Of Ole Skool and Thanksgiving

thorhammer · November 27, 2015, 02:19:23 AM

Caveat emptor: Your better bet is to skip to the pics. This narrative, coupled with tryptofan, is going to ground-check you into your recliner faster than a neat double Maker's.

So, I've been bouncing around a bit the past few weeks with work and after Newark, Chicago, LA and ATL on one trip, let's just say I didn't like people anymore. Headed up to my roots for Thanksgiving and staying a few days at my little place in the woods, dark and quiet. Steve-O, this is at Kerr....I got up this morning to go striper fishing and on way back thought (again) to highlight the somewhat unique fishery at the lake where my place is. Behind its large dam, there are to be had scads of large cats (the world record blue was caught a couple years ago in the lake), bass, perch, walleye, the occasional freshwater drum, gar, carp, a lost smallmouth from up the Roanoke River, and......stripers. Now other than the strange bedfellows why is it unique? Because the dam is huge and sometimes you need to get a lure into orbit. Ok, throw a tournament Abu with 5.5 oz jig. NO. Retrieve is too slow, goes straight to bottom and hangs in rocks and line. Ok, so throw a spinner with braid! NO. When you hang up, you will cut off everyone else's mono that drifts over you...and you will get cut. Solution: A huge, fast spinner with a long rod, 12 lb test and shock. Tried and true. But.....Ole Skool....for thirty years the Mitchell 488 and 489 reigned supreme, until the 9500SS. With a spool appx 3 1/2" in diameter, line simply choked through standard guides, generally a 50-30-25-20-16-12 set up. The local tinkerers came up with a solution, one of whom taught me to build two decades ago.

Flash forward: Today i was having dialog with Aiala about OldSkool Mitchells. She learned on them, as did i. You will see a pic of the first reel i caught a saltwater fish on in the early 70's, which is also the reel my grandad caught his last on six years ago before he passed away and left me this place. He wanted one last trip the OBX as he knew he was going on soon; he didnt know it but I had swiped Black Beauty (307) and serviced and lined her. He couldnt much get out of his chair but did park a trout and youd have thought it was the world record.

So I stopped by the graves of my grandparents and dad to wish them a happy Thanksgiving, having started me fishing all those years ago on this lake.
Dad was very Spartan, just enjoying tinkering with his knives, guns, and reels, so i got it honest.We knew he would haunt us if we put his ashes in an urn that looked a caddy hubcap, so we buried him in his favorite Plano flip-side box instead. and left the rattle Traps, rapalas, and bucktails in it.

So here are the old skool pics I promised Aiala:

thorhammer · November 27, 2015, 02:36:28 AM

the dam today:

thorhammer · November 27, 2015, 02:39:54 AM

Black Betty 307 and transluscent pink glitter Redfin....wish they would make that again

thorhammer · November 27, 2015, 02:46:00 AM

488's and 486, 302's and 306. Last photo, I rewrapped the 13'8" Lami with some hoarded Gudebrod gold / blue trimar, with trim bands to match the high-speed Mitchell blue. 402 shown for color comparison.

thorhammer · November 27, 2015, 02:56:40 AM

Plug box: note disc'd pink/orange fluoro Redfin...once the hottest color up here, glad I bought a handful then.

Two is a popper I carved 20 some years ago with pocket knife and sandpaper, rear weighted for distance and really chug. It took awhile to duplicate the Redfin hue as above but it worked well.

Three: note in previous photos 75mm butt guide. The rods then get a 60mm and finally a tip silver soldered from a Fuji 40 LVLG or BLVLG to a tube.

thorhammer · November 27, 2015, 03:01:30 AM

One of my first builds, early 90's, all hand and eye on the diamond, no jig for spacing / orientation. Spruced up handle last winter.

Aiala · November 27, 2015, 02:31:16 PM

Wonderful narrative, Thor, and amazing photos/tackle! Thank you so much for taking the time to share.

I have a dream that some day the "Ole Skool-ers" here can put together a charter trip and go catch fish the "old-fashioned way"... wouldn't that be fun??

~A~

Rancanfish · November 27, 2015, 03:25:22 PM

TH, thanks for the story of the kind of history we all should be so fortunate to have had. Your Dad must be pleased with his kin.

And I wish I could say it as eloquently as Aiala. But it would be glorious to participate in such a 'someday' get together.

Dominick · November 27, 2015, 07:09:10 PM

Thorhammer I am glad you got away for the big holiday. We discussed going to our cabin and it would have been fun with several inches of snow on the ground already (high Sierras). We spent a couple of Thanksgivings at the cabin and it had an old world country feeling. Of course if you forget something it is 5 miles to the store. Dominick

thorhammer · November 30, 2015, 04:42:02 PM

Great down time, and got down to beach for an overnighter Sat.

Aiala, an old skool trip is a great idea, I think someone mentioned that once....Star drag or spinner with mono only. Rods must be yellow or brown (get out the Sabres, Fenwicks, Lami e-glass). All reels must be out of production in the iteration you are fishing for ten years, except Jiggys or Senators....they haven't changed much in 80 years anyway. But no Chinese made plastic frames. Newells ok. No circle hooks. I like it.

Randy , thanks! Dominic, we do have a little 150 YO store near whose motto is "If we ain't got it, you dont need it.." otherwise it's 20 miles to town.

thorhammer · November 30, 2015, 11:58:59 PM

new arrivals today, 400 and 488. The latter is a suberb speciman of a reel from the 60's still operating flawlessly and in great shape; probably the best one I have. First 400 I've laid hands on, nice little reel but I will upgrade bail roller.

Dominick · December 01, 2015, 01:00:19 AM

Quote from: thorhammer on November 30, 2015, 04:42:02 PM
Dominic, we do have a little 150 YO store near whose motto is "If we ain't got it, you dont need it.." otherwise it's 20 miles to town.

We have one of those stores nearby. The usual is "they don't carry it." Dominick

thorhammer · December 01, 2015, 01:28:54 AM

Lol, I may be violating 12 yo rule here, but true story: my neighbor up there, whose son has been my best friend for pushing 40 years, was "impacted". My buddy went to the store to get a "flush kit" and they didn't have one...the owner went to his house and got one for him...that's a country store right there...

Dominick · December 01, 2015, 05:04:21 AM

Great story Thor. Do you hunt the property? Dominick

thorhammer · December 01, 2015, 05:15:47 PM

Dominick,

I did 20 years or so ago but it's lakefront and since then some houses have gotten a little close. The area is still loaded with deer and occasionally they will walk through the yard in broad daylight. Still enough woods around. I duckhunted there too but decided I like sleep better than freezing and wet at 0300 these days.

Thor