Anybody fish with "vintage" gear?

[Mack]

I recognize this reel, wow .Thats a beautiful reel . For my 12th birthday I recieved this reel and a Shakesphere Wonder Rod . It was my pride and Joy .That would have been 1969 . The reel is long gone , I wore it out . I still have the rod . I would love to match the two back up .

It's amazing how looking at these photos bring back great memories.

 

[338375]

I recognize this reel, wow .Thats a beautiful reel . For my 12th birthday I recieved this reel and a Shakesphere Wonder Rod . It was my pride and Joy .That would have been 1969 . The reel is long gone , I wore it out . I still have the rod . I would love to match the two back up .

Thanks. I can't believe how smooth it is. I'm still looking for just the right rod to mount it on.

It's amazing how looking at these photos bring back great memories.

Yep it is. Great memories of being young and not having any responsibilities. The biggest decision was whether to go fishing, shoot 22's, or ride motorcycles or horses.
I miss those days. Some days we managed to do all of those things

 

[Mack]

I found something interesting the other day. Watch your mailbox.
The handle is on the wrong side for me.

 

[338375]

I found something interesting the other day. Watch your mailbox.
The handle is on the wrong side for me.

Now I actually have something to do

 

[Mack]

I spent most of the day up Drift Creek bobber fishing for Kings with the 440 and Wright and McGill. All I got was a very enthusiastic 8 inch rainbow. How he ate the glob of eggs and sand shrimp I had on that #4 hook I'll never know. Hopefully he and I will meet again when he grows up.

 

[338375]

I spent most of the day up Drift Creek bobber fishing for Kings with the 440 and Wright and McGill. All I got was a very enthusiastic 8 inch rainbow. How he ate the glob of eggs and sand shrimp I had on that #4 hook I'll never know. Hopefully he and I will meet again when he grows up.

I had to laugh when I read this because of the visual I got of that 8 inch rainbow

I added a couple more old Wright McGill spinning rods to the collection on Saturday... A guy in Springfield had two of them listed on Craigslist for almost a month.
In the pictures they looked really good, just dirty, and he was open to offers, so for the last couple weeks I had been messaging him and wanted to look at them,
but I didn't want to drive 120 miles just to look at them.

So, Saturday we decided to drive over and meet my stepson and his girlfriend for pizza, and fortunately the guy lived right off of 126 in Thurston, so we had to drive by on our way home.

One is a 7 1/2 foot Powerlight and the other is a 6 foot Featherlight. I already had a 8 and an 8 1/2 foot Powerlight so this was a good addition, but
I had never even seen an old 6 foot Featherlight, so I was really excited to get it.
He was hoping to get about $50 for each of them, but I told him I wouldn't go that high because I wasn't sure how well they would clean up. So he said,
because I was the only one that said they would come and look at them and actually showed up, and he knew they were going to a good home because I
told him I collect the older Wright McGill rods, I could have both of the rods for $25 Score.....

They were absolutely filthy, which was really surprising because he lives in a very expensive neighborhood, and his house and cars are immaculate.
He said he bought both of them new back in the late 60's, but hadn't used them for years and they have been sitting around in the garage.

I have been giving them a good cleaning, and they are coming out really nice. The guides and wraps are excellent and the cork handles are still very nice too.
Surprisingly they both still have the Eagle Claw medallions on the handles too

 

[Mack]

I had to laugh when I read this because of the visual I got of that 8 inch rainbow

I added a couple more old Wright McGill spinning rods to the collection on Saturday... A guy in Springfield had two of them listed on Craigslist for almost a month.
In the pictures they looked really good, just dirty, and he was open to offers, so for the last couple weeks I had been messaging him and wanted to look at them,
but I didn't want to drive 120 miles just to look at them.

So, Saturday we decided to drive over and meet my stepson and his girlfriend for pizza, and fortunately the guy lived right off of 126 in Thurston, so we had to drive by on our way home.

One is a 7 1/2 foot Powerlight and the other is a 6 foot Featherlight. I already had a 8 and an 8 1/2 foot Powerlight so this was a good addition, but
I had never even seen an old 6 foot Featherlight, so I was really excited to get it.
He was hoping to get about $50 for each of them, but I told him I wouldn't go that high because I wasn't sure how well they would clean up. So he said,
because I was the only one that said they would come and look at them and actually showed up, and he knew they were going to a good home because I
told him I collect the older Wright McGill rods, I could have both of the rods for $25 Score.....

They were absolutely filthy, which was really surprising because he lives in a very expensive neighborhood, and his house and cars are immaculate.
He said he bought both of them new back in the late 60's, but hadn't used them for years and they have been sitting around in the garage.

