Invention date of the quivertip?

[MGs]

I've done a search of the forum and a brief one on tinterweb but can't find any indication of when the quivertip was introduced. I recall using swingtips in the late 60s and early 70s. I don't think I used a quivertip until the late 80s, probably due to the type of fishing I was doing at the time.
I have a session planned on Wednesday, where I'm going to use my first ever glassfibre rod (which has been with me for nearly 50 years) with a screw in quivertip. This got me thinking about their introduction.
Any information gratefully received.

[Eddy Pools]

Hello,
The information I've found relates to the quivertip rod rather than the earlier screwed in quiver tips - I hope that this is OK.

Robert KIrk In his book A Fishy Tale .. missin' - gone fishin' (p 74) says that he and Ken Smith designed the Ken Smith Quivertip rod together while Bob was working for the East Anglian Rod Company in Norfolk between 1966 and 1969.

Bob describes the rod as being made "from the top two sections of a Lerc 12ft match rod with the top cut off and a finely tapered tip spliced in. It proved to be a deadly weapon and won many matches" ... "we sold quite a few"

I've found two references to posts on the Fishingmagic forum on TFF (thanks to Nobby, Stathamender, and Kingfisher) in which Julian Pardoe (son of EARC founder and MD of the company) claims that the EARC Ken Smith rod was the first Quivertip rod - I've copied the relevant text below.

Julian Pardoe claims here https://fishingmagic.com/forums/threads ... 950/page-3 (Jan 14th 2009 entry) that the Ken Smith Quivertip rod was the first commercially available quivertip rod:

" Most people do not realise that is was EARC that produced the first quiver tip rod. Fibreglass 9.5 ft (the KEN SMITH). Made from the top 2 sections of a 14ft Lerc blank with integral quiver. One of our salesmen sent his sample back to us saying.."you must be joking. This rod will never sell". Within 18 months it was our top selling rod. Sadly neither EARC nor Ken Smith patented the quiver principle".

Julian also confirms here https://fishingmagic.com/forums/threads ... 22/page-3 (need to scroll down to the bottom of the page to 23rd Dec 2014 posts) that the Ken Smith Quivertip rod was ... "the first ever quiver tip rod put onto the market commercially".

Unfortunately neither Bob Kirk or Julian Pardoe identify exactly when the Ken Smith Quivertip rod was first produced but maybe if someone has any EARC catalogues for period 1966 - 1969, the year of introduction can be established.

I've not looked for any other quivertip rod claims but I hope that this helps.

Geoff

[Catfish.017]

I know there was a screw in quiver tip available in the late Sixties because my pal Tim had one. Around fifteen inches long and thin parallel glass, no taper.

[Dave Burr]

There must be a thread in the archives here somewhere. Dick Walker and Peter Stone were individually working on the idea then got together to make some that suited their needs - if memory serves. I believe that Stoney was using whalebone whilst Walker was using fibreglass.

[Olly]

I think the quiver tip - previously donkey top - was about when I was starting fishing. Donkey tops, solid glass being spliced into hollow glass rods of about 8ft or so and being most of the top joint. That was about 1958-60ish.
The Tidal Thames was where I fished and match anglers used them together with what became feeders, film cannisters/hair curlers, for ledgering for dace - short hooklink for self hooking ie bolt rig. Or groundbait for the bream.
I made a donkey top rod from the hollow bamboo butt of a broken Edgar Sealey - with hollow glass top with solid glass donkey top spliced in.
I believe you can still get solid glass donkey tops?

Screw-in version came after the invention of the screw-in tip ring which happened about the time of the swingtip! Or even the spring-tip - a novel device that was made from a short 1-2in section of net curtain track which was 'hinged' with a section of cane with a tip ring. This along with the swing tip could also be use at the rod's butt section - called the sidewinder.

[MGs]

Interesting. Thanks all. It looks as if it was significantly earlier than I had thought. Swingtips or bobbins were always our go to indicators. Although, I have to say, the quiver makes things a lot easier for the silver fish I target.

[Olly]

Bobbins yep! Made from anything that we could!

Swingtips much later - I think I still have a variable weight swingtip I made with a wire on the back/upper part where swan shot could be attached for faster water.

[Liphook]

I seem to remember watching an early video of John Wilson in his shop making a spliced in quiver tip and explaining the history?? Could be mistaken however!

[DaceAce]

Jack Clayton was trying to make what was basically a quivertip by sanding/shaving down a piece of whalebone circa 1958 when he stumbled across the swingtip.

[Deaf Cat]

According to “The House the Hardy Brothers Built”in November 1971 Hardy started using P.Hoyle’s patent for “swingtip for rods”

Patent No 1310749.

No doubt someone cleverer than me can find and date that.