I picked this guy up cheap on eBay as I'm a gamblin' man when it comes to sellers that post crappy pictures. The gamble paid off and I got myself a very nice Zebco Cardinal 3 much cheaper than the others sold for.
She was a little dirty, but everything functioned well. I don't believe this one saw much use, but spent most of its life on a shelf in a garage somewhere.
(https://i.imgur.com/B6uln8Qh.jpg)
Wanting to make it better suited for ultralight duties, I got myself a shallow spool courtesy of Avail Japan and some beefier bail springs courtesy of the IOS Factory out of Japan as well. Not pictured are homemade Carbontex drag washers.
(https://i.imgur.com/TkpFzS9h.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/FEM3FpIh.jpg)
She came out really nice and fishes wonderfully. These bail springs make the bail snap back into action lightning fast. The handle bushing and worm bushing were polished, Super Lube grease on the gears, Cal's Purple on the drag, and 90W gear oil in the worm bearing. Smooth as all get out. I spent a couple of weeks in the northern Michigan woods chasing our state fish, the brook trout, and it performed well beyond my expectations. What a lovely reel!
(https://i.imgur.com/vJL57xKh.jpg)
That is beautiful work!
Would love to see some pictures with said trout
Good job !
EXCELLENT. keep em coming- we don't hear enough from you. I know both Nick and myself are paying close attention on your round Abu posts, and I'm sure others are too.
John
Quote from: ReelFishingProblems on September 16, 2021, 11:40:36 AM
That is beautiful work!
Would love to see some pictures with said trout
Not a brookie, but a beautiful wild rainbow I got Tuesday morning. I got this guy from the bank, I don't shoot too many photos in my waders on the water as my hands are full. Don't wanna drop my phone in the water. This was out of the upper Rifle River in northern Michigan. Got him on a 3/16 Countdown rigged with #6 Owner single barbless hooks.
(https://i.imgur.com/48JOZIjh.jpg)
Quote from: thorhammer on September 16, 2021, 12:14:34 PM
EXCELLENT. keep em coming- we don't hear enough from you. I know both Nick and myself are paying close attention on your round Abu posts, and I'm sure others are too.
John
Thanks for the kind words brother. I'll have more round Abu action coming, just waiting to get my grubby coal shovels on a 2500C for the right price :)
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. When I was packing up Monday evening to head back to my folks' house from the river, I ran into a nice lady and we got talking about fishing. Turns out she's close friends with none other than Jim Bedford, probably the most famous trout fisherman in Michigan. She wants her reels worked on and I told her I'd be more than happy to take care of them. She's also giving Jim my information as he needs a new reel guy too, the person that used to do theirs retired some years back. Jim has written many books about trout fishing in Michigan, all are available on Amazon. He also writes for Michigan Out of Doors and Woods and Water News, both sportsman publications here in Michigan.
Here's a video of the man himself in action, take note of the reel he's using.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izOuKd0TAk0&t=429s
Quote from: tincanary on September 16, 2021, 11:09:45 PM
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention. When I was packing up Monday evening to head back to my folks' house from the river, I ran into a nice lady and we got talking about fishing. Turns out she's close friends with none other than Jim Bedford, probably the most famous trout fisherman in Michigan. She wants her reels worked on and I told her I'd be more than happy to take care of them. She's also giving Jim my information as he needs a new reel guy too, the person that used to do theirs retired some years back. Jim has written many books about trout fishing in Michigan, all are available on Amazon. He also writes for Michigan Out of Doors and Woods and Water News, both sportsman publications here in Michigan.
Here's a video of the man himself in action, take note of the reel he's using.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izOuKd0TAk0&t=429s
Now that's a couple of great leads! You don't get those everyday. With people like that the good words will spread quickly!
