ergonomics and old targets

[oc1]

You would be a good person to ask Tommy.... The first rod above is/was a pre-Garcia, NARMCO Conolon model Cardinal 408 fly rod.  All I know about the date is sometime in the 1950's.  When did ABU start using the name "Cardinal"?  It seems too much of a coincidence that they would both use the same name and then later Garcia would buy out Conolon from NARMCO.  Thanks.
-steve

[Rothmar2]

Fascinating read Steve, with exceptional attention to detail.

[Alto Mare]

I just saw this, wow.
Steve, you are very talented, we are lucky to have you here.
It looks as you could make anything you want, if you set your mind to it.
Amazing stuff.

Sal

[Shark Hunter]

Amazing Steve!

[oldmanjoe]

OK, it looks really strange and may not be something you would want to take to the public pier.  My poor fiberglassing skills and the funky pigments make them even worse.  But, I'm happy with the outcome and this is how all my baitcasting rods are going to look going forward. 


     Steve ...    Really    That handle looks gorgeous..... I`ll take ten of them..  Nice write up always enjoy reading your posts.

[Midway Tommy]

Steve,

I'm not well versed the ABU rod side of their merchandise. About all I really know is that many of their rods were of the Garcia Conolon era in conjunction with Garcia's distribution of the ABU Record & Ambassadeur 5000 casting reels. The ABU/Garcia relationship started in 1956. ABU used the Cardinal designation on their spinning reels starting in 1965.   

[oc1]

It was the Cardinal reels I was curious about Tommy; wondering if they went back into the 1950's and could have been contemporary with the Cardinal rods.  

NARMCO also had Falcon rods and another bird name that escapes me right now.

I have never really understood the ABU Garcia or Garcia Mitchell relationship, or even what the Garcia company is all about or how they operate.

In the last few days Alan Barraco on ORCA posted that the narrow wiffle spool first appeared on the Langley Lurecast which pre-dated the Target by a couple of years.  So, it was not a Target innovation.  I do not have a Lurecast but suspect it may be like a Target in many ways except it also has levelwind.  The Target is model 340 while the Lurecast is model 330 and they had several others in that 300 series.  

Also, I called it a whiffle spool but the spelling was incorrect (it's wiffle) and Langley called it the Anti-Inertia spool.  The Wham O Wiffle Ball was invented in 1953 but I doubt that "wiffle" entered the fishing reel jargon until decades later.

Thank you for the kind words gentlemen.  But, I know who you guys are and what you can do so it's all taken with a grain of salt  
-steve

[Robert Janssen]

I have never really understood the ABU Garcia or Garcia Mitchell relationship, or even what the Garcia company is all about or how they operate.

Garcia was a giant American distributor of sporting goods. All kinds of things-- skis, tennis rackets, snowshoes... and fishing tackle. Lots of it. They were for example the importer and distributor of the French Mitchell reels for decades. They were also the importers and distributors of ABU products, most notably Ambassadeur reels. This is why many of the reels of the period carried both names. After a drastic economic downturn in the late '70s, the company was nearly bankrupt. Mitchell severed ties with Garcia and was distributed by someone else. ABU meanwhile, seized the opportunity to buy the Garcia Corporation, and renamed themselves Abu-Garcia around 1980.
So as told to me by Lennart Borgström several years ago. There is a chapter about it in his book with a lot more info iirc.

Edit:
Love your project. Cool! Great job!
.

[Midway Tommy]

Steve,

Here's a little film clip that sheds some light on the ABU & Garcia connection. It's pretty interesting if you haven't already seen it.

[oc1]

Thank you gentlemen.  You have to wonder what the situation would be today if Garcia had never existed.  Did Garcia make or break ABU and Mitchell?  Would the American market have found and embraced ABU and Mitchell without Garcia as an intermediary?

Anyway, this one was about twenty-three inches, probably male, and unusually feisty..... or maybe it's just been so dam long that I forgot what it is like to catch something.  Thank you ex-hurricane Norman.



-steve

[Benni3]

Nice fish,,,,on very cool gear ,,,,,

[Reel 224]

Better yet think of the people the could have did great things and never put there talents to use. ....................Joe

[Smols]

Steve,

I thoroughly enjoy your posts on your rod/reel projects - from inception to a final product that works best for your specific needs. I can almost see the hamster running on the wheel inside your mind...

Would love to see a photo of the outrigger canoe you fish from.

Smols

[Swami805]

Some pictures of your set up would be great. Did you make it yourself?

[Darin Crofton]

That's nucking futs! Beautiful work of art!