Youngs of Harrow Mk IV Avon

[Davyr]

I see that some photos of a Youngs rod that's new to me have appeared on Barbel Fishing World:

http://www.barbel.co.uk/site/vbulletin/ ... -info.html

Looks like a nice item, but does anyone know if Youngs ever actually produced a rod with Walker's name on it?

[Nobby]

This from none other than Paul Cook on the subject:

" Among other tackle shops , Judds were local to me although I could only class myself as an occaisional customer.I think the father was Jack Harrigon that went on to have a well known swim named after him on the Avon. Unlike Chubbs of Edgeware and Youngs of Harrow , I have never known Judds to produce their own brand of rods although I wouldnt discount this though. When I used to work for a local rod building firm , they did a lot of repairs at one time for Judds and also supplied them with split cane rods but wether they named them as an own brand I couldnt say.Youngs of Harrow did at one time produce their own split cane rods working out of the back of their premises with a small mill only capable of producing 3 piece coarse rods. The apprentices that worked under Youngs senior was none other than Southwell and Olivers who went onto to carve out their own careers. Later , southwell and olivers both supplied youngs and other local shops with blanks so they could market their own brand of mkivs etc . No doubt Chubbs built their rods on the afformentioned blanks also. I wonder then if , and it could be possible that Judds also built on blanks supplied by these two eminent cane makers. Therefore , it is also possible that this rod MAY exist but judging by the amount of so called "rods" of a dubious nature suddenly appearing on the market to catch the unwary I have my doubts. My time as a rod builder and restorer has enabled me to work on some very desirable items , some rare and others not so but equally as nice. I have also seen and worked on many rods over the years from the Youngs of Harrow stable and not once have I seen an Avocet type rod built by them, maybe they have but I have never seen one ever, but once again this does not mean they do not exist.Does this then mean that a youngs avocet is as rare as the judds version? The company that I occaisionally worked for did produce "one offs" far removed from their listed rods and I wonder if this will be discussed in years to come that one has turned up out of the blue and how rare this particular rod may be!"

There are, however, some rods of rather poorer quality made towards the end of the Otter Brand's life.

I think I know who made them, indeed he still makes rods, but I won't name him here. Suffice to say he didn't make that rod, which is likely to be Bob Southwell or Ted Oliver cane and is likely to a right good 'un!

The clues are the decent handwriting and the fact that they could only mill short sections for 3 piece rods at Harrow. ;-)

[Davyr]

Thanks, Nobby - I thought it did have the look of Southwell cane, from which I fondly imagine my R.C.Kirk Mk IV carp rod is made. I wonder if the Youngs rod will get as far as eBay?

[Nobby]

R C Kirk? Didn't he make his own cane in Hampton Court?


This from a chap called Julian Pardoe on Fishing Magic in 2008

"I took over a bankrupt R C Kirk Ltd in 1966. Bob Kirk was a rod builder for Pegley Davies in East Molesey. He had a 'complicated' private life & went bust! I, with my late father, moved him to Norfolk & founded <u>The East Anglian Rod Co</u>.(EARC)

From 1966 to 1976 (when we made our first carbon rods) all EARC rods were fibre glass. I remember Bob Kirk telling me he believed fibre glass 'bruised'. He meant that if it got a nasty knock, all would appear to be OK, but then sometime later...usually months... it might well break at the 'bruised' point.

We certainly took great care to see that our thin walled blanks (mostly from LERC in France) were handled carefully during the rod building. These were the green Tipster float rods; theSwingster leger rods &, of course, the Ken Smith....the first ever commercially made quiver tip rod. If only we had been smart enough to Patent quiver tip rods!!

The thick walled beachcasters & boat rods seldom gave us any trouble with breakages.

If any one is interested there is another thread on this website about EARC. "


I think this is the same feller...too much of a co-incidence to have two RC Kirks as rod buildres.


Julian Pardoe is surely this chap ...

From Anglers Net:

"Founder of The East Anglian Rod Co Peter Pardoe, sadly Dies, age 93.

In 1966 Peter Pardoe, affectionately known as the Major along with his son Julian Pardoe formed the rod company East Anglian Rod, Julian appointed M.D with Peter as chairman, the duo started to wholesale general fishing tackle to help sell the rods from the rod manufacturing business of R.C Kirk of East Molesley which they purchased from bankruptcy. The operation was set up in Norfolk and went on to be one of the most successful wholesale tackle companies of all time, achieving a turnover of £7 million when eventually sold.

Peter loved his trout fishing, but his first love was the tackle trade, serving 23 years of his life in the business, he will be sadly missed by all who knew him."

Here's some stuff on Kirk and it implies he did build his own rods, though he might not have split his own cane....

http://fishinghistory.blogspot.com/2009 ... -2009.html


I think you NEED a copy of that book, Davy.



http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fishy-Tale-Miss ... 0954390024

[Davyr]

I think you NEED a copy of that book, Davy.



http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fishy-Tale-Miss ... 0954390024

I do in fact have a copy, Nobby! I was hoping it would include more detail on his self-built rods than proved to be the case, but he was, as you say, based originally at Hampton Court. I have no proof that he bought in Southwell blanks, but I think it's likely, considering 1) the quality of the cane used in my Kirk Mk IV and 2) the fact that Croydon is under 20 miles from Hampton Court.

I did try writing to Rob Kirk c/o his publisher, but he is now in his 90s (if indeed he's still with us) and I received no reply.

[MGs]

Some interesting stuff there. All pretty local to where I grew up. I used to live less than 100 yards from Judds. Agree that they never marketed cane in their own name. I do have a Jack Harrigan branded carp rod, although it is fibreglass, the first expensive rod I ever bought.

[Nobby]

Well you can do no more then Davy.

I might just point out that even when I was a police pursuit car driver I doubt I could have got from South Croydon to East Molesley in 20 minutes :hahaha:


I used to live mid-way between the two and it was fourty minutes on a motorbike and I was a young fool then!

What do you drive? A Bell helicopter?

[Nobby]

MGs, I lived around the corner from Judd's for almost 20 years.

Do you recall Jack's party-piece if asked to lower his price?

Not done in the female company fortunately.


Ahem!

[MGs]

I always remember Jack being a grumpy old so and so. I was back working up there about 5-6 years ago. His son was still running the shop.

[Davyr]

I might just point out that even when I was a police pursuit car driver I doubt I could have got from South Croydon to East Molesley in 20 minutes :hahaha:

Nobby, your eyes are going, mate - I wrote under 20 miles, not minutes!