The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Hello
l know Hardy made the Richard Walker cane carp rod in 1969 only
but does anyone know how many they made
are they rare ,l can't find much on them ,
is it true that Richard Walker fell out with B.James ,then moved over to Hardys , with Fred J.Taylor ,and others, giving advice to the company
or is that all wrong .......
I would love to know, as l have just pick one up

I think it's thought they made about 200 each of the Carp and Avon rods. They also made a carp rod in 1954 that is finished differently and is probably a different taper. They are quite rare but do come up for sale from time to time. They are different to the B. James MkIV. However, I've been told by one of the UK's leading rod builders that the cane is not as good as you would hope for from Hardy and prone to taking a set. I've seen about half a dozen of the Avon rods and they have all had a set but the carp rod I came close to buying was very straight. It's a nice lissom rod and I will probably have a replica made at some point as I think it would make an excellent stalking rod.

My 'Avon' is very straight !!! Wal seemed to like it when he borrowed it back in March !!! The only time it wasn't straight was when he'd hooked into one !!!

the rod is a work of art , straight ,and beautifully finished ,in the original bag with the Hardy label ,
the chap who had it before me, paid £35 for it !!!!
i've only ever seen 2 of these carp rods before , both lovely ,one the owner would never part with,not that l'd ask !
the other was in the Creel in Aldershot in 1979 [ ,proper tackle shop ! Always had cane in the back of the shop,] and l couldn't afford it then , from then on always wanted one .
The Avon ,also a beautiful rod ,seem to be easier to find , but the last 2 had huge price tags £1000 + is this correct ? [dealers]
is it the same for the carp rod , if so , l have a bargain ,a first for me !

The Avon seems to come up for sale more often – perhaps they made more of them or folks like the Carp so much they want to hang onto them. Dealers tend to be asking £900 – £1200 for the Avon. The late 60's Carp varies greatly in price. I looked at one privately for £400. I've seen them with dealers for around £750 but that was some years ago.

Angling Auctions April 2017
https://sportdocbox.com/Fly_Fishing/777 ... items.html

Lot 244
A very rare Hardy “Carp” 2 piece cane carp rod,
10’, crimson silk wraps, gold inter-whippings, sliding alloy reel fittings, suction joint, excellent condition and a very rarely seen model made 1955/6 only, in bag
£350-550

Did Hardy get the idea from Richard Walker for that rod
did he have any input in it's making
or did Hardy just decide to make one, because at that time didn't B.James ask him if they could make his carp rod.
The one l have is the 1969 version that Walker had a say in , l believe ,could be wrong ,has his name on it,
Thanks for that Deaf Cat

this is the rod ..brilliant ,took this fish off the top ,this afternoon, on a bit of cheese sandwich , straight into a massive weed bed ,just pull her out,with 2 fishermen telling me it's impossible, and cane rods can't do that , there just nice too stick on the wall !!!! one of them really said that,nice to proof them wrong ....
a superb rod ,and always been a mitchell fan , but the cardinal takes some beating ,

Deaf Cat wrote: ↑Sun Sep 02, 2018 8:54 pm Angling Auctions April 2017
https://sportdocbox.com/Fly_Fishing/777 ... items.html

Lot 244
A very rare Hardy “Carp” 2 piece cane carp rod,
10’, crimson silk wraps, gold inter-whippings, sliding alloy reel fittings, suction joint, excellent condition and a very rarely seen model made 1955/6 only, in bag
£350-550

Unfortunately the rod did not sell at this price so presumably did not meet it's reserve at around the £350 mark.

Dok

thank you all, for the information
Jon