“Here also is a new reel large arbor being produced by a small custom reel making outfit for 2009, note the excellent & highly sensitive drag system”.

Forget conspicuous consumption: who needs to spend all their hard-earned moolah on the latest big-name, big-fish-stopping rods and reels when everything’s ready to roll from the rubbish pile at an average Wandle Trust cleanup?

Half a stolen bike, a bracket rotting off an unidentifiable bit of scrap metal, and a decent length of discarded rebar should all be stern enough to subdue even our feistiest Wandle trout or barbel.

Assembly time may be an issue, but dig deep enough in that silt bank, and you’ll find the right weight of clothesline to balance the action nicely, with extra style points for rescuing someone else’s hooklink and float from a danger-loving coot’s nest.

That warm fuzzy feeling you’re noticing?

Yup, it’s all part and parcel of spending next to nothing on your new composite go-anywhere, tackle-anything, bling-free rig… and being a great fishing conservationist too…

from the Wandle Piscators (with acknowledgment to the ‘sexyloops’ blog)