Hopefully attached to this post is the receipt for my B.James MkIV rod which I purchased from Charles Roy Ltd. (Ironmongers) of Warwick Road - Acocks Green - Birmingham. The receipt shows that I put down the deposit of £1 on 19 May 1970 and returned with the balance of £8.75 funnily enough on 15 June 1970 (there must have been something significant about that).
I recall entering the shop and the cane rods were displayed on the left hand side and ALL of them had been reduced to clear. There must have been 30 + B.James rods in that rack and it literally was as much as I could do to buy just the one.
I still have the rod and after many years of use having caught some very decent (for me anyway) carp I persuaded Edward Barder to restore it for me as the rings had become worn and the top had acquired a slight set. It now sits comfortably as it always did indoors and three of four times a year it has an outing to re-encounter the odd carp or barbel and perhaps an outing this year for
what it did so well for me in July 1970 when I caught my best ever Chub on the River Severn weighing some 5lb 12oz using this rod whilst spinning with a blue and silver No. 1 Mepps.
I started my first job back in 1970 and was earning just over £6 a week as an apprentice so I would not have been able to afford one back then either Reedling. 