Thanks Ron.

I've learned that the vendor R.C. Moore was located on Royal Avenue in Belfast, across the street from the old Belfast Telegraph newspaper office. Apparently Bob Moore was quite a well-respected authority along with Ken Rankin and apprentice Roy Graham of the shop, this described by a frequent visitor in the '50's. History on the shop is very tough to find although I've noted a few other R.C.Moore reel auction records.

Peter McMullan- journalist, author and lifelong flyfishing enthusiast- was kind enough to send these photos of his merchant-marked gear from the old R.C. Moore shop. Peter worked at the Belfast Telegraph as a young man in the Fifties and reports spending many happy lunchtime hours just across Royal Avenue from his office listening to, and learning from, Bob and his longtime employee Kenneth Rankin. As can be seen in the photos, Ken later inherited the operation of the shop and substituted his name for the branding.

After many adventures throughout Northern Ireland fishing from Lough Melvin near Bundoran for Spring salmon to Lower Lough Erne for browns during the Mayfly hatch, Peter left NI in 1971 landing in British Columbia to further his journalism carreer. He currently resides on Vancouver Island and continues his passion for writing and casting, now exploring the B.C. waters for Pacific salmon, rainbows, cutties and steelhead.

Please Google "Half a Century of Wet Roads, Slack Tides and Big Fish" for Peter's lively personal history with classic photos of fishing around Northern Ireland, courtesy of the online flyfishing site A River Never Sleeps. The site's archives make for excellent reading, you can search for articles under Peter's name in particular.

In his words, "To my way of thinking, that's still what my fishing is all about. Not so much the taking but rather the whole essence of the sport, the anticipation, the day-to-day experiences, the friendships and the trips, the many and varied locations, the tackle, the traditions and always the golden memories left behind by those very special days, some long ago, others yet to be enjoyed."

Rod and box decals, and patches


The original Moore patch is frayed ... but aren't we all? R.C. Moore Co. Angling Experts Phone 22657 Belfast


The Good Old Days- and many days to come






Images and text courtesy and copyright Peter McMullan