Meet the Constables

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tbc1415
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Meet the Constables

#1

Post by tbc1415 »

From left to right they are;
'Pa' Constable, Wallop Brook 7'6" 5wt staggered
'Ma' Constable, The Empress 8' 5wt
'Junior', Wallop Brook, 6'9" 4wt staggered
'The Twins', Dual, 6'9" 4wt staggered & Dualette 6' 3wt staggered. The Dual was sold with two butts of different lengths and one or two tips (in this case two tips).
'Little' Dart 5'9" 3/4wt.

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Rods by the late Clifford Constable have a small  but appreciative following. Them what knows.......knows.

TC
Last edited by tbc1415 on 07/06/10 03:30, edited 1 time in total.

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tedgolden
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#2

Post by tedgolden »

I only know "Junior" and truly admire his work.    Great taper. 

pmag
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#3

Post by pmag »

I've got "pa" and he is a sweetheart.

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Marty
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#4

Post by Marty »

That is a family I've not yet had the pleasure of getting to know.  How would you describe the actions?  Short history tutorial?  
Marty's Rules of Fishing #7. Fishing only with store bought flies is like trying to talk to a pretty girl through an interpreter it works sort of …it will work far better if you learn the language and tie your own flies…more satisfying and more effective.

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czkid
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#5

Post by czkid »

Hmmmmm............ history, eh????  Well, I'll give it a start and let Tim follow up where I screw up. 

Constable made rods for a relatively short period in the late 1960s thru 70s... Cliff Constable passed on at a relatively early age.  The two primary market outlets that I know of were Angler's Mail in the US and Dermot Wilson in the UK.  The US was in a period of low production/high price cane rods at the time... and the Constable rods were a lower priced alternative.  I would speculate that Cliff's rods might be considered a "nitch" rod, in that they were not widely popular in the US nor for that matter in the UK from what I understand.... but were dearly loved by those that appreciated them.

My first experience with the Constable rods was an Empress that I purchased in the late 90s, it had been refinished in a poor manner and was thus very inexpensive.... but a fantastic fishing rod.  My wife now has the rod locked up in "her" cupboard and uses it as her "big" rod.  A very "comfortable" rod to fish with a semi-parabolic to light parabolic action... Basye likes it for the White in Arkansas.

Tim just sold my wife his "extra" 7'6" Wallop Brook to give me for Father's Day.  Is that not a great wife????  Rod is phantastic!!!  Again, a semi-parabolic to light parabolic action, that hurls a 5wt line out there 50ft at the twinkling of an eye.  My "all day" rod on streams like the Elk and Little River in TN.

The Constable series are good "workman" rods... nothing fancy, plain black wraps, very straightforward construction... the sort of rod you really never have to worry about taking out.  The Empress is an equal section 8ft two piece, and the 7'6" Wallop Brook is a "staggered ferrule" design... most of the time you find them as a single tip rod, as they were offered as a single tip rod, and then you added all the extras... bag, tube, extra tip, etc.  My Wallop Brook has an aluminum ferrule plug to make the two sections equal length, I've seen them with bamboo plugs as well.........

The pricing on Constable built rods has always been a bargain in the US, although folks are starting to get smart of late.  We're seeing a slight increase in price both in the US and UK, although the price has always been higher in the UK where they are "local" rods.

I'd love to find a "virgin" Empress to trade my less than perfect one in on, as well as a 6'9" Wallop Brook... and one of these days they will appear.

Another rod in the same genre is the Wilson International... although a bit of a higher end rod, it's another of the wonderful stable that came out of Nether Wallop Mill in the '70s, a bit more parabolic... but what's not to love about parabolic???

Ralph 
Last edited by czkid on 07/06/10 06:15, edited 1 time in total.
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Eperous
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#6

Post by Eperous »

Very nice... one of my very first cane rods decades ago was a 7' 6" Constable R. H. Woods I purchased from Anglers' Mail in Cleveland, Ohio.... loved it, but unfortunately we parted ways when I broke the tip....

Thanks for the memories... 

Ed
Last edited by Eperous on 07/06/10 12:56, edited 1 time in total.

tbc1415
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#7

Post by tbc1415 »

I think CZ pretty well covered the history overview.


As for the action, with the understanding that everyone's impressions are based on their own unique casting stroke and style I would put all of the staggered ferrule models in the broad category of parabolic and the equal length rods in the equally broad category of progressive action.


The progressives are not necessarily linear tapers. The parabolics exhibit considerable differences from model to model and sometimes also from rod to rod within the same model. I don't have much experience with parabolics from other makers so it is hard for me to say how much variance within a model is considered normal.



