Aspindales Rod Help Required.

[Lea Dweller]

Does it smell of Mint Cake?

[Catfish.017]

The Sealey Roach is an interesting rod with its sharp, stepped taper in the top section. I have one of these although I didn't know that's what it was until the recent spike in interest in the rod. It came to me in a job lot with no identifying marks and rusty rings. I wonder Fredline does yours have the original one piece wire rings?. I wonder also if you could post a photo of the Female ferrule as I'm unsure if mine is original?

Hi Cat, the rings on this rod were the rather weird elongated long legged wire rings that Sealey used on this range.They were rather rusty so they had to go. The ferrules are not the best either. Sealey, very much in keeping with Chapmans and the 500 series of rods, cut back on the quality of the fittings to make them more commercially viable.
I have stripped the rod down and after seeing Wals’ excellent restoration of a Sealey Roach from a few years back I have decided “green is good” with Garnet silk inters. The rings I am using are a very nice set of “Half Bells Life”. You can see from the picture that they are not High Bells and certainly not Low. The stripper and tip rings are the originals.

Thanks for that Fredline. Yes the fittings are very much the lower end type in contrast to the actual cane which on mine is top quality, better than any of my other Sealey rods.

[Nobby]

That rod was by the late Peter Aspindale. You can tell by the fisherman sticker. By an absurd coincidence the same image was used by Peter's ex-partner Tony Croft on his rods!

By then Tony had moved South and he and Peter were not in communication...so how did it happen that they used the same image?

[Wallys-Cast]

Another thought, haha. No1 could be the 12ft version. No2 the 13ft and No3 the 14ft version. Or just earlier versions.

Wal.

Hi Wal, I am going with it being the first 12' rod they ever made. Designed by Bob Southwell and built by Kenny Kendal, presented to Richard Walker who gave it to Bernard Venables who sold it to Chris Yates.

Sorry John, that particular rod was bought at auction by David Bowey who gave it to Mick Jagger who still uses it on a Sunday morning in the local park matches.

Wal.

[Lea Dweller]

I am so impressed with the depth of your knowledge Wal!

[Wallys-Cast]

I am so impressed with the depth of your knowledge Wal!

Yes Ted, I do like to keep up to date with whats going on in the world.

Wal.

[Lea Dweller]

I am so impressed with the depth of your knowledge Wal!

Yes Ted, I do like to keep up to date with whats going on in the world.

Wal.

When you find out Wal, please let me know!

[Wallys-Cast]

I am so impressed with the depth of your knowledge Wal!

Yes Ted, I do like to keep up to date with whats going on in the world.

Wal.

When you find out Wal, please let me know!

[John Harding]

Fredline,
That's a nice Aspindale rod you have, I too have an Aspindale Matchdale but mine is a fibre glass version, the rod is labelled Matchdale 2 12ft Tubular Fibre Glass :-



With regards to some of their rods being marked with a cross or star that Nobby pointed out, I have a couple of their rods with these cross/stars on the script and they do seem to be on rods that are probably specials, although I do have one rod which I am sure is a special that does not have these additional markings.

The first one is a 14ft fibre glass Withamdale that has the name G. R. Bayford above the script with the star above and below the Bayford name.




I also have a two piece fibre glass rod, which I believe is a spinning rod, that does not have a script with a model name on it, just the name
R. E. HUGHES 8ft



I also have a rod which I am sure is a "special" but it does not have the cross/star markings on it, the script on the rod reads :-
Dalesman Series
The Swaldale 12'
Hollow Built Cane Kit by Dawsons
Norman T. Barry 4.4.67



Hope these are of interest.
Regards,
John