The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

I really don't know how many there were, when they were first introduced and when they were discontinued, but here's a starter list to which I hope some of you will add? They may not be considered 'traditional' but some of us of a certain vintage were brought up using one or two of them.

Young Angler
Newcomer
Coarse Fisher
33
333
55
66
77
88
888
99
Spin Fisher

Any others?

Oops I though I read rods not reels.

List of rods would make an ideal post as a companion to this, I'll leave that one to you Mr Beresford. I have a Specimen Fisher and a Roach Fisher

If a reel bought from a traditional retail outlet isn't "traditional" I don't know what is!

Was the Young Angler a centrepin. I think I had one as a kid and my first reel. It was terrible and nearly put me off fishing with all the tangles it produced. It came with a short green solid fibreglass rod and a few traditional style floats etc, all in a long cardboard box. The only item I have left from the set is a pair of lead shot piers.

The Mudway Dangler wrote: ↑Wed Jul 25, 2018 5:04 pm List of rods would make an ideal post as a companion to this, I'll leave that one to you Mr Beresford. I have a Specimen Fisher and a Roach Fisher

I had a Roach Fisher until some toe rag stole it. I'd owned it for 33 years. However, I replaced it with a cane rod that was somewhat older than 33 years. I liked the Roach Fisher and it did sterling service for me. In my student days I had two fishing rods, the other one was a fly rod. The venerable Roach Fisher was used for everything including carp fishing in the margins, which it coped with. One sold on Ebay recently for £37.

There is a playlist of 14 Winfield (and Matchmaster: also Woolworths) fishing reel videos here -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt7DF9u ... ETg1DX6ujs

A mixture of coarse and sea reels but there may be some you are unaware of in there.

Maybe not all of your list are coarse reels - the Spinfisher 99 for example was quite a large fixed spool pitched at sea fishing I think.

Also this pic might help -



Front row L to R - Coarse Fisher, Spin Fisher, Spinfisher 555

Middle row - Spinfisher 88, Newcomer, Young Angler MKII, Salt Water Newcomer, Spinfisher 99

This is my Winfield Coarse Fisher c.1975. Its original box still contained the receipt from Woolworths Aldershot. £5.79!

My first rod might have been from Woolies. The classic 6ft, two piece solid glass job, bobbins reel loaded with 20lb b.s. line and the obligatory plastic float.
I can vaguely remember a display of rods in my local branch, there were probably other items of tackle as well.
By then though I had succumbed to the dubious charms of the tackle shop, so I was arrogantly, and no doubt wrongly, contemptuous of it all.
Prior to Sports direct it's always been something of a puzzle to me that the supposed popularity of fishing never lead to other major high street retailers stocking a range. Something tackle shop owners are no doubt grateful for.
I have seen bits and bobs in Poundland, but I wonder what's the strangest place anyone has found fishing gear in?

Willsmodger wrote: ↑Fri Jul 27, 2018 8:51 am Prior to Sports direct it's always been something of a puzzle to me that the supposed popularity of fishing never lead to other major high street retailers stocking a range. Something tackle shop owners are no doubt grateful for.
I have seen bits and bobs in Poundland, but I wonder what's the strangest place anyone has found fishing gear in?

It was always a big thing in the USA, Sears, for example stocked some good stuff. I love it when Lidl get fishing gear and I do the proverbial kid in a candy shop thing but it is now about 3 or 4 years since they did. Aldi do get tackle in from time to time - I bought my fishing brolly, and a really good and excellent value fishing chair from Aldi too.