The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

This is my first Dorset and second refurb.
First of all a big thank you to Jeremy Croxall who went out of his way to help me get this rod in the first place.

I have included some photo’s of the original whipping colours ( for those not familiar with the original colour scheme) so that the changes I have made are quite clear






I did however want to recognise the original but in a different format hence the bands on the ferrules and the tip. I kept reminding myself “less is more” ( again thinking about the original scheme) but got carried away at the tip lol.






The first thing I set about doing was extending the handle in order to make the rod easier to hold in the hand for long periods whilst trotting. Jeremy again gave me some great advice on how to do this.


I do enjoy doing the whipping but dread the varnishing. I suffered colour bleed twice so duly stripped the rod right back and started again. I sealed the whippings with 4 coats of PVA and then applied 4 coats of Flag yacht varnish. You are now looking at my third effort.

A labour of love and a fantastic result by the looks of the pictures Can you divulge more on the extension and the cane colour change please?

That looks really nice.
You can see the time and patience that has gone into the transformation.
A true labour of love but oh boy what a great result.

That's now a very good looking rod Pete, a great result and a tribute to your perseverance!
Looks like you've got the bug good and proper!
You've really grasped the bull by the horns with this one and ended up with a fine big fish rod which will serve you very well indeed.
Congratulations on a job very well done

Good evening follow friends,I must comment and say you have made a stunning job of the refurbishment keep up the brilliant work.Terry (Reelmaker)

Liphook wrote: ↑Sun Feb 07, 2021 4:47 pm A labour of love and a fantastic result by the looks of the pictures Can you divulge more on the extension and the cane colour change please?

The varnish over the logo is the original varnish left in place to preserve the logo. This has darkened over the years with UV etc. I put the green and gold wraps on to create a finish line. The lighter colour is the true colour of the cane underneath the discoloured original varnish.

The extension was acheived by removing the last 6" of the original handle and then sliding on a section of handle from a glass rod and then sanding down to fit.

Hope this helps

Jeremy Croxall wrote: ↑Sun Feb 07, 2021 10:46 pm That's now a very good looking rod Pete, a great result and a tribute to your perseverance!
Looks like you've got the bug good and proper!
You've really grasped the bull by the horns with this one and ended up with a fine big fish rod which will serve you very well indeed.
Congratulations on a job very well done

Yes you are quite right Jeremy, this is addictive I'm now looking for my next project

Thank you Danesman I was thinking you might have lightened the cane somehow, it's certainly gone from.auburn to blonde

Lovely job Danesman. May it serve you well!!

Question.... the addition of the extension to the handle .... how much did you put on the rods overall length .. has this improved the balance of the rod; I guess it must be dependant upon the weight reel used and the mounting position... just curious... Tony