The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

I grew up in Luton in the 50s and started fishing at about 10, years that is not 10am. The first shop I used was Luton Angling Supplies run by Ted, I remember the smells of varnish and rhe jars of red topped floats (why did all floats of memory have red tops). We then used a shop in the corner of a large Co-Op where I bought my Intrepid Regent, can you imagine buying maggots in a shop that also sold food? After a house move Angler's Corner became favourite, this was a truly traditional place and I bought several Fibatube blanks from them; I think they closed when the owner retired. This left Leslie's of Luton as pretty much the only shop in town, time had moved on and a visit here was remembered by the sweet smells of carp bait and continental groundbait.
Mustn't forget Alan Brown in Hitchin where I bought a lovely set of blanks for a trotting rod.

Hope this wasn't too boring.

Intrepid Regent.
I have one and it still gets occasional use.
Nice reels.
Do you still have yours ?

No, no Regent but I do have the Elite I always wanted then.

Most, if not all of the old shops have gone and the smells and atmoshpere have gone as well.

That wasn't boring, in fact quite interesting, thank you for posting.

True, online finished them off. Sadly my nearest shop is around an hour away although all I need usually is line or hooks and I can get those online....ahem!

Definitely not boring. John Andrews showed me an old fishing net a few years ago that just reeked of old fishing tackle shops. The git wouldn't sell it to me.

By the time I started Partridge had become a toy shop but I still associated it with a particular smell as there was a coffee roaster next door. I think the fishing department in the Co-Op was originally there.
I well remember those landing nets, the brass rivets would often shear, the Efgeeco spreader block put paid to that.