Memorable fishing poles from our youth

[GA1dad]

I didn't want to hijack another thread, but I really enjoyed the following posts and thought I'd start a new thread.

Come to think of it, growing up, I used a medium action 5.5’ rod with a bantam mag(or something like that). It was My first baitcaster! I strung it with trilene xt or xl in about 14#. It was always with me and we jumped ponds all the time. If there was access we got in…..we’d fish til we got thrown out.
Anywho, I’d fish everything on that rod from a Texas rig, spinner, or buzz bait, down to a rapala. I don’t remember ever losing a fish after I set the hook. Used it in salt water too, but I’ve lost many fish wading in salt water.

No question about the effectiveness of technique specific rods n reels though…….as I grew older we put them in play and added a spinning rod.

I've still got the old Daiwa Magforce reel from my teenage do-it-all rig mounted on a 6' 6" medium cherrywood (the old cherrywood broke years ago at the reel seat). My original rig was a 6' pistol grip though.

As a teenager back in the mid eighties I lived and breathed fishing. The folks on the pages of Bassmaster Magazine were my hero's. I remember trying a baitcaster for the first time,,, a small framed Ryobi V-Mag. My neighbor entrusted it into my hands and I promptly made a nest of it. That same summer I tried a Diawa Magforce, with the same results. I went on to fish with strictly spinning reels after that,,, and did well. Later on in life I purchased another Ryobi V-Mag 3 (shown below) and committed myself to master it. I did,,,, and now I have at least 10 different baitcasters and these days I rarely use a spinning reel. Every now and then I will take the old Ryobi for a spin. Love it in creeks. I also have another vintage Diawa Magforce, but I don't like it as much as the Ryobi. I am keeping an eye out for an old Cardinal 3 spinning reel at a favorable price.

Anybody else got a memorable fishing setup they'd like to share?

 

[doomtrpr_z71]

I started fishing baitcasters when I was 10, I killed a Shimano bantam and some kind of daiwa that summer. The survivor was an Abu Garcia ultra mag 2 on an Abu Garcia conolon rod that I fished all through my childhood until I was dumb enough to sell it to a buddy of mine when I was in highschool. I've since bought an ultramag2 and 3 as well as an Abu Garcia ambassaduer1000 just for the nostalgia as they were my 2 reels growing up. The 1000 was super touchy as I didn't realize it until I got older but it had no brake blocks on the spool. Every reel I bought from then on was an Abu Garcia until the last 10 years or so and they have all been Daiwas except for one Shimano Stradic.

 

[tr21]

I started fishing baitcasters when I was 10, I killed a Shimano bantam and some kind of daiwa that summer. The survivor was an Abu Garcia ultra mag 2 on an Abu Garcia conolon rod that I fished all through my childhood until I was dumb enough to sell it to a buddy of mine when I was in highschool. I've since bought an ultramag2 and 3 as well as an Abu Garcia ambassaduer1000 just for the nostalgia as they were my 2 reels growing up. The 1000 was super touchy as I didn't realize it until I got older but it had no brake blocks on the spool. Every reel I bought from then on was an Abu Garcia until the last 10 years or so and they have all been Daiwas except for one Shimano Stradic.

I've still got a few of the bantam 2 speed reels... they were great !!!

 

[Geffellz18]

My most memorable pole as a kid would most likely be a telescopic bream buster.
Would take them with some catalpa worms up the Yellow River(FL) to some natural lakes with Grandpa…Would slap wear out Warmouth/Goggle eyes slipping the worms down in the cypress knees & stumps!
I remember Grandpa hooking into a big Ol’ blue cat one time as we were heading back to the ramp. Fought it for about 5-10 minutes on one of them bream busters before it finally wrapped around a log and broke him off. Talk about a sleigh ride!
Never could cast a bait caster worth a flip other than an abu wide spool. So I had a couple 5500 & 5600’s…As I have gotten older, I’m pretty much a spinning outfit user.

