Starting to get a few setups ready for the AT High Sierra Edison Lake trip starting next mid week.
Going to have some setups ready for folks to use, plus lures, trolling stuff, etc...
Pulled out a couple of good custom Fenwick's for the 209's with lead core -- one stiff, and one noodle with a good backbone.
Also will have Quicks, ABU Cardinals, Mitchells, Daiwas, Penns, etc..
Setting up a fly rig for one of our members.
Anyway -- while picking out rods and gear, came across some old interesting stuff --
A beautiful mint green Shakespeare glass WonderRod with a Pflueger Skillcast LW mounted on it -- old silk line.
A Unispin under rod spincast combo with the cast button "through" to the topside of the rod.
A Heddon rod marked "Heddon Pal" rod with a pivoting reel that looks like a pencil sharpener.
Lot of history here -- if they could talk. We will try to listen to the stories from 60 or 70 years ago -- and use our imagination.
The fishermen are long gone -- but the quality gear remains to be discovered by new generations of anglers.
Best,
Fred
The Heddon Pal is a neat little combo.
Fun looking at the old gear.
Quote from: mizmo67 on July 13, 2017, 09:11:33 PM
The Heddon Pal is a neat little combo.
Fun looking at the old gear.
I second that .... that is a cool looking reel . joe
That green Howald wound Wonderod ---that's a beaut!!! Any idea what year it is? Length? What does the seat look like?
I'd like to see that rod too. Many Wonderods have a date code. http://fiberglass-fly-rods.pbworks.com/w/page/5183005/Shakespeare (http://fiberglass-fly-rods.pbworks.com/w/page/5183005/Shakespeare)
-steve
Don't know as much about rods as reels (and am still learning about reels).
Shakespeare Wonderod baitcasting.
Length is 70".
Howland process.
Spring loaded trigger for attaching reel.
6 line guides.
No date codes. Experts here would know -- but likely late 40's to mid 50's?
I might have around 400 rods upstairs -- and possibly 80 to 120 of them are old baitcasters.
This rod is in such good condition, I suspect it might be a restoration of at least the threads and guides -- and if so, it was done by someone who left the label intact. If restored, it was done by someone with a professional skill level like Jon or Dwight.
Looks pretty good with an old Bronson left-handed 2200 Green Hornet and silk line.
To me, at least, the quality of these old rods is extraordinary.
If anyone is interested, I could pull out the old baitcasting rods -- just for fun.
Best,
Fred
Thanks, Fred. Nice looking rod. The guides on your rod look identical in style to the original guides on a 1 pc 7'6" wound glass Shakespeare spinning rod I bought in the mid '70s (and still have). The rod I bought came from an old tackle shop that had a ton of rods and it could have been older stock by several years, but not as old as yours.
For many years Shakespeare had a rod factory here. Also their HQ --and parts department which I frequented from time to time.
Found a few more interesting rods --
More Wonderods in Mint Green & Peach, Garcia Conolons, Coits, Roddy, JC Higgins, and many more.
Found an old SouthBend 1571 Deluxe in a Tube and sock.
Best,
Fred
great collection Fred, thanks for posting, cheers Don.
That's a very nice collection, Fred. And another green Wonderod, spin variety.
A brief history of Shakespeare from 1896 to 2005; and rod history:
http://mpf.shakespeare-fishing.com/history/index.shtml
http://mpf.shakespeare-fishing.com/antiques/rods.pdf
Find the Unispin very interesting. Believe it is True Temper product. Don't see too many of them.