Hand built in Scotland
About Bruce & Walker
Our Story
Bruce & Walker is a family business. It began in the 1950s as B James & Son, with Mr Jim Bruce and his father, James Bruce Snr , in a fishing tackle shop in Ealing, London. Mr Bruce Snr was a rod maker of split cane rods and was renowned for his attention to detail. The Bruce family moved to the small village of Upwood and met the lo
Bruce & Walker is a family business. It began in the 1950s as B James & Son, with Mr Jim Bruce and his father, James Bruce Snr , in a fishing tackle shop in Ealing, London. Mr Bruce Snr was a rod maker of split cane rods and was renowned for his attention to detail. The Bruce family moved to the small village of Upwood and met the local engineer and businessman, Ken Walker. All the machinery and equipment in the workshop of B James & Son was made by Ken Walker for every individual, specific purpose. A lifelong friendship and understanding was forged between Jim and Ken, and Bruce & Walker was formed in January 1959. It was soon to be the advent of carbon fibre and an exciting time in fishing rod manufacturing.
In 1983 Ken’s daughter, Kay, and son-in-law, Brian Potter, joined the family business. Both keen fishers, Brian brought practical skills and a perfectionist streak in keeping with the company ethos. After decades working successfully together in both fibre glass and carbon fibre, Jim Bruce retired in 1995. Sadly, he passed away in 2000. Ken Walker continued at the helm until his 75th year and then “retired”. He continued to pop into the workshop every day for the next 10 years. Sadly, he too passed away in 2014 aged 88 years.
Kay had been raised with a fishing rod in one hand and a 12 bore in the other. Brian and Kay married in 1980. Brian has a natural, easy casting ability and all the skills required for the salmon rivers, catching his first ever salmon within his first hour of fishing. Brian is also a very good shot. Both Brian and Kay are loyal advocates of all rural country sports.
Brian learnt every stage of hand making fishing rods under the tutilege of both Jim and Ken. There isn’t a single stage of the process he hasn’t done himself. Today he still hand fits and hand tests every single Bruce & Walker rod. His perfectionist streak and attention to detail is unsurpassed. He designs every Bruce & Walker rod in the current range, and designs and builds many other rods under different names for different customers. Under Ken’s wing, Brian met all the ghillies on the Scottish salmon rivers and tries to visit them as often as he can, whilst balancing the day to day running of the business. Kay and Brian both like a hands on approach with Bruce & Walker and offer a very warm welcome to visitors. Every Bruce & Walker rod is designed and made, from start to finish, in the village of Upwood, England. The third generation is as passionate about supporting British manufacturing, as their predecessors. We hope Jim and Ken are smiling broadly from that perfect salmon river in the sky.
Our Founders
The Founders of Bruce & Walker are pictured here:
Kay Potter, Ken Walker, Jim Bruce and Brian Potter (left to right) at the CLA Game Fair 1995
The Future
The Future
DESIGNED BY US. MADE BY US.
Proudly, Made in Britain.
We are delighted to announce that the fourth generation to steer Bruce & Walker fishing rods,
will be the new owner, Mr Neil Fox.
Neil inherits a very full order book and customers will be pleased to know that he will be manufacturing fully finished rods and repairs in Hawick,
DESIGNED BY US. MADE BY US.
Proudly, Made in Britain.
We are delighted to announce that the fourth generation to steer Bruce & Walker fishing rods,
will be the new owner, Mr Neil Fox.
Neil inherits a very full order book and customers will be pleased to know that he will be manufacturing fully finished rods and repairs in Hawick, Roxburghshire.
Bruce & Walker fishing rods will continue to be manufactured Entirely in Great Britain.
There will be a small period of transition, moving the factory from Upwood to the Scottish Borders, from 21st July. From 27th July, Bruce & Walker will be available at enquiries@bruceandwalker.uk.com
Brian and Kay put it best:
The fourth generation to steer Bruce & Walker fishing rods, will be the new owner, Mr Neil Fox.
We have worked with Neil for a while now. His philosophy and intent, for continuing the tradition of Bruce & Walker rods and blanks being Made in Britain, and as strong, and as committed, as our own.
