Mr Crabtree and Peter, as seen through the eyes of the late Roger Wyndham Barnes.
Roger lived in a variety of houses in Twyford when he was an art student in the 1960s. At least one of them may have been owned by my great grandfather, the Old Colonel. I wonder how he would have felt about the huge and abundant specimen of Cannabis sativa that Roger grew in his back garden. The local Bobby was persuaded that it was a tomato plant. Later, Roger gardened for a living, sang the blues, once with Howling Wolf, and resuscitated the profession of ‘Thames Fisherman’. After fifteen years of trying, he finally persuaded me to fly fish for Shad, which is, I now know, illegal. Bloody good fun though.
We don’t make rods for Twaite Shad fishing.
But we do make a diverse range of thoughtfully conceived and supremely refined rods from split cane, carbon fibre and fibreglass, like this one.
I tried to show this to you a while ago, but it came out all wrong. Here it is, un-retouched, as photographed by a professional, Andrew Perris of Photography Firm in Lewes.
This is a 7′ #3-weight 3-piece that is perhaps the most delectable all round brook rod available to humanity. All right, our split cane version is even more exquisite, but if you slip on a rock and break it, you’ll be terribly upset and may need some Thames Green to calm your shattered nerves. If you break your £850 fibreglass rod, you’ll be merely irritated. It’s a practical consideration.
Keep an eye on our website for forthcoming stock and new additions to our portfolio of rods. You can visit us to view rods and tackle, outside of course, regional restrictions permitting. What you can’t get here is a substantial meal, let alone a Scotch Egg.
The fishing’s superb at the moment. Grayling, chub, pike & perch are all in the peak of condition. You can fish with a friend. Take a camping stove, some sausages and a bottle of 1961 Chateau Latour. They say it’s the best sausage-friendly vintage since the ’45.
Until next time, look after yourselves and good luck when you go fishing.
Edward Barder & Colin Whitehouse