patch, quality wise, some years ago but I never had any noticeable problems with it (my own cackhandedness probably enough of a handicap!!)

Mike, you're probably right about PD. I don't remember ever seeing their name on rods, reels, etc just terminal tackle so probably just a distributor's name.

One thing I do remember was getting hold of some of the very early DAM "camouflaged" line.

Again, it couldn't overcome my inbuilt lack of ability!!

 

[rayner]

Yellow knotted nets with the smell of linseed I remember well.
The shop I used in the late 50s early 60s was Mellor's in Swallownest by the side of the old picture house.
I used to buy 1/2 a pint of white maggots and Mrs Mellor always gave me a tub full of husk that suddenly stopped when Kevin Ashurst or his Dad put an article in the Angling Times about the use of casters in the Lancashire canals. He changed the name from husk that floated to casters that sunk, after If I wanted casters they were for sale, the freebies stopped.
I have since had a dislike for Angling Times.

 

[Derek Gibson]

PDQ was the trade name for Pegley Davis they did market rods under that banner as well as other items. I was particulaly fond of their trace wire PDQ easitwist.

 

[dorsetandchub]

Thanks Derek, don't remember seeing PDQ rods, obviously my local shop simply didn't stock them I guess.

I've never really fished for pike so never shopped for wire. Always fancied catching a few pike though so I think I'll apply to the PAC and try it under experienced eyes.

Does anyone remember a line which came on red spools with white lettering on it? I remember buying some years ago but can't remember the brand.

 

[S-Kippy]

Does anyone remember a line which came on red spools with white lettering on it? I remember buying some years ago but can't remember the brand.

Cuttyhunk ?

Seriously....I seem to remember that too but the brand escapes me.

 

[terry m]

This thread brought back some memories. Au lion d'or hooks were my only choice for carp fishing in the 70's, paired up with 10lb Maxima. Wow, how things have changed.

Bruce and Walker compound taper 10ft carp rods, Mitchell reels and a set of Heron buzzers. Sleeping on a regular sunlounger under a 45" brolly and nothing else.

We thought that was cutting edge at the time, and to be fair the B&W rods will still hold their own today. The rest of it is junk when compared to todays offerings.

 

[Keith M]

I still have one of those aluminium fish rulers; marked with the different fish sizes; that we used to use many years ago because we could only weigh fish over a certain size in matches in the Thames Water Authority area.

I also still have my old red bread compressor in the shed somewhere (made by Lesney or Matchbox) and one of my white 'Heron' bite alarms plus my old Intrepid Prince Regent reel.

Keith

 

[Derek Gibson]

I'm a bit surprised there's been no mention of the ''Efgeeco Packaseat'' as they were very popular back in the day. As was ''Pomenteg'', given the publicity it received endorsed by none other than **** Walker and Fred J Taylor.

 

[flightliner]

Yellow knotted nets with the smell of linseed I remember well.
The shop I used in the late 50s early 60s was Mellor's in Swallownest by the side of the old picture house.
I used to buy 1/2 a pint of white maggots and Mrs Mellor always gave me a tub full of husk that suddenly stopped when Kevin Ashurst or his Dad put an article in the Angling Times about the use of casters in the Lancashire canals. He changed the name from husk that floated to casters that sunk, after If I wanted casters they were for sale, the freebies stopped.
I have since had a dislike for Angling Times.[/QUOTE)

Mellors at Swall' eventually became old Walt Woodhouse's a little way away , in the seventies the road outside was a continuous line of ever arriving always leaving car door slamming anglers on their way to the Trent, Witham and fens in the early hours every weekend.
They called for their casters maggots and groundbait in hugh quantities that must have made Mellor one of the most successful bait dealers in the country over a few short years, the queue outside was enormous, he must have done very very well.
The shop eventually relocated some one hundred yards further up the road and became that of Walt Woodhouse and his wife(anyone remember La Maison Bois fishing tackle? ) who I knew from earlier years when fishing the Witham around Tattershall, a great character who once challenged myself and several other motorcyclists that he would beat us back to the square in Sleaford in his Austin Cambridge car.
We had no chance, he was sat smoking a cig by the time we arrived.
Afterwards the shop went into the care of Bob n kate Hazzard for a number of years ( Kate fished for the England ladies fly fishing Squad).
Its now under differant management and goes by the name of Six A M tackle where I was parked alongside this morning.

 

[binka]

I'm a bit surprised there's been no mention of the ''Efgeeco

I recall having an old Efgeeco bait box that my dad handed down to me, wish I still had it going by the amount they sometimes fetch on fleabay... A couple of nice hook wallets too on there recently in really good condition, I vaguely remember having one of them as well.

