Advice appreciated from your experienced fly fishers.

A ‘coarse’ angler for 30 years+ I have never fly fished in my life. An interest of mine is acquiring, restoring (and using!) vintage coarse gear. At a boot fair a couple of weeks ago I picked up a 9’ Allcocks split cane rod and fly reel.as at £10 for the lot, I couldn’t resist. The rod looks to date from the 1960’s and is in excellent condition, and has either been refurbished or very little used. The reel is tatty, but functional. The reel is loaded with looks like very old line, but after some practice and looking like an idiot over the local park I have (just about) picked up the rudiments of casting.

Now, I have always wanted to take up fly fishing, but never did. Is it worth me trying to use this gear, or I am better off hanging it on the wall? Some split cane coarse rods are lovely to use, some are fit only for pea sticks. What about fly rods? If it is worth using a cane rod? What about line? Understand that fly lines comes in various weights. Pardon my ignorance but what weight line should I buy?

Any comments gratefully received.

hmmm, difficult one. Personally i'd hang it on the wall and get a 'modern' outfit.!

your line will almost certainly be useless now and will need replacing. The reel will probably be stiff, with no discernable drag, and is better on the mantelpiece. The only 'usable' piece is the rod.

there are those that like the feel of a cane rod, and its effortless, slow casting style and a cane rod is aesthetically perfect for small streams/rivers. I have an old hardy 7 footer which i use from time to time. That said, i prefer my Greys Pilgrim for small river work. you can get a decent rod/reel/line for under £100 and if you can afford it, that's th way i'd go.

Re what line weight. get the weight of line that matches the rod you're using. generally speaking you'll want a 3/4 weight for small streams 4/5/6 for mid size rivers 6 weight for larger rivers and small still waters and 7/8 for reservoir fishing.

cheers
Alex

I'd say it's worth using, as long as it doesn't have a "set" in it, but I wouldn't use it to learn to cast with.

As for a line weight, does it not have any markings on it that might give and indication?

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If you lend someone £20 and never see that person again, it was probably a wise investment

Hi', Gibbo, and welcome to the Forum. I bought my first cane rod in 1959, and it is still as straight as a die; it's a Sharpe's Scottie, 9ft, 5WT. I have never, and would never, double or single-haul with it, but it is OK for up to about 15 to 20 yards, somewhere between. For short range work, cane can not be beaten, nor can it be beaten for toughening up the wrists and forearms!! I would guess that you will cast further and more easily with a carbon fibre rod, but there is something special about casting with cane and a silk line. When the writer, Paul Procter cast with mine, the first time he had handled cane and silk, he said,'Hell isn't it heavy?' Then, 'Doesn't it put out a really straight line?' That's just about all I need to say. Good luck with your conversion. Terry C

Given the situation you described, I'd say no, it's not worth it.

If you're serious about learning to fly fish, why risk handicapping yourself with old and possibly unreliable equipment? Just like all other forms of sporting equipment, fly fishing gear has improved tremendously in just the past 20 years, never mind the past 40.

Put another way, no one would seriously recommend learning to golf with a set of 1960s clubs. Not that you couldn't do it, but the are huge advantages to be gained by using modern equipment and at the end of the day, it's just more enjoyable for the fast majority of us who don't want to fuss around with the maintenance hassles that come with vintage gear.

Obviously, there are some who choose to to fish with vintage gear. There's nothing wrong with that, I just don't think it's the best place for a beginner to start.

Grouse

Grouse is right about not starting to learn to cast with an old cane rod etc; but I certainly would not write them off altogether, as there is a place for them, especially on small streams, if the rod is matched in size to the job in hand. If they were a complete waste of time and money, they wouldn't command the price that is asked for a custom built, split cane wand today. And silk lines, made to measure, cost a lot more than the average plastic line. It is only partly a matter of taste or preference whether one chooses to use cane and silk. TC

Although all my rods these days are of carbon fibre, there is still nothing to beat split cane for close accurate work with little line load.

I am in the process of making for myself a 8 foot 5 weight split cane rod for close work using small nymphs and drys. It will also be fine for use on a river when I can afford it.

I have two old cane rods - one is an Allcocks. Based on my own experience I agree with the suggestion that you shouldn't learn to cast with them. It'll probably take longer and you would find yourself with a style of casting which (when you decide you want to expand with fly fishing - not if) will not suit the faster rods you will find yourself using if you buy a range of carbon rods . I would say become reasonably experienced with fishing carbon rods and then - assuming the rod's OK - and the weather is calm - learn the delight of the lovely relaxing and s-l-o-w feeling of the cane rod which, with the right line, will put a dry fly down like thistledown.
GD

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We come from dust; we return to dust. I'm going to fish

Cane rods are like vintage cars - nice to look at, amusing to use but would you really want to endure the daily commute in a Standard Vanguard ? I know they have their adherents- Yates and Gierach included - but I always think that their appeal is nostalgic , rather than functional.And yes , I have used them and no, I don't buy the argument that they are better at short range work,better at presentation etc because,ermm..they're not !

For trout fishing in rivers I use cane rods. The rod you have should last you another 40 years. What is the line made of (plastic coated or silk braid)? What colour is it? Does it float? If it is dirty it may sink anyway but just clean it with a damp cloth and then see if it floats. If it is plastic coated and free of cracks and it floats and you cannot easily break it when you pull it steadily at arms length I'd be very tempted to simply fish with it. By the way, if you learn to cast with any rod, cane, glass, graphite, greenheart, hazel and blackthorn... well you will be able to cast with any rod...!

Roll on next trout season!

richard

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Who resides on the right bank of the Derbyshire Wye and is lulled to sleep each night by the mutterings of a weir, dreaming that "When the rivers and their inhabitants come first, we ALL win..."