My thirty-something nephew was here today, and the topic turned to fishing reels. He said he like open-face reels the best, so I came inside, grabbed my Quick 331, and showed it to him.
He got this bemused expression on his face, and said "Wow. That's OLD!" I told him yeah, close to 50 years.
He shook his head. "Well, I'm harder on reels than you are. When one breaks, I just buy another." I started to tell him that hauling in smallmouths and walleyes from the St. Lawrence River can be tough on a reel too, but this one was made rugged enough to take it and keep coming back for more, but he didn't want to listen. His mind was made up. He was convinced that I've been fishing with the same reel for nearly fifty years because I go easy on it, and that was it.
Kids today. They wouldn't know quality if it bit them on the nose.
Well my friend I have gotten alot poo from people using my vintage gear,,,,,but that's ok,,,, :-\ I'm catching fish,,,,,,, ;D
the problem is they have not seen or experienced anything else, so they do not have anything to compare to?
it is like you grew up apple pie from McDonalds and never had a from scratch apple pie.
Your taste buds are used to the $1 apple pie from fast food joint, once you have a home made apple pie the first time you are confused, this is different, you don't know if you should like it or not
At some point your brain starts to rationalize your choices.
take the main gears out of your respective reels
rub 'em tooth-to-tooth a bit
then reassemble yours & go back to fishing
while he plays w/ his new sinker
Show him a Zippo and tell about the time people would keep a lighter for the majority of their lives...I grew up with the phrase of comparing objects to Bic Lighters. For example - for awhile I owned an 80's era Ford Tempo when I was tight on income (basically a rebadged Mazda at that time). And cars of that type we would refer to as "the Bic Lighter of cars" basically meaning they were disposable, you used them until they stopped working then got a new one because they were basically designed to fall apart at some point. I don't know if Bic invented the disposable genre (shavers, pens, lighters) but they certainly seem to be identified with it for folks of my age. - john
Not all 30-somethings feel that way.
I love my modern reels, but love the durability and design of the old ones.
And Thea's vintage ceramic in the backdrop!
There is one young fisherman on YouTube in his twenties who is a fan of old school gear, Penns, Mitchells, and DAM.
https://youtu.be/cG4_RcsYNcU
Quote from: thorhammer on July 21, 2020, 05:13:15 PM
And Thea's vintage ceramic in the backdrop!
Whatever allows me to buy more fishing gear than I need
Thankfully my Dad was from the "build- it -to -last" faction of do it yourself'ers. Never seemed to hesitate to show me garbage vs quality. I remember my friends would see stuff in the garage. Like; "Whoa dude, your Dad made this?" It was more like "overbuilt this". Nothing fancy or complicated though, just old school heavy and bulky.
Raised like this, it's hard to shop for durables nowadays, without resorting to the "vintage"(sic) market.
Hey I resemble this remark....I fish 90 % reels 20 years old or older, and my wife says I'm 12. Just ask her.
The reality is there is enough money being made and manufacturing is efficient enough to support the throw away economy. At the end of the day it makes sense. The new Battle reel is about 100 bucks and can catch most anything a not hardcore fisherman would be after up to and including smaller pelagics. If you shred that thing and have it repaired you're spending what, 50% of the purchase price and don't fish for a bit? For most people, the better choice is to spend a couple hours wages more and get a new reel. When Quicks were being built, the economics were different. Because of the labor involved, even the cheapest reels were a days waes or more, and most people lacked the disposable income that many enjoy today.
That reality means we are doing better, it just creates a different mindset that what many of us grew up with.
The Man
NOT joining the throw-away economy wouldn't be an easy thing to do. Figuring out how to not participate would be a full time job in itself and your family will be none too happy. Thank goodness we can pretend a little with old reels and such.
-steve
Quote from: thorhammer on July 22, 2020, 12:10:00 AM
Hey I resemble this remark....I fish 90 % reels 20 years old or older, and my wife says I'm 12. Just ask her.
lol :D
Quote from: Ron Jones on July 22, 2020, 04:05:26 AMThe reality is there is enough money being made and manufacturing is efficient enough to support the throw away economy. At the end of the day it makes sense. The new Battle reel is about 100 bucks and can catch most anything a not hardcore fisherman would be after up to and including smaller pelagics. If you shred that thing and have it repaired you're spending what, 50% of the purchase price and don't fish for a bit? For most people, the better choice is to spend a couple hours wages more and get a new reel. When Quicks were being built, the economics were different. Because of the labor involved, even the cheapest reels were a days waes or more, and most people lacked the disposable income that many enjoy today.
Along those lines, it can't be denied that there's still plenty of high quality reels made today. They are very costly though, but the quality, refinenment and performance that goes into them is impressive and surpasses most vintage by far. That's why "hot rodding" old reels is so popular. But on the economy class side, the vintage reels are vastly superior!
My 7 year old wore out his little Pflueger underspin. The rod is pretty sweet.
I moved him up to the Mitchell 308.
I love the 308. Whatever you are doing with it is low stress.
The Man
I enjoy fishing that much more for knowing a little about the gear I'm using. All the reels I use have been taken apart, cleaned & put back together by me, and I know what's going on there. Many of my rods have either been built by, or repaired & improved, by me. Like fishing with friends, not strangers.
Frank
Quote from: happyhooker on July 24, 2020, 08:05:30 PM
I enjoy fishing that much more for knowing a little about the gear I'm using. All the reels I use have been taken apart, cleaned & put back together by me, and I know what's going on there. Many of my rods have either been built by, or repaired & improved, by me. Like fishing with friends, not strangers.
Frank
I think you perfectly diluted down how many of us feel about fishing, and why we do the obsessive / addictive things we do when it comes to fishing gear. It is an addiction I will happily feed.
Quote from: happyhooker on July 24, 2020, 08:05:30 PM
I enjoy fishing that much more for knowing a little about the gear I'm using. All the reels I use have been taken apart, cleaned & put back together by me, and I know what's going on there. Many of my rods have either been built by, or repaired & improved, by me. Like fishing with friends, not strangers.
Frank
I pour my own sinkers and make my own spinners, too. Got into that many years ago when we started drift-fishing in the St. Lawrence River. You lose a lot of terminal tackle that way, especially when you're still learning. It gets expensive - fast.
Spinners work well for that kind of fishing, especially willow leaf spinners. My most productive design the last few years has been a little number I copied from my mother a dozen years ago. Almost feels like she's back in the boat with me when I tie one on.
Quote from: Ron Jones on July 22, 2020, 04:05:26 AM
.... When Quicks were being built, the economics were different. Because of the labor involved, even the cheapest reels were a days waes or more, and most people lacked the disposable income that many enjoy today.
That reality means we are doing better, it just creates a different mindset that what many of us grew up with.
The Man
Well that may be reality & truth.... but my jaw tightens as I step, moving forward in spite of it ;D ... Jeff