We had planned a trip Tope fishing off the north Norfolk coast for some time. Whilst this is a long drive from Devon, we do tend to extend it and use it as an excuse to visit friends that we see infrequently. On this trip we were able to call in and see Fred and Margaret Buller who have become friends, and have been very supportive of our efforts over the last couple of years.
We were taken aback when Fred brought out a rod that he felt would fit well into our Angling Heritage collection. It is the first ever carbon fibre rod made in the world. It was produced at a time when the Moncrieff Rod Development Company (which consisted of Leslie Moncrieff, Fred Buller, Richard Walker and Fred J Taylor) were acting as consultants for Hardy's. They saw that the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) at Farnborough had developed space age materials for which they were seeking commercial applications. This new material was made into a prototype rod which at the time proved too stiff for general spinning due to the added power of the material. Future models refined the rod design which has resulted in nearly all rods now being made from the material.
This prototype rod was given to Fred Buller who kept it in his cottage in Ireland, where it proved excellent for casting deadbait. Fred had the rod re-finished by Hardy's and has now donated it to Angling Heritage