You sure came across a nice reel. It cleaned up nicely and I'm sure you will cherish & enjoy it! I know I do mine. :)
Over the years I've found it quite interesting how many really knowledgeable professional freshwater fisher people prefer, and continue to use, that generation of ABU made Cardinals. For years the In-Fisherman Lindner boys and their staff exclusively used ABU & Zebco Cardinals. That changed a little once they gained sponsorships and started doing more TV episodes. They still, though, when they weren't filming, broke out the dependable Cardinals. I've got a Zebco Cardinal 6 that was owned & used frequently by world famous fly fisherman Leon Chandler of Cortland Line Co who traveled the world promoting fly fishing. He could use any reel he wanted to for the larger fish he chased but when push came to shove he broke out the Cardinal. Nebraska's own Daryl Bauer, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission biologist and fisheries outreach program manager uses Cardinal 3s & 4s. Those guys know top quality when they see & feel it. 8)
Quote from: Midway Tommy on September 17, 2021, 02:44:14 AM
You sure came across a nice reel. It cleaned up nicely and I'm sure you will cherish & enjoy it! I know I do mine. :)
Over the years I've found it quite interesting how many really knowledgeable professional freshwater fisher people prefer, and continue to use, that generation of ABU made Cardinals. For years the In-Fisherman Lindner boys and their staff exclusively used ABU & Zebco Cardinals. That changed a little once they gained sponsorships and started doing more TV episodes. They still, though, when they weren't filming, broke out the dependable Cardinals. I've got a Zebco Cardinal 6 that was owned & used frequently by world famous fly fisherman Leon Chandler of Cortland Line Co who traveled the world promoting fly fishing. He could use any reel he wanted to for the larger fish he chased but when push came to shove he broke out the Cardinal. Nebraska's own Daryl Bauer, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission biologist and fisheries outreach program manager uses Cardinal 3s & 4s. Those guys know top quality when they see & feel it. 8)
Interestingly enough, these Cardinal 3s are still made but sold only on the Japanese market. ABU still makes the parts, but final assembly is done in Japan now and not Sweden. A company by the name of Daysprout is under contractual agreement with ABU to build and distribute them. While these are almost the same Cardinals that we love, they are a little different in that they now have bearings for the main gear shaft and a quieter anti-reverse mechanism. They don't come cheap, but if jewelry exists for fishermen, these are it. https://daysprout-fishing.jp/page2/ds-cardinal/ Something else really neat, ABU makes a rod to specifically match the Cardinal for the Japanese market http://purefishing.jp/product/abugarcia/fw-rod/classics/abu-classics-trout.html
Cool! Thanks for the reference. This post was gonna be me wondering why someone didn't renew a classic/popular design for that market segment(not making this up). Gotta check out that AR modification, cause that's a feature I love on the original, sound and all.
Thanks for sharing about these excellent reels and those Pros who use them.
The Cardinals are some of my favorites in my personal arsenal.
A fantastic design coupled with strong components, and clever, simple engineering.
I really love a Cardinal 3 on an old Fenwick or Eagle Claw lightweight rod. It is a perfectly balanced and comfortable combo.
Best, Fred
I really want to get myself a 4wt 7'6" Lamiglas Honey blank set up for spinning, with a Michigan handle of course. Would be a nice match with the Cardinal and capable of fishing the tiniest of baits with the shallow Avail spool I have on it now. I'm spooled with 4lb Maxima right now, fantastic line that seems to fly under the radar. Here's the spool I have, the CD0490R, rated to hold 90m of 4lb. Keep in mind Japanese lines go by the JAFS, meaning their 4lb is 0.165mm versus in the US which is typically 0.205mm. That's a big difference. This spool will hold about 65yd of 0.205mm 4lb.
https://www.hedgehog-studio.co.jp/product/1020
Quote from: Gfish on September 17, 2021, 03:06:57 PM
This post was gonna be me wondering why someone didn't renew a classic/popular design for that market segment(not making this up).
Great question and I do think I have an answer. I was talking with Simon Shimomura about this a couple of years back. He told me it's the cultural divide. In Japan, the culture is predominantly buy once cry once, whereas here it's buy something, wait till it breaks, and buy another. There are truly some very fine reels on the other side of the Pacific, some of them I also own.
A couple that aren't here in America, on the left is a Shimano Calcutta Conquest BFS and on the right a Daiwa Millionaire CT SV. These are marketed primarily towards trout fishermen and bass fishermen who like to fish ultralight baits, primarily under 1/4oz. Both of these will cast 1/16 very easy.
