Shakespeare Memories

[rudd]

As a young beginner during Shakespeare's ubiquitous period of the mid-eighties, it's almost inevitable that I ended up with gifted budget Shakespeare gear. The bits I remember were an Omni Carbon Match rod and a very cheap (might have been an Omni) reel. The blank itself wasn't the worst in the world. The big problem was the "Duplon" (was it called that back then?) handle. It was far removed from modern Duplon. It compressed badly in no time at all and had a tendency to act like a sponge in rain. In short order, you were left with sliding reel fittings that simply couldn't hold a reel without judicial use of inner tube rubber and electrician's tape.

The reel was a far greater magnitude of awful. If anyone were stupid enough to make a modern version of it, I doubt if it could retail for more than £2. Even that would be daylight robbery. Has anyone actually seen a reel with just a bent wire bail arm (no roller of any kind) in this century? I really hope that such things are no longer inflicted on anyone.

Perhaps not surprisingly, I can't really share the misty eyed nostalgia that many have for Shakespeare. It may not be entirely fair, but bad timing and circumstances contrived to put me off for life.

Had hardly any Shaky kit.
Bought a match brolley for summer use once as shop had nothing else.
Wife bought me a mach 3xt 11ft pellet waggler rod - decent kit
Inherited a shaky box with legs, top box, cushion, side trays - flogged it two weeks back.
Was given a Salt sea rod holdal free as the Ian Golds igloo I purchased was inside it.
Have an international match rod - inherited

 

[nejohn]

There were issues with the drag on the Mach 3 rear drag reels but in general the FD 035's were pretty good. They outlasted my Shimano's and to be honest I had no issues with them. I didn't like the 14ft/18ft Superteam LXL or the 13ft LXL at 17ft, noting the Mach 3's were made from the same blank/mandrel. I still have a 13ft Mach 3 and it does occasionally get used on the river.

Going back to the President's and Mach 2 Boron's most anglers in the north east avoided them preferring Bruce and Walker, the Sundridge Ashursts before Daiwa and Tricast came to be the in vogue brands. A few also had the Dave Thomas Craddocks at the time when the President came out.

I had a pair of mach 3 xt's and they were awful, line lay was atrocious, they were not very smooth, and the bail arms didn't return to well, yet my friend had one that he bought from the same outlet at around the same time and it felt like a different reel.
You are right about the president's and borons in the North East, I bought my President from Anglers Services in Durham and had it a couple of months before returning it and doing a deal with Pip for one of the then new Hardy spliced tip rods which was in a different league to the President. The Boron was bought on a whim at Adams in Darlington, I moved it on pretty quickly funny enough I swapped it at Tony's second hand tackle place in Darlington for a Sundridge Kevin Ashurst 12'. I like many others in the North East moved on to Daiwa and Tri-cast rods

 

[Mr Pickles]

My first "proper" rod was a 12' Beta Canal. I'd made do for years with a little fibreglass spinning rod, and the Shaky seemed like something from another world. I still have it, I still use it and I hope to pass it onto my son in a few years time. It never really crossed my mind that I might need a different rod for different types of fishing. Waggler, stick float, touch-ledgering (or with a fairy-liquid-cap bobbin) - it just did everything. I suppose I might've been in trouble if I'd ever hooked a barbel, but such creatures were just the stuff of dreams. They still are, come to think of it

 

[Stufer63]

Brought back some memories reading this. My first proper match rod was a 12ft sigma, it also came with an Alpha super tip which was the fine spliced tip. I cannibalised the rod stripping off the handle and rings and used it as a whip!! (And won club matches with it until I got the Daiwa whip). Still got it but only the alpha tip is in usable condition.

Also just got the old 'Premier' box with its internal legs, side tray and drawers out of retirement for weekend use at the caravan we just bought rather than take the modern match kit back and forth. Also use the Agility wand and Superteam reel in the same capacity along with a modernish Sigma 035 reel on an old Daiwa Amorphous whisker match rod. All surprisingly useable despite being 25+ years old.

I still have the 15ft Superteam match rod in my match hold all and a 9ft6 #6/7 Radial Carbon fly rod that still gets use.
At the time of purchase it all fitted MY budget which was the important thing and I can't say I can fault any of it for the use I've had from it over the years.

 

[Eric18]

Anyone got an idea how old this Shakey pole is please? Would it have been a budget, middle or top of the market? Bought it off ebay 2 years ago and used it a few times. Would like to have seen it in a catalogue to see what the blurb was about it. Many thanks!

 

[BARBELIN]

What about the Landing net handle with white butt section. Every matchman on the Severn seemed to have one when I was teen.

 

[Peter]

My first decent carbon pole was the Shakespeare Flavia 11m with two top kits
Caught a load of fish with that until the carp in the local commercials got a bit too big for it

OMG, I think I'm going to have to stop looking in my cupboards, Just found this lurking at the back of one......................

Gawd knows how long it's been lurking about? It's the complete pole apart from top kits. 12.25mtrs, 11 sections 990grms.

 

[Total]

OMG, I think I'm going to have to stop looking in my cupboards, Just found this lurking at the back of one......................

Gawd knows how long it's been lurking about? It's the complete pole apart from top kits. 12.25mtrs, 11 sections 990grms.

You need to have a word with Mrs M' about moving your stuff around and not telling you where it is!....You'll be finding an old style piggy bank with nuggets in it before long!

 

[warrington63]

I remember a comparison being made between poles of certain length ,price etc in a copy of Advanced Pole Fishing some years ago.
A Shakespeare pole and a Browning pole were the same pole all sections interchanged,, but different graphics, and price, the Shakespeare was cheaper and got an extra topkit.

 

[Paul.P]

Does this look familiar?

1976 catalogue - this range carried on until 1980 when they were finally killed off due to the skirted spool revolution.

Simon

Thats the one i had, the 2210, very smooth in its day !

 

[Peter]

You need to have a word with Mrs M' about moving your stuff around and not telling you where it is!

It's starting to get scary Mark, there's still a few boxes in the loft that haven't been unpacked since we moved and a few of those were packed away long before we moved.
Think I'll save them till after Christmas before delving into them.

 

[Harry66]

I have a Shakespeare Omni carbon rod that I bought in 1983.I still use it to this day for all float venues.I have had Carp up to 7lb this season.The old girl creaks a bit but has never let me down.