I finally have the chance to get back to the Florida Panhandle for a lot of fishing. I love using the vintage reels and bamboo rods. One thing I hope to do is catch a shark with a Pflueger Templar. I selected one from my collection that is in good working order and came equipped with a factory power handle. This reel came with leather drag washers and while they seemed to work well, I went ahead and replaced them with NOS fiber washers that were included in the box. After a complete tear down, clean and grease, I used Cal's on the fiber washers before installing. This set up gave me a significant increase in the drag pressure. The Templar came equipped with a leather thumb drag to use in conjunction with the star drag. This sits atop a vintage H/I Blue Water split bamboo boat rod. The rod had two broken guides that needed replacing. When testing guide placement under load, I decided to add an additional guide to keep the line well above the rod. This rod is labeled "Impregnated Tonkin Cane" like the famous Orvis fly rods. I'm going to be targeting 3'-5' sharks in the surf. I'll probably make a video for my YouTube channel showing the action. Below is a pic of this rig. Other vintage gear will include the Penn 16/0 reel and rod I caught a 14' Tiger Shark on last year as well as a Pflueger Capital 1885 surf reel. More to follow...
What a cool combo...good luck! 8)
I love the way the grips are integrated with that rod, beautiful workmanship!........................Joe
Best of luck Mike. ;)
Quote from: Reel 224 on August 15, 2018, 03:01:45 PM
I love the way the grips are integrated with that rod, beautiful workmanship!........................Joe
Joe, it does look nice. However, when a wooden forgrip gets wet it becomes impossible to control the rod. I am going to wind the grip with grip tape and that should help. Once I get down there I'll post some more pics. Shark Hunter I will give you a full report on conditions in case you're coming down soon.
Mike: If you can find some shrink wrap to match the contour of the grip and cooler as close as possible it would be great. If not then find a cooler that sets off the rod and makes it pop.
Joe
Nice rig Mike. I think the Templars look better (love the star) and are made a little better than Penns..... if it were not for that cursed clutch spring. I would have had to throw mine away were it not for help from Chad (cbar45) in this thread:
http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=11396.0 (http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=11396.0)
-steve
I brought one of my Alvey reels mounted to an old split bamboo rod. I have never fished an Alvey so thought this trip would be a good opportunity. Learning to cast one of these without instructions would be very difficult. But a short you tube video showed me the secret. Easy as pie and distance is one of the things they are famous for. Now I just have to get a hook up. Here are a few pics.
Ugh! The Coffee Water!
It looks bad in Navarre too.
Hey Brother, that brown water comes from an inshore dune lake when the tide goes out. This area, I believe is the only place on earth with these type lakes. Anyway, when the tide is in, it's that beautiful emerald green. Julia is catching nice size Blues on a spoon. We've kept a couple for bait. I'll keep you posted.
Mike, does the 1420-1/2 have the same drag washer layout as the 1419-3/4, one on each side of the main gear? Lookin' good, good luck fishing!
Sid, it has the same arrangement. I would like to try a set of carbon fiber washers. Know where I might find some?
The 4.5 meter Vervelli rod certainly isn't vintage but, the Mitchell Nautil might be. Either way it's a great reel and color coordinates with the rod. The Italian firm which makes these awesome casters must have had a brain fart in their marketing Dept. Since I bought mine a couple years ago I think they have rebranded this model. Last night shark fishing from the beach with the pflueger 1420 1/2 I had a tremendous run. Did not get a hook up. I'm using circle hooks trying to be easier on the fish but, with sharks I've never had much lock. Anyway, hearing that Pflueger clicker for the first time under load, really got my blood racing. Tonight it's on again.
Wish I was there.
Enjoy your time on the sand. ;)
Hope you get one Mike!
Good luck Mike! the Nautil is prolly late 90's / turn of century i think...i had forgotten them and that one is nice!
Caught a nice 4 footer this afternoon on the Nautil. I'm very impressed by the quality of this reel. It couldn't have performed any better and the drags are really smooth. Earlier this evening I had the Pflueger Templar back out. Had a great run but when I went to set the hook the shark broke the surface and the line went slack. I think my knot attaching the hundred pound leader didn't hold. That's not a good feeling. Anyway we're cstching plenty of fish and having fun. Tomorrow night it's on the pier and the big rigs will be out in force.
Nice job! and the rod handle looks good...........................Joe
Thanks Joe. I wrapped the rod handle with self sticking grip wrap like they use on tennis rackets. The old rods with wooden grips are are almost impossible to control when the fore grip gets wet or has fish slime on it. These wraps make a huge difference. It's no fun trying to wind in a hard fighting fish when you can't keep the reel upright.
Awesome Mike!
I hope you catch another Tiger. ;)
That Blacktip would be some good eating at that size.
They are so plentiful, I'm going to do that soon when I get one that is hooked in a bad way.
