Tim Parratt
The Service Guide Man!

I have been a visitor to Wayne’s site for a number of years though I have become good friends with Wayne just recently; I was looking for a copy of Len Borgström’s book when I noticed a mention on his website that his wife Anne was not well; my mother  has cancer and so I could understand what he must be feeling.  I sent an email offering my sympathies and we have been corresponding friends with an interest in ABU ever since. 

I started fishing when I was probably seven or eight years old.  Growing up in Malawi it was pretty hard not to become interested in fishing-we lived on Zomba Plateau where there were trout streams and dams stocked with black bass. 

Not far away was Lake Malawi; a huge freshwater lake, and to the south was the lower Shire River with the famous tiger fish (the lure of choice for them being the ABU Reflex and the D.A.M. Effzett). 

We even had a fishing club at secondary school. When I left school,  I was a fish farmer on a rainbow trout farm in the Lake District "(Cumbria UK) for a while. 

My education and training is in conservation and during the 90’s and beginning of the noughties I worked in Botswana, Namibia and South Africa in conservation and wildlife management.  Due to the remote locations of the game reserves and the busy work schedules I did not really have any opportunity to go fishing.  Unfortunately my interest in angling took a back seat to work, bars and numerous other vices over this period.

 Conservation brought me back to Australia just over three years ago-I have been carrying out research work in the Simpson Desert whilst being based in Sydney.  Being in such a beautiful country with an amazing coastline has definitely reawakened my passion for fishing. 

The strange thing is I had never been fishing in salt water before I came back to Australia.  I guess it is a freshwater fisherman’s unnatural fear of saltwater corrosion that has turned me into someone who over maintains his fishing gear.  I find servicing reels very relaxing and cleaning down tackle after fishing enjoyable rather than a chore.  More recently I have started making up reels from parts to use for fishing.  I guess the prices that old Ambassadeurs fetch now has made me more wary of using my ‘good’ reels for fishing, especially in salt water!

The first ABU reel I ever owned was a Cardinal 52.  I’ve had that since I was twelve and it still works perfectly, a testament to its’ build quality -a twelve year old with a screwdriver and no mechanical aptitude can be a dangerous thing.  I now have around forty Swedish ABU reels, though only a few of them would be considered collectible.  More recently Wayne has awakened my interest in collecting ABU fishing tackle and I am now the proud owner of a Record 1700 and a Pimpel 1.  I have just recently bought a four screw 5000-my first ever red ABU reel.  Even though these reels are collectible I would still like to fish with them-even if only to catch a few fish. 

Tim Parratt

July2008

 I now fish with Swedish ABU reels almost exclusively-you can pick up old ABU reels for very little money and with a little bit of time you can have them working perfectly.  Parts are available for old reels if you search for them.  In today’s throwaway culture it is a pleasure to fish with a reel that was catching fish thirty years or so ago and with a little bit of maintenance will still be catching fish in thirty years time.  Swedish ABUs are not throwaway reels-they are built to last.  A friend of mine said they are reels that you would be happy to leave to your grandkids and I think that sums up ABU perfectly.  I am very happy if the service guides I do for Wayne help people keep there ABUs going.