The best or I should say my favorite compound tapers allow you to cast off of the top section, the lower section or work both together, all while maintaining a balanced and lively action throughout. The 7'6" Wallop Brook in the photos above does just that to a remarkable degree. So does the 6'9" Dual but with a more progressive type tip. The 6'9" Wallop Brook and the 6' Dual exhibit somewhat less pronounced compound flex characteristics.


The Empress is a graceful full flex taper that will not tolerate overly aggressive casting but rewards an easy confident stroke. A very feminine rod. In my hands it is more progressive than parabolic. The aptly named Dart is a deadly accurate little rod. Perfect for pocket picking small waters.


Again, these are my impressions. Your mileage may vary.


As Ralph said, there is nothing fancy about the build of these rods but the tapers are well developed and sometimes surprisingly sophisticated.




TC

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gmflyfish
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#8

Post by gmflyfish »

Thank you for all of the information and the pictures are awesome.  I love mine and its semi-parabolic taper, the ferrule plug.  the way it casts.  Bought it in England for $40.00 and it still gets a day on the stream every year.

Gregg

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Marty
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#9

Post by Marty »

Thanks Ralph and TC  interesting family.   Pretty sure I'll never have all the rods I want to get to know but it sure is fun to try!!!!
Marty's Rules of Fishing #7. Fishing only with store bought flies is like trying to talk to a pretty girl through an interpreter it works sort of …it will work far better if you learn the language and tie your own flies…more satisfying and more effective.

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#10

Post by Flyman615 »

My one Constable was a 7'0" (2/1) "Firefly" also purchased from Angler's Mail of Cleveland in the mid-70's.

Straw-colored cane; non-staggered bronze ferrule; reversed half Wells grip; up lock aluminum reel seat with black filler; plain black wraps. I never could find just the right line for it, however.

It was, alas, traded away many years ago.
Flyman615

"An undisturbed river is as perfect as we will ever know, every refractive slide of cold water a glimpse of eternity" - Thomas McGuane

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#11

Post by pmag »

Len Codella had one on his site. A two butt rod. 6'9" and 6' even. I expect it in about a week. Yippee!

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Reeldane
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#12

Post by Reeldane »

TC
What a fine line of rods - and CC did really make some very nice rods.
I have about 20 different cane rods - but my 6' 9" staggered Wallop Brook -  is the one I can make the most precise cast of all.
I have kept a handfull of the delightfull catalogues that Dermot issued during the years.
Have a look on the wonderfull (so british) Neather Wallop Mill which Dermot Wilson and his family ran for a number of years, where you could go just outside the shop and try a rod or a reel - and even catch a fish if you like.
This little movie bring good memories !
www.fishingbreaks.co.uk/movies/netherwallopmill.htm
Heinz

tbc1415
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#13

Post by tbc1415 »

Thank you for the video link Heinz. It is nice to see the Mill in color.

I have a 1980 catalog from Nether Wallop Mill. I like to page through it every now and then.


TC

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cane sprout.anglerscollectibles
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#14

Post by cane sprout.anglerscollectibles »

Well done Sir.
The scary part is AM had racks of Constable rods and you could cast them out back until you found one you liked.
If you wanted an extra tip they had a batch for each rod and you found one that fit and matched the action.
A one tip hand made bamboo rod for $100, how cool was that.

Still trying to have a Brokenstraw made, have a different maker I am trying to get in touch with that is in the Cleveland area.

Nice Photos

Brian   

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#15

Post by pmag »

Well, I got my Dual today from Len Codella. It's a single tip two butt rod. Both lengths are surprisingly powerful and accurate. I lawn casted it today and I love it. My 7 1/2' Wallop Brook is also a sweetheart. A man could do well with Constable Rods as his only trout rods. All of my friends that have tried the Wallop Brook 7 1/2' love it. I look forward to them trying the Dual. I will be fishing the Dual on Saturday.

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tedgolden
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#16

Post by tedgolden »

ImageImage

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#17

Post by pmag »

Thanks Ted.

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Dalis66
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#18

Post by Dalis66 »

CC truly made really fine fishing rods ... i have a Wallop Brook .. 8`2" for line 5/6 and this rod is a pleasure to cast.

tbc1415
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#19

Post by tbc1415 »

Thanks Ted.

Do you have the date of that catalog?

It states the butt section ferrule plug as a length of cane. All the rods I have had use a plug made from a length of aluminum rod with a brass male ferrule on one end.


TC

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czkid
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#20

Post by czkid »

My guess is that the early rods came with cane and then they got smart and went to AL.  Not as neat looking as cane... but a hell of lot easier.

Ralph
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