During the period of enforced activity earlier this year I thought to make myself a cane pole in the old style as shown in Michael Nadell’s excellent book on these curiosities.
Like many TFF members, I have a bin full of old rod sections and unfinished projects, and lots of spare time. How hard could it possibly be?
As you may have guessed, very hard!
Early plans for a five piece twenty footer were soon dropped, when the realities of finding suitable cane of the right diameter for the bottom section proved elusive.
In the end I settled for a more realistic wand of sixteen feet in four sections.
The top of the top section came from an old fly rod, the third section from a shortened middle of an old bottom rod.
The bottom piece came from a piece of cane nearly two inches in diameter, that I found wedged in the roof supports of my garage.
We’ve been here for over thirty years, the cane section possibly a decade or two more.
I had a bit of a kink in it, but see pic. of my patent straightening device. It had a couple of nasty cracks, but the best bit was suitable.
The second section came from a garden centre and was all of 90p.
I drilled the two bottom sections out as best I could with some rudimentary tools, but naturally, not to the level of the masters of the past.
I poured raw linseed oil through the bores of these two sections and let it drain and dry to prevent( I hope ) future cracking.
The ferrules were a headache, but some aluminium tubing replaced brass where it was hard to find the correct diameters.
A tad heavy perhaps, just some finishing, a tip to the style of Wal perhaps, and no gudgeon is safe!
Regards Tom.
Home made cane pole
- Aitch
- Pike
- Posts: 6204
- Joined: Sat Mar 23, 2013 11:03 am
- 11
- Location: The Shades, Essex
Re: Home made cane pole
Very nice... it will be lovely to use...
Just one more cast love, and I'll be on me way home
Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but pictures and memories
Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but pictures and memories
- NiceRoach
- Eel
- Posts: 2386
- Joined: Sun Nov 18, 2012 9:32 pm
- 11
- Gobio Gobio
- Grayling
- Posts: 664
- Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2018 2:07 am
- 5
- Location: Hertfordshire
Re: Home made cane pole
Well done, its looking great and far from 'delaminated'!
- EricW
- Perch
- Posts: 469
- Joined: Fri Mar 05, 2021 7:29 pm
- 3
- Location: Leics/Warks border
- Contact:
Re: Home made cane pole
I'm very impressed and that will be a lot of fun.
These are the Golden Years. Don't waste them.
Here are some of our fishing films that you may enjoy
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrUkLb ... -bz8H_vr7A
Here are some of our fishing films that you may enjoy
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrUkLb ... -bz8H_vr7A
- Coral Maestro
- Chub
- Posts: 1041
- Joined: Sun Feb 02, 2020 2:58 pm
- 4
- Location: Correze, France
Re: Home made cane pole
That looks great! It must have been quite a challenge fitting the ferrules. Let us know how it fishes.
What do they know of fishing who know only one fish and one way to fish for him?
- Jack Hargreaves.
- Jack Hargreaves.
- MGs
- Pike
- Posts: 6417
- Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2011 2:24 pm
- 12
- Location: Cornwall
Re: Home made cane pole
A worthwhile project. It looks very nice. Keep us updated.
Old car owners never die....they just rust away
- Liphook
- Barbel
- Posts: 4724
- Joined: Mon Sep 03, 2018 6:21 pm
- 5
Re: Home made cane pole
What an excellent looking pole Delaminated! Eyed tips for carrying elastics are something I've never tried but make perfect sense. Looking forward to hearing your experiences of it in use
- Aitch
- Pike
- Posts: 6204
- Joined: Sat Mar 23, 2013 11:03 am
- 11
- Location: The Shades, Essex
Re: Home made cane pole
I had a pair of tips made by Wal a couple of years back with fly guides for elastic use... they work very well, but I'd be very wary of using too heavy an elastic... the heaviest I have used is a size 6 hollow
https://traditionalfisherman.com/viewto ... 38&t=29447
https://traditionalfisherman.com/viewto ... 38&t=29447
Just one more cast love, and I'll be on me way home
Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but pictures and memories
Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but pictures and memories