While looking through a 1972 Forshaws catalogue to check the rods for another thread on TFF, I came across a few pages on traditional floats that may be of interest. It's nice to see the illustrations in colour.
What do they know of fishing who know only one fish and one way to fish for him?
- Jack Hargreaves.
I have an idea that Richard Forshaw, like Pegley Davies in Surrey, didn't make much, if any, tackle, but bought tackle in from various places and marketed it to tackle shops.
You can actually see that Belglow, who we know so much more about now, actually have both theirs and Forshaws name on some of the display cards.
Both PDQ and Forshaws may have made rods though. Certainly PDQ had neighbouring rod makers F T Williams who's output was included in PDQ catalogues.
Your right Nobby there was definitely a bit of both going on at FoL. They made tackle and were wholesalers too. I don't know much about ERCraddock but Forshaws bought them as a going concern from what little I've read.