The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Edgar Thurston and Co. Ltd. was also my first, I lived a couple of hundred yards away in Riverdale Road, East Twickenham. This would have been the early 70's when Dennis Rudd was still alive and who, with Dave Steuart, jointly owned the shop. Dennis died in 1977 and from there on it was owned by Dave alone.

It was a bit of inconvenience when Dave eventually chose to sell it as by then I lived even closer! and the shop unfortunately was never the same, there again where would you rather be on the banks of the Test or behind a shop counter? Incidentally Michael, the name Edgar Thurston was made up so I guess your dad was pulling your leg! I have great memories of the shop and from 1978 until Dave sold it I worked there as Saturday boy. Umm great memories indeed such as Dave and the late Eric de Lacy (Eric was a builder who lived above the shop and also fished) dangling me over Dave's large livebait tank at the rear of the premises until I retracted some clever dick teenage remark I'd made. They got their apology, well it was January. Dave was 89 last week and I'm pleased to say is still dangling.

Tony

I remember my first foray into a tackle shop, it was Jewsons Guns and Tackle, which was in what is now called Westgate Arcade, Halifax, Yorkshire .
It was run by a chap called Ronnie Wood,a lovely chap, who never once played with the Stones, the Faces or Jeff Beck.
It was there I bought my first set of Bells Life, high rings, a pair of Alloy reel fittings , some bored corks etc, etc to make my first rod from a tank Ariel ,at the age of about 11 , I used the shop regularly until I joined the Army, when I returned it was under new ownership and had moved location, it was never the same without Ronnie running it, he was a gentleman , always smartly dressed with collar , tie and tweed jacket, and neatly clipped moustache.
The shop never smelt of maggots, or indeed anything except a slight aroma of gun oil.It was spotlessly clean, and always a pleasure to enter.

OMR

That would be Parlaunt Hardware on Parlaunt Road in Langley. It was within cycling distance. The proprietor (Ken) kept a dozen or so fibreglass rods, a selection of Intrepid reels, rod rests, landing nets, and a few keepnets in a corner of the store. The counter had a display of floats, shot, hooks, line, weights, etc. If you wanted half a pint of maggots (my usual request), he would disappear into a back room and reappear with your baitbox (green Efgeeco with cream lid) generously filled. If you wanted a much bigger selection of baits or tackle, Guillouds in Slough was the place to go.

G. B.

Philips tackle shop in Abbey Forgate Shrewsbury, it looked like a large shed with a tin roof under a railway bridge, keepnets hanging on the ceiling, rods in racks terminal tackle in labelled drawers ,tins and the smell of maggots in fresh sawdust emanating from the back.

Shaun Harrison wrote: ↑Mon Mar 05, 2018 6:11 pm Horseshoe Fishing Tackle in Long Eaton, Nottinghamshire where I would be served by the owner Cybil and sometimes Steve. Steve ended up working in latter years for the late Steve Parton at Sparton Tackle.
Sadly, Horseshoe Fishing Tackle slipped by the wayside many years back but their sticker still remains on one of my early diaries.

That brings back memories, Steve was an avid trout fisherman and I was a member of the same club, Alex Booth Fly Fishers, he used to turn up with a wide drum Aerial as his fly reel. The Methodist church nearby had a certain FWK Wallis as a member of the congregation.

It would have been Adams tackle shop in Duke Street. Darlington.
It's was a very busy shop in the 70s often the anglers had to wait outside the shop on a Friday night.
Sadly it's now long gone.
The other shop was Wrights in Stone bridge, Darlington a much smaller shop
But equally impressive to a young lad back then.

I think it must have been Gerry's in Wimbledon Broadway.

StefanDuma wrote: ↑Sun Apr 01, 2018 11:01 am

Shaun Harrison wrote: ↑Mon Mar 05, 2018 6:11 pm Horseshoe Fishing Tackle in Long Eaton, Nottinghamshire where I would be served by the owner Cybil and sometimes Steve. Steve ended up working in latter years for the late Steve Parton at Sparton Tackle.
Sadly, Horseshoe Fishing Tackle slipped by the wayside many years back but their sticker still remains on one of my early diaries.

That brings back memories, Steve was an avid trout fisherman and I was a member of the same club, Alex Booth Fly Fishers, he used to turn up with a wide drum Aerial as his fly reel. The Methodist church nearby had a certain FWK Wallis as a member of the congregation.

I've not seen Steve since Steve Parton died. Hopefully he is still out there getting his string pulled.

I think mine was either 'Tooks' a small shop in Greenford on the way out to Hanwell i can barely remember it my dad used to take me, or Pauls Anglers Den in Lady Margaret Rd in Southall, i used to go there on my bike. A likeable old boy ran it and he sold me my first 'proppa reel' a Mitchell 320 for roach bashing down the Guc at Northolt ! Sadly both shops long gone for at least 30 years or so.

I can't remember the name of it, but there was one about a hundred yards away in Crankhall Lane, Wednesbury in the late 70's early 80's.
Run by who I assumed was a husband and wife.
Me and my mate Andy bought our Shakespeare Alpha Match rods together, mine with notes, his with coins saved up for ages from his pocket money.
We also both bought a bronze coloured Shakespeare reel, might have been called the Ambidex but memory fails.
I can't remember when it closed. Suitably enough, it's a fish and chip shop now.
Later on there was Ken Austin in West Brom, my earliest memory there was looking at the rows of President match rods (it was all Shakespeare in those days) and thinking if only.

All the best.
Will.