Winfield

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LuckyLuca
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Re: Winfield

Post by LuckyLuca »

Nobby wrote:I've definitely seen the gauze breather ones before...far better than few small holes.....
Well it measures up just as the advertisement, so I shall add it to my Woolies collection.
Why they sold such a small tin for maggots I don't know? Not room for many grubs in there.
I walked across an empty land
I knew the pathway like the back of my hand
I felt the earth beneath my feet
Sat by the river and it made me complete.

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Moley
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Re: Winfield

Post by Moley »

LuckyLuca wrote: Why they sold such a small tin for maggots I don't know? Not room for many grubs in there.
That's because most of the Woolies tackle was designed for kids who as such could not, mostly, afford a pint of Germs. A half pint or quarter was as much as most of us around at the time could afford.....tackle shops catered for this market!

Generally people were very much poorer than they are nowadays and kids really had to make do and mend mangy old bits of tat and cast offs from well meaning older anglers/relatives. A decent reel was more often than not over a weeks wages back in the 1950's/early 1960's. The first decent reel this Mole ever had was an Ambidex Mark 6 Swan Neck which my Dad saved up for by giving up his pipe for a few months, a tremendous effort back then when everyone smoked and collaring all the relatives for a chip in. This would have been about 1966; more importantly that reel is still used and cherished by this very Mole :Hat:

In this throwaway age not many bits of tackle will last the distance of that you can be sure!

But it really makes you realise just how silly the prices of Traditional Tackle have become and perhaps also, to some extent, the people who pay extravagantly for it. Let's face it paying thousands for a rod and reel, albeit aesthetically pleasing and good quality, would very likely have had those who actually originally used the tackle back then, or the newly made even more expensive tackle copying their stuff, looking with disbelief and choking on their pints!

No doubt there will be those who would whole heartedly disagree with this, as is their right, by claiming it's their money to spend how they wish. Rightly so, but if they are truly honest with themselves the prices have become ridiculous and not really justifiable, whatever the specious argument.

This Mole uses old tackle because it is what he is used to and can't really get on with carbon this and that; utilising most of the old tat that he has been given over the years.......Cherishing it because it still works very much on a make do and mend basis from the 1950's.

Yes I am that old and nowt really has changed from the Mole perspective with regard to tackle and fishing really :Cool:

As ever,.....


Mole Power!!! :cold:
Say aye tae'a pie!

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Nobby
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Re: Winfield

Post by Nobby »

Moley, you've dug up a post that was almost a year old.


I suppose that's what moles do.....dig things up?



:laugh:

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Stingray
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Re: Winfield

Post by Stingray »

My Winfields (minus a couple of duplicates and some boxes) -

Image

KEY (port to starboard) -

Back Row - Bass Fisher (early), Bass Fisher (late) Surf Caster (early), Surf Caster (late), Shore Caster (late), Level Wind

Middle Row - Spinfisher 88, Newcomer, Young Angler ll, Salt Water Newcomer, Spinfisher 99

Front Row - Coarse Fisher, Spin Fisher, Spinfisher 555

All decent very usable reels (except the Young Angler ll which is without a handle unfortunately), stand-outs are the Bass Fishers for their highly unusual format, the Spinfisher 88 & Spinfisher 555 for being early examples of skirted spool reels and the Coarse Fisher and Spin Fisher (already mentioned in another comment above) for simply being really lovely :clap: reels.

If anyone has questions re particular reels please fire away.
Last edited by Stingray on Wed Mar 18, 2015 8:43 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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LuckyLuca
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Re: Winfield

Post by LuckyLuca »

What a great collection Stingray! Great condition on them. I never expected to see so many fine examples in one place!

Moley, you are of course correct reguarding the maggot tin. And little is more traditional than mend and make do!
I walked across an empty land
I knew the pathway like the back of my hand
I felt the earth beneath my feet
Sat by the river and it made me complete.

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LuckyLuca
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Joined: Mon Jul 02, 2012 10:20 am
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Re: Winfield

Post by LuckyLuca »

Following a conversation with one of our members, does any one know of a list of hollow glass rods sold under as the Winfield "fisher" series.

I have a specimen and ledger fisher. I know of the roach, spin and pike fisher. Were there any others?

I have just received a rod but its label is illegible and I'd like to try to identify it.

Ta.
I walked across an empty land
I knew the pathway like the back of my hand
I felt the earth beneath my feet
Sat by the river and it made me complete.

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PershoreHarrier
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Re: Winfield

Post by PershoreHarrier »

Absolutely nothing wrong in my book with bringing back happy memories - in fact thinking about it virtually all my tackle is aimed at doing just that but more it also leads to more happy events and in that more happy memories.

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Stingray
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Re: Winfield

Post by Stingray »

LuckyLuca wrote:Following a conversation with one of our members, does any one know of a list of hollow glass rods sold under as the Winfield "fisher" series.

I have a specimen and ledger fisher. I know of the roach, spin and pike fisher. Were there any others?

I have just received a rod but its label is illegible and I'd like to try to identify it.

Ta.


Can't help with a full list but there were beachcasters badged Winfield Beach Fisher. I have two of them which I believe were actually made by Olympic but I have seen other Winfield "Beach Fisher" rods which are very different to the ones I have. Point being, they reused the names with different rods of a roughly similar type, something they also did with their reels to some extent so you may have more to collect than you expect as names may be duplicated across different rods. :)

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Stingray
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Re: Winfield

Post by Stingray »

Looking at the photo of my Winfield collection above - I've since sold five of those but have added the big brother of the Spin Fisher, the Beach Fisher - a larger reel of the same design. So the set of those golden handled Japanese beauties then is Coarse Fisher, Spin Fisher and Beach Fisher. They are all well engineered but not without issues -

Coarse Fisher has a small diameter spool which can give bad line twist unless low memory line is used.

Beach Fisher has the same paint job as the other two which is fine for fresh water but not up to salt water which it is also a little on the small side for. It would make an excellent carp, pike or specimen reel for freshwater though.

Spin Fisher has no sins that I'm aware of - a good reel.

There were other models similarly named but I'm referring only to the golden handled, worm drive, Japanese ones.

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Beresford
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Re: Winfield

Post by Beresford »

LuckyLuca wrote:Following a conversation with one of our members, does any one know of a list of hollow glass rods sold under as the Winfield "fisher" series.

I have a specimen and ledger fisher. I know of the roach, spin and pike fisher. Were there any others?

I have just received a rod but its label is illegible and I'd like to try to identify it.

Ta.

I came to this thread today intending to write exactly the same post!

I had two fly rods that I'm sure were both called Fly Fisher. One was 8' #5 and the other 8' 6". I'm fairly sure there was a Float Fisher that pre dated the Roach Fisher.

I'd be interested in trying to pin down some specifications on the rods as well. For the record the Roach Fisher was 11' with 3/4lb t/c. Two piece plus separate full cork handle. Green whippings, mid-brown glass. Hi-bell rings with threaded tip ring which, like the butt ring, had an orange insert. Fake agate I expect.
The Split Cane Splinter Group

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