The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Hello all, I was wondering what to say as an introduction and my wife suggested posting the email I sent Mark hoping for acceptance onto the forum. So here it is:

I would like to become a member of your Forum for several reasons but I'm
not sure I meet your full requirements. I must be honest straight away and
tell you that although I have always admired the craftsmanship and beauty of
cane rods, I do not always fish with one.

I did use a cane rod I was given by an elderly neighbour who knew I had a
love for fishing, when I was a teenager back in the late sixties. The rod
was called The Lea Hunter and I actually used it on the river Lea at
Broxbourne, Ware and Dobbs Weir on several occasions before moving on to my
Bruce and Walker CTM 9 but I can't remember the makers name.Sadly the rod
was lost when I moved home in 1975.

I was born literally within casting distance of the Regents Canal in east
London in 1954 and began to fish as soon as my parents would let me go with
the older boys down to "The Cut". As I got older I joined a local fishing
club called Simpsons Daks and we journied to various parts of the country as
often as we could. As an eastender and city boy the fishing trips produced
in me a love of the countryside and wildlife that is still strong today.

I have a particular love of Abu Cardinal reels and I use one of my two 44xs
in conjunction with a Bruce and walker 13' CTM to float fish to this day. I
also use a Mitchell 410 reel with my CTM 9' for larger fish. I have
collection of various reels including, Ambidex, Hardy centre pin and
Mitchell. I also have a collection of various rods and vintage bits and
bobs.

The handbuilt Bruce and Walker rods and Abu & Mitchell reels I use were
purchased by myself from Johnny Lees tackle shop in Hackney between
1974/1975 and are in excellent condition and still a joy to use.

I fish with my father in law regularly. He's both a course and fly
fisherman, and despite having fished my entire life, it's a privilege to
fish with somebody that bit older than me. He has a huge amount of knowledge
and wisdom and even though I consider myself experienced, I still learn from
him. He even trusts me enough to let me use one of his prize split cane
rods and centre pin reels when we occasionally fly fish one of his local
trout lakes in Surrey. (But only if I carry his gear and buy the real ales
and sandwiches after a session!)I hope this boosts my credentials as a
special occasion cane rod fisherman

I have been reading topics with great interest on your forum for sometime
now and have been greatly impressed by your members knowledge and tips. The
anglers on your forum are just the kind I would enjoy fishing and chatting
with.

Best regards

Perry

Welcome. I was born in the same year and have a love of CTM rods and Mitchell reels. I also fish for trout. Look forward to your posts :-)

Greetings Sir cracking introduction

A hearty welcome, Sir.

SofaSurfer wrote: ↑Tue Jun 06, 2017 10:31 pm Welcome. I was born in the same year and have a love of CTM rods and Mitchell reels. I also fish for trout. Look forward to your posts :-)

Thanks a lot, SofaSurfer, for being the first to welcome me to the site. I'm looking forward to joining in with the discussions.

Hello Perry, welcome to the TFF

Hello Perry . I know the parts of east London you mention very well. I live in Hackney just up from the Regents on Cambridge Heath road . Near the Town hall. I used to use Broadway tackle till it shut years ago.

I Fish local ( when I get the time) one tackle shop left in east London ! Or up the Lea or indeed very occasionally Roding Valley

Very occasional I catch a fish.

It's a good forum and there's a few on here I know the Lea a lot better than me ..

All the best TD

Welcome to the forum Perry.

A big hearty welcome to the forum Perry, that's​ a great introduction to the
forum you have made. You won't get a better gathering of friendly fisher
folk anywhere else than here.

Welcome to the forum, Perry.

I grew up with Hardy fibalite rods (though the CTM's were more popular on the match circuit), ABU cardinals and Mitchells as the gold standards of early seventies tackle. There are many enthusiasts of those rods and reels here. A word of warning: you will inevitably be drawn towards cane rods and centrepins. The love of them is highly addictive and there is no known cure (at least not on this site). We look forward to reading your posts.

G. B.