Chris Yates ‘The Carpcrawler’ 8’3″ 2-top. Made by Edward Barder in 1993.

With its light and heavy tops, both of which work in perfect harmony with the butt, this rod is extremely attractive, tactile and versatile. With the light top you can cast spinners and whichever lure or small bait rig is currently in vogue. You can touch-ledger with it in smaller streams. The heavy top brings the action into the  butt and now you have the carp stalking rod that was conceived and tested by Chris Yates. It makes a super spinning and lure rod too. You could wobble a sprat and catch a huge pike, or cast plugs for bass like Chris does with his. Unlike him, you won’t desalinate this rod with WD40. Just rinse it off with fresh water -please!

If you have a Video cassette player, pop in your VHS copy of The Secret Carp and watch the original Carpcrawler in action as Chris uses it to land a superb fully scaled mirror carp of well over twenty pounds. There is a description of it in his book of the same name.

This rod was one of the first to be made after the design had been finalised and approved by Chris Yates. It has had one owner since new and you could be forgiven for thinking that it was made last month. It was commissioned with every possible refinement and it’s that rare thing, a BC rod.

What on earth is the silly old git on about this time – a BC rod? BC stands for Before Colin. I made this rod just before my chum Colin joined me. He’s still here now, chained to his bench, greeting visitors with great charm, making the most wonderful rods and somehow putting up with his quaint guvnor.

One gets a lot of rod for one’s money with a superb twin-tip Carpcrawler. It’s the sort of rod that you’d do a lot of fishing with and have great fun while you’re at it. Your friends, equipped with something dubious from the East, will look on with envy as you outclass them with your refined split cane instrument and impressive catches of fish.

Specification.

Hand made split cane made from oven tempered bamboo. Two tips -one light for 4 -6 lb line. One heavier for 8 -12 lb line. The tips are inscribed Light and Heavy in Indian ink.

Truncated nickel silver ferrules, blued and lacquered in the traditional way and fitted with a lovely hand-turned hardwood and cork stopper. These ferrules are very light but strong and retain a perfect honeymoon fit.

Exceptionally nice and very finely knurled nickel silver butt cap and sliding reel bands. I know how particular some of you are about your rubber so I’m pleased to inform you that this rod has its original and very desirable Red Rubber Button.

The ⅞” diameter handle is 23″ long with a subtle mushroom shaped top.

The rings are hard chrome plated stainless steel bridge pattern, with agate-lined nickel silver tip rings. Ring, ferrule and intermediate whippings are Pearsall’s bottle green silk tipped with Pearsall’s Gossamer scarlet silk. A hook keeper ring is incorporated into the whippings above the handle.

The Indian ink inscription is: 8’3″ two-top Chris Yates Carpcrawler. Hand-made by Edward Barder in 1993.

The rod comes in its immaculate tailor made bag with bronzed press stud fastening and a pocket in the flap to store the ferrule stopper in.