(https://i.imgur.com/XWujqtZh.jpg)
Thanks for all the info, I like the spool you brought for the Cardinal 3 reel, it should cast good, thanks cheers Don.
Quote from: tincanary on September 17, 2021, 04:12:14 PM
I really want to get myself a 4wt 7'6" Lamiglas Honey blank set up for spinning, with a Michigan handle of course
would LOVE something like that... curious about Redington Butter Stick, if you know anything
Quote from: tincanary on September 17, 2021, 04:12:14 PM
Keep in mind Japanese lines go by the JAFS, meaning their 4lb is 0.165mm versus in the US which is typically 0.205mm. That's a big difference. This spool will hold about 65yd of 0.205mm 4lb.
you can get the thin, pre-stretched, Japan-made nylon in US sold as guide-size 100m/100yd tippet spools
in simplest, most general terms:
if you wish your 4# running line were stronger -- you replace it w/ 4X tippet
if you wish your 4# running line were thinner -- you replace it w/ 5X tippet
costs double or more, so cheapo like me opts for braid backing + 50yd tippet
Quote from: philaroman on September 17, 2021, 11:45:41 PM
would LOVE something like that... curious about Redington Butter Stick, if you know anything
Quote from: tincanary on September 17, 2021, 04:12:14 PM
Keep in mind Japanese lines go by the JAFS, meaning their 4lb is 0.165mm versus in the US which is typically 0.205mm. That's a big difference. This spool will hold about 65yd of 0.205mm 4lb.
you can get the thin, pre-stretched, Japan-made nylon in US sold as guide-size 100m/100yd tippet spools
in simplest, most general terms:
if you wish your 4# running line were stronger -- you replace it w/ 4X tippet
if you wish your 4# running line were thinner -- you replace it w/ 5X tippet
costs double or more, so cheapo like me opts for braid backing + 50yd tippet
Oh man, a butter stick would be sweet. I know nothing about them but they do look really nice. A friend of mine uses a 7' Ameriglass 3wt set up for spinning, running a Daiwa Mini Mite and 2lb Maxima. It's the epitome of a noodle, but he can drift crickets in the current with no added weight. He uses a #10 bait holder hook and a cricket, absolutely obliterates the trout with that thing. I don't fish meat very often personally, but he catches significantly more fish than me when we go out together. We were out a couple of months back, risers everywhere and I couldn't buy a bite if my life depended on it, but his crickets ended up providing us with a nice shore lunch.
Quote from: tincanary on September 17, 2021, 04:12:14 PM
I really want to get myself a 4wt 7'6" Lamiglas Honey blank set up for spinning, with a Michigan handle of course. Would be a nice match with the Cardinal and capable of fishing the tiniest of baits with the shallow Avail spool I have on it now. I'm spooled with 4lb Maxima right now, fantastic line that seems to fly under the radar. Here's the spool I have, the CD0490R, rated to hold 90m of 4lb. Keep in mind Japanese lines go by the JAFS, meaning their 4lb is 0.165mm versus in the US which is typically 0.205mm. That's a big difference. This spool will hold about 65yd of 0.205mm 4lb.
https://www.hedgehog-studio.co.jp/product/1020
the rod on the video is a Fly rod with spinning guides as replacement of the fly guides or a fly blank built with spinnig guides? I mean at the end is the same thing but took my attention the short reargrip, almost as if he just took a fly rod and replaced the guides.
I had said it manytimes LOL, but I have a eagle claw 8.6ft 5wt fly rod that I was gonna cut above the foregrip and built it as UL spinning rod or just install a reelseat plate on the foregrip and replace the guides, I've had too much work on my "normal job" and also on the custom rod side for friends and customer so I havent messed with thar rod and I dont know when I might have time for that.
