Treasure trove…

Tags

Abu, Allcock, Badges, Books, collectables, Farlows, Flies, Hardy, Lures, National, Redditch, Reel, Rod, Tackle, Tackle Box, Vintage

As October draws to an end the focus is now on preparing for the National Vintage Tackle Show to be held in Redditch the heartland of what was the British tackle industry that sadly was to fall from favour with the influx of tackle made in the Far East.

Even today even the brands that we understood to be reassuringly British source their manufacturing in Asia and the Far East. No longer do reels or rods have stickers saying ‘Made In England’ in favour of that commonly seen white dot sticker saying Korea, Taiwan, China or Japan.

In mid November I will be selling an extensive collection of tackle that was ‘Made In England’ and other items from Sweden. A range of reels, rods and terminal tackle will be transported from the City to the town on Redditch, the hallowed ground of tackle that our grandfathers and their fathers fished with. Today we treasure these items, for the traditional fisherman they are the brands of choice, like vintage cars, watches and memorabilia of days past they pluck our heart strings and bring a smile to the face. The distinctive click of the reel, the honey coloured cane and solid brass lures excite all that fish with them.

Now it is time to sort, wrap, pack and detail the treasures that we have accumulated over the last three decades…and still do squire but Mrs Tales has said ‘no more’ so now is the time to pass these wonderful items on for others to cherish and fish with.

Be sure to put the date in your diary if you are a keen traditional fisherman and make sure you head to Redditch and share the passion over a cup of tea, a jug of Porter or for those that know me a gin and tonic…but just the one.

We as in young Tales and I look forward to making your acquaintance.

Not so slow Sloe Gin…

Tags

Christmas, City Distillery, Distilling, Gin, Home-made, London Dry Gin, River, Sloane's Gin, Sloe

October marks the time to make a batch of slow gin which will be ready to drink in Christmas Eve. I have been perfecting my recipe for three decades.

There are myths surrounding the best way to make this seasonal tipple from waiting until the first frost of Autumn to individually picking each sloe with a silver needle, the quantity of sugar and the addition of a crushed almond.

The most important part of the production of your own infused sloe gin is to use a good quality gin and certainly a classic London Dry style at that. With the growth in the gin market of the past decade some new age gins of which there are many using a vast array of botanicals can end up fighting with the taste and aroma of the sloe. I have in the past made sloe infused grappa, cognac and vodka, however the marriage of sloe and juniper work best in my opinion.

With a passion for all things vintage I usually source some old bottles and decanters for this annual ritual.

For years I had added the sugar at the time of infusing the gin with the ripe sloes, this years crop were gathered from the Thames Path not more than half a mile away from home. In past years I have harvested from the South Downs, The Chiltern Hills, Wiltshire and Somerset. This year the sloe berries are plump and have ripened early. This fact alone dispels the need to wait for the first frost. If you press and sloe between your fingers and it bursts then you know the time is right to harvest.

In past years I have sat in the kitchen preparing the sloes by first washing any bird deposits off and it gets rid of any remains of the pollinated flower, dust and leaf debris. I then have spent time pricking each sloe twice and then infusing about half a pound of sloe berries to a standard 70cl bottle of gin. I was always an advocate of Plymouth Gin but have tried other London Dry Gins in recent years.

The issue of using some of the new gin brands is that their botanical mix fight with the essence of the sloe, especially brands such as Hendricks with its distinctive cucumber note. There gins have other botanicals which are too dominant so I believe less is more in this case.

So this afternoon will be spent making more sloe gin and watching the rugby. As for tomorrow I will embark on making a new citrus gin liqueur…

Won By Cleasby 1936…

Tags

Abu, lure, Lure Tin, Mepps, Perch, pike, spinning, Vibro

I recently purchased a vintage back japaned tin of lures for young Tales in order for him to chuck them into the abyss in search of a fanged and ferocious killer, the pike.

Purchased from that well know online auction business and described as a tin containing 40 lures with some by Mepps, Vibro and Abu. What was missed off the description was that one of the spinners contained in the round tin was made with a blade cut from a silver trophy bearing the inscription ‘ Won By Cleasby 1936’. I have to say I’m most intrigued at the contents of this tin as also encased within was a small articulated eel shaped lure. The contents of this unassuming tin are to be honest like opening Pandora’s box.

There are a few lures in this box that I will show in more detail over the next few days, that’s as long as young Tales doesn’t choose them to fish with tomorrow. 

   

Earth’s Wildest Waters…

Tags

Ben Fogal, Big Fish, Competition, Cuba, Earth, Fishing, Iceland, Matt Hayes, Wildest Waters. BBC

This evening the House Of Tales settled down to watch episode one of Earth’s Wildest Waters – The Big Fish. Adventurer Ben Fogal and fishing legend Matt Hayes judge the fishing exploits of eight anglers in the rugged and freezing terrain of Iceland. Fishing from kayaks, commercial vessels and from the shores of geo thermal lakes the contestants put their skills to the test.

Much like the format of The Great British Bake Off or Master Chef the skill of each angler will define their fate. Will this be compelling viewing on a Sunday night…for the many that fish this may just be the perfect cast. For sure it will have young Tales hooked.

With next weeks episode is set in Cuba, a haven for game fishers of bone fish and tarpon the eight anglers will be float tubing, how will Sam the all-rounder from Sussex fare…

Maybe one day young Tales and I will get our chance to fish some of the world’s waters for our fishing adventures have only just begun.

Save the date…

Tags

Abu, Fair, Fishing Tackle, Hardy, Redditch, salmon, Trout, Vintage

We will be stalling out at The National Vintage Fishing Tackle Fair exhibiting and selling over four decades of collecting vintage tackle, books, game bags, rods, reels and items of interest collected on our fishing adventures. The Fair will be held on Sunday 15th November at Kingsley Sports Centre, Woodrow Drive, Woodrow, Redditch, Worcestershire B98 7UH from 9am-2pm.

In our collection we have vintage Chapman, Hardy, Farlows, ABU, Allcocks and B James rods along with a selection of fly reels and centre pin reels and as its so close to Christmas some ideal stocking fillers.