 

[buckpasser]

Man yeah! I can remember working at the taxidermy shop and saving up my money when I was around 13 to buy an Abu Garcia Black Max and a matching cork handle rod. Later I replaced the rod with an Ugly Stik Lite. I miss that old thing and more importantly, my older neighborhood fishing buddy Josh who turned me on to that rig and Zoom brand worms. We lived to fish together and to dream and talk of someday killing a big buck. He lost his life at age 22 to a car accident, but your thread bought back some awesome memories!

 

[Railroader]

I remember my my first fishing rod fondly, I was about age 5-6. It was a brand new Mitchell 308 spinning reel on a light 6' Garcia rod. It was given to me by an old flying buddy of my Dad's when he came to visit.

A few years later, I bought a Daiwa 1300c and a matching rod with my own money...Still have the rod.

My baitcasting journey started with a Shakespeare Whispa-disc 002 and a Berkeley Stinger Graphite rod. That was about age 10...Again with my money.

One Christmas, I got a Shimano Bantam Mag 10 and a Shimano Boron Rod...I was a PRO by then, and you couldn't tell me nothin'... ?

Man, I used to LOVE the Bass Pro catalog. Filling out the order form, mailing the money order, and waiting 4-6 weeks for delivery...

 

[Mexican Squealer]

Once I got enough scratch to upgrade it was an all star rod and Lews baitcaster....before that, a whole bunch of spinning rods.

 

[Hillbilly stalker]

Had 2 of them Black Maxs, man I could launch a plug with that thing. I believe I still have one.

 

[buckpasser]

Had 2 of them Black Maxs, man I could launch a plug with that thing. I believe I still have one.

I bought another one a couple years ago (new model) just to pay homage to the good old days. I was somewhat disappointed in the quality vs the old one. As you said, it would sling it. The new one was just a reel.

 

[GeorgiaGlockMan]

Here is a collection of some of the reals that I have semi-retired over the years.

A couple were my grandpa's.

 

[redd66]

First baitcaster was a ambassadeur 1500c I think in 1977 put yellow Stren on it and thought I was a professional. Caught a lot of bass on it

 

[GeorgiaGlockMan]

View attachment 1168913First baitcaster was a ambassadeur 1500c I think in 1977 put yellow Stren on it and thought I was a professional. Caught a lot of bass on it

Lols.


I did the same to that Diawa at some point in 77 or maybe 78.

 

[redd66]

Caught this 6.5 on that 1500c with a broke back rapala gold with black back same year. Been hooked ever since

 

[Railroader]

Yellow Stren was Da Bomb, Yo!!!

 

[Railroader]

Then Lo-vis green Trilene was Da Bomb, Yo!

 

[NCHillbilly]

First rod I can remember fishing with besides a cane pole was my grandpa's Johnson Century rigs. He loved those things.

 

[buckpasser]

First rod I can remember fishing with besides a cane pole was my grandpa's Johnson Century rigs. He loved those things.

My papa liked whatever was on sale. I just told someone this week about his complete disregard for learning any proper knots to tie his hooks on. Just a series of “black” knots and a big ugly tag line hanging off! I miss that man too. Fishing memories are rough on me tonight fellows…

 

[Railroader]

My papa liked whatever was on sale. I just told someone this week about his complete disregard for learning any proper knots to tie his hooks on. Just a series of “black” knots and a big ugly tag line hanging off! I miss that man too. Fishing memories are rough on me tonight fellows…

I hear ya BP...

This thread has taken me back, too. Thinking about Dad, and the many honorary uncles I had as a kid.

Those men gave me the tools and knowledge to put me in my current position now of BEING the old man, and passing things on...

I am grateful to them, and for the opportunities I now have.

 

[weagle]

I've been fishing this Zebco Cardinal 3 and eagle claw rod since 1976 when I bought it with summer yard cutting money. Actually the rod was replaced in 1998 after my wife shut the original in a car door

 

[earlthegoat2]

I bought a $16 Browning rod and reel combo at Gander Mountain around 1996.

I caught a ton of northern largemouth bass with it and then caught this monster Pike in McGregor Bay, Canada in 2003. I don’t have a picture of the rod but my Dad still uses it.