Baked Potato and Blacktip Dinner. :P
I caught that fish using a homemade float with a 12" ladyfish, hooked through the mouth, and swimming around. The Blacktip churned up the water when he struck. It's amazing how strong they are.
awesome work mike !
great report Mike... Thanks!
steve
Quote from: The Great Maudu on August 21, 2018, 03:55:39 PM
Sid, it has the same arrangement. I would like to try a set of carbon fiber washers. Know where I might find some?
Nope, but if you measure them and get in touch with Dawn I bet she could help you out!
(http://www.raingarden.us/snap/TemplarDrag.jpg)
This morning was spent running around looking for a 10 - 15 pound Bonita for shark fishing tonight. No luck anywhere. Plenty of 3,4 and 5 pounders but that's no good. So, Julia and I decided to go back down and fish from our beach. We each had half a ladyfish for bait. Julia caught a nice blue with her half so we cut the head off and she used that. She has a Penn 340 she got from Alan because it's easier for her to use a level wind. When the fish hit the bait I thought it was to Spool the reel. But, Julia played it perfectly and brought in a nice healthy 4 1/2 foot Blacktip.
Great Job Julia! ;D
Nice Bluefish and Blacktip.
Mike, Your baits don't have to be huge.
Elephants eat peanuts. ;)
That's true but, I can't ever remember catching a small fish on a huge bait. :P
Last night I caught a pretty nice Black Tip on the Templar and Bamboo rod. Julia took some good video of the action and I'll post it later. It includes the high pitched whine these Templar make and it is a very distinct sound. Also, if you haven't caught a nice fighting fish on a bamboo rod you ought to give it a try. The long, slow, parabolic bend they achieve puts a lot of pressure on a fish. As much fun as it is to collect this vintage stuff, it's even more fun to fish with it. Here's a couple pics from last night.
You Da Man Mike! ;)
Hi Mike & Julia, thanks for a great report & good photos, good fun, great memories, thanks for showing, keep well cheers Don.
Bravo, great fishin'! 8)
Thanks Don and Mo for the kind sentiments.
Shark Hunter, I have been using the rigging you gave me and building the leaders like the ones shown in the video link you sent. Typically, I use J hooks for sharks so I had a couple misses using the small circle hooks. What seems to be working for both Julia and I is to give the fish plenty of time and let it make long runs. With a J hook I hesitate to do this because I don't to risk a swallowed hook. The circle hooks I don't worry about that because of the built in magical properties that only hook the fish in the lip. Thanks again for the advice and components. Everything works great except I'm not casting out like you plan to do. I hand deliver the meal the old fashion way - going into the sharks domain and setting it on their table.
I recognized that swivel.
You are nuts to swim the bait out.
Be safe.
Great work Mike! that's what its all about....except Daron is right...you are nuts! :)
Nice Mike!
I love seeing the classic gear tame the beasts!
Quote from: thorhammer on August 27, 2018, 03:10:23 PM
Great work Mike! that's what its all about....except Daron is right...you are nuts! :)
I don't think sharks will bite the hand that feeds them. I got tired of dragging my kayak around. It wasn't really meant to be a bait delivery system. But, once my mental stability came into question I went out this morning and bought a little 8' 32 pound yak that will be perfect. Julia can handle it all by herself ;D
LOL! keep the pics coming!
Just as I suspected Mike. Every week is like this for you. Ya'll keep up the good work and keep having fun.
-steve
Great report and great fishing!
Thanks Mike and Julia for sharing.
Steve
Thanks Steve. We are having fun. I really like the group on AT. I've met a couple and talked to several. Everyone has given freely of their knowledge and helped me out on parts, reels or rods. In fact, earlier this year Alan learned I was looking for a Penn levelwind for Julia because she has Celiacs Disease and it hurts her hand to lay line on the Spool. He sent her a 340 completely serviced and ready to go. It is her pride and joy. It's her shark reel.
Quote from: oc1 on August 24, 2018, 07:56:57 PM
(http://www.raingarden.us/snap/TemplarDrag.jpg)
Steve, have fun with that clutch spring.
Thanks for the report, hoping you hang a monster on that Templar!
Great to see you caught one on the Bamboo !!!! I would imagine you probably went a little easy on it so not to snap it !! Lol ! Looks like fun !!! John Taylor
Quote from: sdlehr on August 28, 2018, 02:05:34 PM
Steve, have fun with that clutch spring.
It's not so bad once you make the tool.
-steve
Hey John, I never had any concerns about snapping that bamboo rod. Those things, in good condition, are really tough.
We had bad weather and weedy water today so it was all fishing and no catching. Wind, rain and lightning finally drove us off the beach around 2pm. We went to Half Hitch Tackle and bought fishing necessities and clothes. Got back around 5 o'clock and the sun was back out. Headed back down to the beach and although we still didn't catch any we were treated to a great display by Mother Nature!