The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Hello.

My coarse fishing journey began last summer when booked to stay at a holiday cottage in Sweden that came with it's own rowing boat & fishing licence (too good an oppurtunity to miss!!), no luck on Lake Bellen unfortunately

However, my 7 year-old son & I have been quite hooked ever since and are now out fishing the local lakes and rivers (Sussex) 3 or 4 times a month.

Personally, I find the current fishing culture with all it's carp-obsessed, chemicals, seat box structures, 'bits' and noisy bite alarms something very different to the simple, beautiful pastime that I share with my son, out in a natural environment.

I am interested in the traditional / vintage fishing approach, after finding inspiration from BB's 'Little Grey Men' and 'Pool Of The Black Witch', recently read with my lad.

Recently acquired a few traditional floats in my box, interested in other vintage equipment (J.W Young Ambidex reel appeals), however bit worried about the detriment to actually catching fish!!

Would be interested to hearing from others how I may subtlety move across to more traditional equipment, without losing out on the fish.

Welcome to the forum Sion. :hat:

Welcome Sion - don't worry about losing out on fish by "going traditional": what you may lose in poundage (and this will largely be from a change of venues rather than a change of techniques or tackle!) you will more than make up in other ways.

That being said .... you may want to think carefully before starting a love affair with Ambidexes: golden hued and British they may be, mechanically reliable they aren't always! May I suggest that the number 300 and the name "Mitchell" feature in your future purchases instead? We recently wrote a (slightly tongue in cheek) "VFC Guide" to vintage angling - and one of the better pieces of advice in it, I think, is to decide early on what your limits or parameters are with regards to how traditional/ vintage you want to go: this can really add to the fun! We have customers all along the spectrum - some who specialise in certain manufacturers or time periods (the 1960's most commonly) and others who only "fish vintage" as an occasional diversion. One chap is so dedicated to authenticity, as he sees it, that he fishes vintage right down to the hook point - keeping him stocked in Allcocks Model Perfects is becoming a full time occupation!

And always here on TFF you will find like-minded fellows ever willing to give of very expert advice on all manner of things.
Best wishes
Jim

Welcome to the forum Sion. :thumb:

Welcome Sion. Nice to find someone else who has read "Little Grey Men" I remember if fondly from childhood

Welcome Sion, I agree with your thoughts on modern fishing tactics and equipment, it struck me the other day when fishing, that it's somewhat ironic that as we can now obtain all sorts of seats/boxes that can be levelled to allow comfort, most of the club waters in my area now have health and safety approved stages, so that the good old wicker basket is as good in that respect as any of the hundreds of pounds plus boxes now available!
As to Ambidex, I have to agree with The VFC. They're attractive, but can be a little unreliable, usually when it counts! Mitchells are now my new found passion, couldn't afford them as a lad!
If you must have an Ambidex, look on the auction sites, but prepare for a shock, some sellers have an inflated view as to what they're worth, on the basis " if it's old it must be worth a lot", and the condition of many leaves a lot to be desired.
On a lighter note, don't forget to arm yourself with the best groundbait/bite attractor known to man...the Thermos flask!

Bevo - love your profile picture: who is it by and what's it called?
Jim

It's called "Left in Charge" by Phillip Eustace Stretton, and prints can be found at a variety of prices! Range from around £30 into the hundreds (although the latter are framed). A perfect picture for your lair!

Welcome to the forum Sion.
Mitchell 300s are the fixed spool reel of my choice although I like the Ambidex occasionally.
I think part of going trad is tuning into the motto of the flyfishers' club namely "there is more to fishing than catching fish".
This isn't always easy when you have a 7 year old next to you who just wants to catch as I well know but my now 13 year old son is well on the road to getting the idea of 'fishing not catching' and enjoying the whole experience. Taking children to the more commercial waters to ensure they catch can also be fun - especially when they land a whopper but it may get you some odd looks and comments from other anglers.

Welcome. There's a bit about Ambidexes in the Reels folder.

They can be made to work well and a reliable seller will know what he is doing, but straight from the factory* they can be a bit tricky to get right. They are British and therefore I want to use them and do on occasion, but a Mitchell 300 they ain't.

Not sure where you are in Sussex...it's a big county when you want to get anywhere, but next Sunday there is an Antique Tackle Fair in Romsey near Southampton.
I know for certain one stallholder at least will sort you out a good Ambidex or Delmatic II. Say no more.



* OK, Forty years later.