I also havent modified that fly rod because I have two nice UL fenwicks "eagle" model to use UL lures on saltwater, one is vintage model y the other is a modern one
Quote from: steelfish on September 18, 2021, 12:53:54 AM
Quote from: tincanary on September 17, 2021, 04:12:14 PM
I really want to get myself a 4wt 7'6" Lamiglas Honey blank set up for spinning, with a Michigan handle of course. Would be a nice match with the Cardinal and capable of fishing the tiniest of baits with the shallow Avail spool I have on it now. I'm spooled with 4lb Maxima right now, fantastic line that seems to fly under the radar. Here's the spool I have, the CD0490R, rated to hold 90m of 4lb. Keep in mind Japanese lines go by the JAFS, meaning their 4lb is 0.165mm versus in the US which is typically 0.205mm. That's a big difference. This spool will hold about 65yd of 0.205mm 4lb.
https://www.hedgehog-studio.co.jp/product/1020
the rod on the video is a Fly rod with spinning guides as replacement of the fly guides or a fly blank built with spinnig guides? I mean at the end is the same thing but took my attention the short reargrip, almost as if he just took a fly rod and replaced the guides.
I had said it manytimes LOL, but I have a eagle claw 8.6ft 5wt fly rod that I was gonna cut above the foregrip and built it as UL spinning rod or just install a reelseat plate on the foregrip and replace the guides, I've had too much work on my "normal job" and also on the custom rod side for friends and customer so I havent messed with thar rod and I dont know when I might have time for that.
I also havent modified that fly rod because I have two nice UL fenwicks "eagle" model to use UL lures on saltwater, one is vintage model y the other is a modern one
Jim is using an older Lamiglass Classic Glass, they've been out of production for a long time now, probably over 20 years is my guess. His is a 4wt I believe.
Quote from: tincanary on September 18, 2021, 12:25:40 AM
Oh man, a butter stick would be sweet. I know nothing about them but they do look really nice. A friend of mine uses a 7' Ameriglass 3wt set up for spinning, running a Daiwa Mini Mite and 2lb Maxima. It's the epitome of a noodle, but he can drift crickets in the current with no added weight. He uses a #10 bait holder hook and a cricket, absolutely obliterates the trout with that thing. I don't fish meat very often personally, but he catches significantly more fish than me when we go out together. We were out a couple of months back, risers everywhere and I couldn't buy a bite if my life depended on it, but his crickets ended up providing us with a nice shore lunch.
"the epitome of a noodle" ;D I know what that means
have an 11'6" Slow Action 1-4# -- guessing tip section, by itself, is 1wt-equivalent
short alternate butt, gives me an 8-footer for "XUL finesse bait"
at some point, will do same for the old 12'+ Feralite 2-6#
guessing that tip section is 2wt/3wt ballpark -- should make an interesting 9-footer
back in the day, I used 4# Chameleon -- good line, but a bit thick
I was happier with 4X/5X olive-tinted tippet, as running line
That BSF looks interesting. Is it OK to call it a round reel despite the drop-dowh HG gear box? Something else to put on the wishful thinking list.
To adapt a fly rod I remove the butt cap, cut off the reel seat, then use that protruding four-inch nub to attach a longer handle. Divide the fly rod line weight by 16 to get the new lure weight in ounces.
Quote from: oc1 on September 18, 2021, 11:25:50 AM
That BSF looks interesting. Is it OK to call it a round reel despite the drop-dowh HG gear box? Something else to put on the wishful thinking list.
To adapt a fly rod I remove the butt cap, cut off the reel seat, then use that protruding four-inch nub to attach a longer handle. Divide the fly rod line weight by 16 to get the new lure weight in ounces.
She's round on the palm side.
(https://i.imgur.com/JtBMbkyh.jpg)
It's interesting the way Shimano engineered this reel. The palm side is really small, while the crank side is more like the larger 100+ sizes. The Calcutta Conquest has a massive main gear compared to the Calcutta B and D reels so it has the offset gearbox like a low profile. The BFS variant has a 7.5g 32mm diameter spool and the 100 size has a 13g 34mm diameter spool.
If this post was placed in the trout section of the forum, maybe it would get more views, cheers Don.
Quote from: Donnyboat on September 18, 2021, 02:08:07 PM
If this post was placed in the trout section of the forum, maybe it would get more views, cheers Don.
Where is that section? I looked around but didn't see it. Maybe I need a new prescription for my external eyeballs lol