Friday 6 January 2017

A new rod for the Epiphany



I do have a liking for glass fibre rods. I know that may come as a shock to some, but I don't just fish with rods made of bamboo!  

You can imagine my pleasure, over the Christmas break, when I came across this old school glass fibre pike rod. The Blenheim (made by Vortex, ET Barlow & Sons of Thames Ditton) - no doubt named after that fine Capability Brown landscaped park at Woodstock in Oxfordshire that has a mighty fine lake which contains some mighty fine pike. The punt fishing for pike is still available and very good too, although my memories are of cold days, not enough flasks of soup and gin clear water which invariably led to no pike!

The rod was too good to pass up at about the equivalent of three pints of your finest ale - a bargain! 

Today is the Ephiphany and one of my traditions is to fish at some stage on this day, return home for King Cake and a glass of amber by the fire where we will burn holly and mistletoe that decorated the house and look forward to the year ahead.

I will be casting a line at last knockings, hoping for a a pike on the Stour, but if I end up fishless I will still be happy - happy in the knowledge that after my experience I will at least be king for part of the day.     



7 comments:

The Two Terriers said...


Happy New Year Dickie, I was going to fish yesterday but the shallow waters I fish are frozen and a check this morning showed the same problem. But thicker again. It was very frosty last night -4 on my mercury Max/Min thermometer and it is still very cold and just on zero. Tomorrow will be icebreaking day I think. good luck with old Esox Lucius. John

Dickie Straker said...

Thanks John, you too. It was a dizzy and balmy 7 degrees at home this morning and the Stour Valley has been hovering around 4 degrees and dropping today. River slightly coloured, not ideal, but I am still going later - a new rod to try! You boys on the Fens always have it harsh, throw another log on the fire! TTFN Dickie

Bureboyblog said...

Hope you both had well pulled strings. Chub I hope this weekend.

Dickie Straker said...

Thanks BB, was hard going, lumpy weather, ice still on puddles and river slightly coloured - jack fell off on last cast as i was getting soaked so called it a day - lots of snipe and an otter made for an interesting short trip, all the best Dickie

Champ said...

Well done for getting out Dickie.I have not been fishing or birding yet.Real green house plant me.Use glass for all of my sea fishing and there is one Hardy bag hanging which has a very nice Fred Taylor Trotter in it.Beautiful brown glass!.I bought it for my Wifeys odd venture out.Should i,dare i,will i?.

Dickie Straker said...

Nice bit of glass the Hardy is Champ, very appealing their old coarse rods! Tight lines, Dickie

Unknown said...

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