Many of the fishing fraternity in North America will already know Neil, from his time living there. But he always planned to return home to his native Scotland. I know that all our customers will be pleased to learn that Neil will be manufacturing fully finished rods and repairs, based in the Scottish Borders.
There will be a small period of transition, during the coming weeks, as we help Neil move the Bruce & Walker factory from Upwood to the Scottish Borders. Thereafter, we will be on hand in the background, for help and support, if and when needed. Neil inherits a very full order book, and he will be up and running in no time at all.
Obviously for us, it holds mixed emotions. We will miss the wonderful network of customers, both within the trade and our fabulous private customers, who have been with us for generations. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for your loyalty and support over the decades.
But we couldn't be happier to pass on our family business, after 66 years, to someone who shares the same high values as ourselves, and who will continue manufacturing Bruce & Walker rods and blanks in Great Britain. We wish him every success.
Brian and Kay Potter
Product Lines
Powerlite Speycaster
Powerlite Speycaster
Powerlite Speycaster
Powerlite Speycaster
Norway Speycaster
GTO (New)
Walker Series
Summer Run
Walker Series
Powerlite Speycaster
Powerlite Speycaster
Tournament Rods
Powerlite Speycaster
Tournament Rods
Tournament Caster
GTO TC
CCSOR
SOR Edition II
Spinning Rods
Powerlite Speycaster
Tournament Rods
Powerlite Multi-spin
Accesories
Coarse Fishing
Accesories
Rod Bags
Ferule Stoppers
Trout Rods
Coarse Fishing
Accesories
Powerlite Trout Rods
Legacy Rods
Coarse Fishing
Coarse Fishing
Bruce & Walker has built a lot of rods in the past 70 years. It would be impossible to list them all here, but we are still able to make many of them. Feel free to ask if we you are interested in one of our classic designs.
Coarse Fishing
Coarse Fishing
Coarse Fishing
The Kennet and Avon coarse fishing rods
Bruce & Walker Core Values
Exceptional Build, Exceptional Compnents
Exceptional Build, Exceptional Compnents
Exceptional Build, Exceptional Compnents
At Bruce and Walker, we use the highest quality components, Top Flor grade cork, premium proprietary carbon prepreg, made in the UK with aerospace and real space pedigree, meeting the highest standards and full traceability. Alps rings and Snake Guides from the USA, and reel seats machined in the UK exclusively for Bruce & Walker in the United Kingdom from aircraft grade 6061 grade aluminium alloy.
These components have been selected to last a lifetime or even longer, as Bruce & Walker rods often get passed down to the next generation of Anglers.
Quality Control
Exceptional Build, Exceptional Compnents
Exceptional Build, Exceptional Compnents
We take quality control seriously at Bruce and Walker. Our manufacturing process includes multiple quality checks to ensure your products meet our high standards.
Bespoke Services
Exceptional Build, Exceptional Compnents
Prototyping Services
At Bruce & Walker, we can incorporate your ideas into an heirloom design. Custom colours, materials and lettering can make your Bruce & Walker rod a unique and personal creation.
Prototyping Services
Prototyping Services
Need a prototype? We offer prototyping services to help you test your product before going into production.
Tradition, History and a Respect for our Heritage
Keeping the traditions alive, whilst ensuring future generations can enjoy the thrill of angling in a clean and healthy environment.
Repairs and Legacy Rods
Sometimes accidents happen, at Bruce & Walker we take repairs seriously. We maintain many components going back to the origins of the company; moreover, we have an extensive inventory of mandrels and onsite manufacturing, along with the expertise to repair rods from bygone days, even if they were made by another company, getting as close as possible to the original action and finish.
Because we have the tooling, in many cases, we can also build Legacy rods. Rods that aren't part of our current inventory but are still in the "Recipe Book". Some examples would be the Kola, Parabolic, Kennet, Avon et al. Contact us for more information.
Scottish River Levels
Scottish River Levels
Scottish River Levels
Click here to see the current Sottish river levels Find Scottish water levels information - Map View | Scottish Environment Protection Agency | SEPA