Senior Wallis Avon

[Mushy]

Lovely rod there Badger1, would you say the Festival Avon is a similar rod but a foot shorter ? I am tempted to splash out

[Badger1]

Hi Mushy,

Yes they are similar rods. I suppose you could say the Senior Wallis Avon is slightly "beefed up" further. Andrew's "Festival Avon" differs from the original rod in that the tip step-down/compound taper is more subtle. The original rod is especially good cane but the step-down is quite steep and to be frank could be prone to sets if it was'nt such good cane.

If you were torn between which model to order I would probably plumb for the "Festival Avon" as it normally suits everyone being 11'. I like using 12" normally with fairly large pins i.e. 4 1/2" Aerials.

Possibly drop Andrew a email or book a time to call him and discuss it I'm sure he'll be fine to discuss it. I think his waiting list is fairly long now so you get opportunity to change your mind on the order. I don't tend to go on organised fishing days as there to tends to be too many self-promotional types but if it would get Andrew a order I could be tempted one evening to pop down to somewhere like The Mayfly pub on the Test so you can have a waggle of the original R.Sealey Festival Avon and the Senior Wallis Avon. But I'm not keen on having a load of people turning up as I'm a miserable sod .

Certainly give Andrew a shout about the rods and if you still can't decide come back to me.

Cheerio

[Mushy]

Many thanks Badger1, that's really useful and thanks for the offer of a waggle !

[Badger1]

A quick couple of hours this evening with Senior Wallis Avon / Opochtli. A very fine barbel rod by Mr Davis. Order one soon people

[GarryProcter]

Very nice Badger1, a fine catch. I had the pleasure of waggling that rod at Redditch, it's a wonderful thing, and I was mightily tempted to order one. When funds allow...

[J.T]

Great fish Badger1, well done chap!

[Mark]

Nice one Badger1.

[Loop Erimder]

Another great fish on a great rod

[Badger1]

A bit more waffle about a day out with this model of rod.

Well after many weeks possibly months of work and social things getting in the way I finally made it to the river bank again, and for once the river Trent actually looked just right for high water barbel & chub fishing. Many times I have made the trip to the midlands too be scuppered by the weather.

We went to a large sweeping bend in the river which always looks inviting but can be very hard fishing if the conditions are not right. Within 10mins of starting a very strong take occurred with an amazing powerful run and right battle started, I shouted down to ‘James’ from the forum “fish on”, and then mutter to myself about sounding like some hideous TV angler. It boar off down and across the river making for the strong flow in the main channel with much determination but the rod was more than up to it. Just as I seemed to be winning the struggle and making the fish come up stream (although it was along way from us in mid water) the barbeless size 6 slipped loose. I am sure I felt the line rubbing against a snag just before but who knows…the lead and hook came gracefully back to shore . All I do know it felt really quite a lump. B*gger!

You can see the action of the rod below. Which may be of interest to some of you looking for a barbel rod.




After a few seconds pondering I re-baited and cast back out but then spent the next hour pondering what may have been on the end of the line. During which time ‘James’ shouted down to me that he’d hooked a fish and could I come and land it. Well something quite rare came up out of the depths. A clonking great eel. Must have been easily 3lb. Much to our joy just as I was making a faff of getting it into the net it came off and slipped back into the depths. Neither of us fancied trying to unhook it.

By about 1300hrs it was cheese & red onion cob time washed down with a glass of Butts’ Barbus Barbus beer ‘James’ telling me about losing a chub further upstream. Lunch was finished by a generous lump of coffee and walnut cake we decided to go to another bend in the river as it looked very fishy in a slack area behind some reed beds and we would go back to the original bend for the last two hours or so. We could also await the arrival of ‘Hermit’ who was coming along for a general chat about reels, rods, and all things generally…..state of the economy, cutbacks, pipe tobacco, Venables etc.

1500hrs came around, ‘Hermit’ had appeared and I decided to go back to the original bend and try and hook another beast of the Trent. Tactic was simple….massive lump of tinned meat spiced up a bit, 1oz coffin lead, cast out straight over 2/3 across into the fast water and allow the bait and lead to drift down to my left under/near an overhanging tree. Whereupon I could sit and discuss the world with ‘Hermit’ rod in hand taking little visual notice but feeling the knocks and twitches. We’d just finished discussing the merits or not of auctions, various models of Aerial reels, some rods, and various modern rods when I realised I had not got the beer or cake out for ‘Hermit’. Rod in hand and our minds elsewhere I leaned down into the bag and……yup…..barbel on! Initially I thought it was a big chub but after a while I realised it was a bit more substantial. It really was quite a tussle with the camera man making comments about “if that’s a chub it’s making a monkey of you” etc. After many deep and meaningful runs she came to the net, a beautiful 8 ½Lb barbel which put up quite a scrap.










This model of rod Andrew offers is a super example of the rod makers art. It’s 12’ length is long but it is a light rod considering the size. Being three piece it makes it easy to transport about. I have used this for surface fishing for carp, spinning for perch/pike, trotting (as I only had this rod with me at the time but it’s fine for that too, well maybe a bit un-sporting of me though), obviously ledgering for barbel, and next comes dead baiting for pike…….

To be continued…….

P.s – get on and order one. It will be 15months before you get it.

TTFN

[Lea Dweller]

Lovely pictures and a fine description of both the battle and details of the rod. You appear to be using an ebonite flanged aerial, brave man! I hope that you catch many fine specimens using your excellent choices of both rod and reel!