The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

I have had two Swimversa this year the first one was original untouched and was sold to a collector of Milwards but this one is better as the restoration gives it that it just came out of the factory look.The varnish looks good and not over varnished as I see to many rods that seem very high glossy build varnish that makes it very untraditional.Notice most of the makers of that era did not put very much varnish on the rods including Hardys.Not restoring rods myself I am amazed at the workmanship I get back, they are a labour of love not money.

I don't recall seeing a Swimversa with black reel bands before, must be a very late one...'65, '66 maybe?


The catalogues show that it wasn't, as is often thought, the most expensive Milwards rod. ..that was the Spanish reed Featherlite and Senior Featherlite it outclassed.

Weyfarer discovered that Milwards took out a European patent on the reverse taper, but I expect by the early Sixties they were producing them on mills, and that fancy tip and butt weren't as expensive as people imagine. I've seen a few now, not a glue line in sight...exceptional planing that I suspect wasn't by hand.


I think the rarity of the Craftversa might be down to only being in production for 2 years maximum and possibly the awkwardness, and hence unpopularity, of owning a 2 piece 11 foot rod in the days before so many of us had our own transport. I don't think it would have fitted in our Ford Popular...we barely did!



http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=h ... EwAA&dur=1

I think a lot of BV tackle was sold to finance what he considered to be the best fly
rod on the market at the time, a B&W Hexagraph, yes he ditched cane for C****N

ATB Macko

I know that the family still have his Craftversa. Now that's a rod I'd love to own.....

and i'm second in line for it Nobby

Bernard used the Swimversa vuite a lot as it's seen in many pictures. I love mine for light float fishing, more so because it was my first full restoration without defering some more complicated bits to My friend and rod builder Mike Harris. My whippings, again correct red and black jasper supplied to me by mike along with the new intermediate guides, has also come out dark, but not as dark as the original ones i had cut off when stripping the rod so i'm happy with the result. The ferrules have been blacked since this picture

Since my last post on this thread I was able to borrow an original Craftversaand have built a replica, as close as the owner was happy that cosmetically and in feel it was the most authentic replica it could be, which please me as he owned a Barder version too. Wonderful rod and I can see why Bernard held it in such high regard. After having another couple of originals offered and measured to confirm tapers and lengths I am half way through building a second for a friend and have a few more blanks in the process of being built, run out of cork shives at the moment and been preoccupied with float making of late too, but I will get to them soon.

As the owner of a Swimversa (odd rod) and also a Spinversa (very Nice). I have never had the sniff of a Milward Craftversa.
So well done to you Greentura for bringing more such rarities into being.