 

[john step]

A mention of Effgeco made me realise that the fishing trolley I still use is a much mended and altered Effgeco trolley - it's currently on it's fourth or fifth set of wheels. I've altered the handle, the base, wheels and repainted it - they don't make 'em like that anymore!

A bit like Triggers broom in Only fools and Horses. He had it for donkeys years. and only had a new the head and handle a few times.mg:

 

[robtherake]

I recall having an old Efgeeco bait box that my dad handed down to me, wish I still had it going by the amount they sometimes fetch on fleabay... A couple of nice hook wallets too on there recently in really good condition, I vaguely remember having one of them as well.

It's hard to tell what'll become popular - you'd have a mountain of old stuff if you waited to see if it'd appreciate in value.

 

[rayner]

Yellow knotted nets with the smell of linseed I remember well.
The shop I used in the late 50s early 60s was Mellor's in Swallownest by the side of the old picture house.
I used to buy 1/2 a pint of white maggots and Mrs Mellor always gave me a tub full of husk that suddenly stopped when Kevin Ashurst or his Dad put an article in the Angling Times about the use of casters in the Lancashire canals. He changed the name from husk that floated to casters that sunk, after If I wanted casters they were for sale, the freebies stopped.
I have since had a dislike for Angling Times.[/QUOTE)

Mellors at Swall' eventually became old Walt Woodhouse's a little way away , in the seventies the road outside was a continuous line of ever arriving always leaving car door slamming anglers on their way to the Trent, Witham and fens in the early hours every weekend.
They called for their casters maggots and groundbait in hugh quantities that must have made Mellor one of the most successful bait dealers in the country over a few short years, the queue outside was enormous, he must have done very very well.
The shop eventually relocated some one hundred yards further up the road and became that of Walt Woodhouse and his wife(anyone remember La Maison Bois fishing tackle? ) who I knew from earlier years when fishing the Witham around Tattershall, a great character who once challenged myself and several other motorcyclists that he would beat us back to the square in Sleaford in his Austin Cambridge car.
We had no chance, he was sat smoking a cig by the time we arrived.
Afterwards the shop went into the care of Bob n kate Hazzard for a number of years ( Kate fished for the England ladies fly fishing Squad).
Its now under differant management and goes by the name of Six A M tackle where I was parked alongside this morning.

I don't remember Walt Woodhouse but everything else is clear in my memory.
Perhaps because in the late 60s I was living in Sheffield then. When I was in Sheffield the only tackle shop I used was Calcotts, my first introduction to spade end hooks came from Mr Calcott he taught me a few things regarding shotting. I used to live in the Bull and Mouth hotel over Ladies Bride from the new shop.
I remember before Sunday shopping started maggots were sold from a trailer up the steps from the old Cinema that was below the tackle shop,
perhaps that was Walt.

 

[greenie62]

It's hard to tell what'll become popular - you'd have a mountain of old stuff if you waited to see if it'd appreciate in value.

So - that's why I do it!
Thank you for supplying confirmation of the reason I normally tell SWMBO! mg:

 

[flightliner]

Raynor, I think it may have been in the late seventies by the time old Walt moved into the "new"shop at swallownest, as you say memory can throw us off key at times.
I wish I had a pound for everytime I stood waiting for a coach opposite your old pub on waingate to take me and thousands of others down to the Withan and Welland.
Great days.

 

[Keith M]

I'm a bit surprised there's been no mention of the ''Efgeeco Packaseat'' as they were very popular back in the day. As was ''Pomenteg'', given the publicity it received endorsed by none other than **** Walker and Fred J Taylor.

I had a green Efgeeco seat box which you carried like a rucksack and had a rigid metal frame/legs and a seat. It might have been the Packaseat that you mention. It gave me many good years of service.
I think there was an earlier version which had a cheaper canvas type covering but I had the newer green plastic coated material version which I bought in the late 70s.

Keith

 

[The bad one]

Brent line now that was a line of indeterminate strength. Mega spool cheaper than chips and less reliable. Millbro rods, more famous for their metal cattys that every kid aspired to for breaking the mill windows a 100 yards away from the canal towpath and usually armed with a pocket full of marbles as ammo

 

[Derek Gibson]

I had an Efgeeco seat box which you carried like a rucksack and had a rigid metal frame/legs and a seat. It might have been the Packaseat that you mention. It gave me many good years of service.

Keith

Sounds suspiciously like it to me Keith.

 

[steve2]

I have a booklet issued by ICI about fishing with LURON line with various well known anglers of the time explaining how to use it.