I have been giving them a good cleaning, and they are coming out really nice. The guides and wraps are excellent and the cork handles are still very nice too.
Surprisingly they both still have the Eagle Claw medallions on the handles too

Sounds like you're getting one heck of a collection. I hope you get some use out of them.

 

[338375]

Sounds like you're getting one heck of a collection. I hope you get some use out of them.

I was thinking this morning, the old Wright McGill rod addiction reminds me a lot of when I was collecting guns... I haz no self control

Fortunately these are a lot cheaper

 

[Mack]

Will the new/old reel fit on one of them?

 

[plumberroy]

One of the guys from work come across a bunch of rod and reel combos and a box of reels. I really had no interest as I am not using most of the gear I have. I have been using tekara rods and Cuban Yoyos for the last couple of years . as a co-worker was digging through the box I caught a hint of Green . My Dad always had a Johnson century reel on a telescopic rod in the truck . $5 for it and a parts reel I ran down to a local OLD tackle shop and found a eagle claw telescopic rod Now I have to go Fishing

 

[Mack]

That's pretty cool. I'm a master at turning a simple cast into a day of untangling rat's nests with those but I'm sure that normal people can actually fish them.
Great find, they really seem to be a popular reel.

 

[Mack]

I need to stop this. I picked up this Sportmaster fly rod yesterday. It's a great feeling 7 footer that seems to be a 5/6 weight. I believe they were made for Kmart. Now I need to find an appropriate reel for it.
Anybody know anything about these rods or Sportsmaster in general?

 

[tom19176]

This week I was cleaning out my garage and found my Dad's old two piece bamboo pole he used with me as kid in the 1970s. It still had the line and hook he put on it all those years ago. I took it to the lake with me and put a few wax worms on that old hook, and caught ten bluegills in under a half hour. I took it apart and used my modern stuff the rest of the day. My Dad passed in 1999, and the pond we fished in back in the 1970s dried up years ago, but I can't help but feel he was there with me this week.....

 

[dryflytrout]

I fish with an old Shakespeare Norris 2110 reel on a newer Eagle Claw featherlight. I picked up the rod on clearance at Walmart for like $12. I was buying something from some guy on Craigslist and after talking for a while he gave the reel to me. It's pretty much worthless as far as real value but I've caught hundreds, maybe thousands of trout with it. The memories are worth a lot to me.
I have a few rods that are much much nicer and a bunch that are only slightly nicer. I have modern disc drag reels too of course. I just can't stop using the featherlight and old clicker reel though. The funny thing is, I bought it while I was still very new to fly fishing. I cast it on the lawn a couple times and hated it! It seat in a corner for almost 3 years before I decided to give it another try. Then I fell in love with it and have used it almost exclusive for over a year now.

 

[bralexander]

Hopefully nobody minds- I'm bringing this thread back! These are my two favorite ultralight reels right now. The Shakespeare I've been using for a while and the Daiwa I just picked up at a fleamarket on Saturday, but I put it to use Sunday night catching some Warmouth!

The Daiwa is really a solid piece of machinery and the anti reverse clicking is the LOUDEST and CRISPEST of any reel I've ever heard!


The Shakespeare is no slouch either! I caught this nice Largemouth in a little retention pond by the house we're living in.

 

[bralexander]

This somewhat old Lews rod needed some cork repair- I didn't really have the necessary supplies, so I improvised for now.The Buck helped out!

 

[afishhunter]

All my fishing gear is "vintage" or "antique".
Mitchell 300, 410, and 302, all on old rods, A couple Garcia Ambassadors for freshwater and a J.A. Coxe 940 for saltwater.
I think I have a couple Zebco 600's and other vintage/antique spin casters around here, too.
I have less than zero desire to get a modern spinning reel with bearings everywhere.

From what I've seen over on the fishing forum I belong to, (stripers online) the modern reels only last two or three seasons at the most.
Some of my Mitchell 300's and 302's are over 60 years old, and still going strong. I might have to replace the bail spring once in a while (I have spares in the tackle box) but that is just "regular maintenance", as far as I am concerned, and no big deal.

Presuming I locate some fish, the fish are awake, hungry, and stupid enough to bite whatever live bait, lure, or jig I'm using, the rods and reels are just as capable of landing the fish today, as they were 50 - 60 years or more ago.
Why "upgrade" to something that may have a bearing seize rendering the reel useless with a fish (AKA: "Breakfast", "Lunch", and/or "Supper") on the hook?

 

[Mack]

Getting ready for salmon season. This year I'll be fishing from my 17 ft canoe with vintage gear. One setup is a 10ft centerpin rig and the other a 10 weight fly rod.

I'll also be testing my "new" Jigmaster with it's Reel Deal transmission. This will be best for jigging for lingcod so I hope I get out there.