Simple spinning reels from the 1960s

Started by festus, March 25, 2019, 03:34:16 PM

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festus

My first fishing reel was a Japanese knock-off of the red Abu-Matic spincaster on a 5' white triggered rod.  I'm sure the combo cost less than 5 bucks plus tax, was a birthday present about 1965.  It served me well for a couple years and I passed it on to a younger sister.

My first spinning reel was a plastic Zebco 707, cost about $2.99 on a no-name white 6-1/2' light action rod that was $1.99.  OK for bluegill and crappie, but it didn't last long after a few bouts with some carp and catfish. I scrapped it a and bought a Daiwa 7270 reel which was even cheaper--cost less than 2 bucks. It was actually better than the Zebco.  At least the body was metal.  I still have this functioning Daiwa somewhere, I retired it when the brake stopped working but caught some decent fish with it.

I found a couple schematics and it's obvious why these reels were so inexpensive.  The Zebco only had 18 parts. The Daiwa had one less at 17 parts.  

This leads to one question, if these reels with a minimum of parts had been built with some better metals and had a line roller, would they be decent reels?




Midway Tommy

I think you already know the answer to that, Chester.   :D It's difficult, at best, to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.  ;) Bushings, bearings, bail springs, quality internal bail trips, and the list goes on & on.  :P
Love those open face spinning reels! (Especially ABU & ABU/Zebco Cardinals)

Tommy D (ORCA), NE



Favorite Activity? ............... In our boat fishing
RELAXING w/ MY BEST FRIEND (My wife Bonnie)

Gfish

Did the Diawa and Zebco spinners have an ossilation system? I may have had that Zebco 707 back in the mid-60's...
Fishing tackle is an art form and all fish caught on the right tackle are"Gfish"!

mo65

#3
  Yeah....guess I gotta say those are below my cut line. Just my own personal opinion here, but I feel the cut off point for decent quality would have to include those features you mentioned, the line roller and such.
  My first reel was a Zebco 77 combo...that little white/black striped combo that had the cool "flip top" reel built into the rod. You yanked back on the finger stirrup and the top of the reel hinged forward! Like a mini Neptuna cradle! I caught a four foot gar on that damn thing...that's the truth. Try to tell that kid his plastic gears ain't tough! :D
  But...sadly now...that thing that made me the fishing fool I am today sadly falls below my cut line. None the less, I recently paid $45 shipped for one of those combos. Just sits behind my bedroom door. 8)
~YOU CAN TUNA GEETAR...BUT YOU CAN'T TUNA FEESH~


foakes

Detective Harry Callahan once remarked —

"A man's got to know his limitations"

Best,

Fred
The Official, Un-Authorized Service and Restoration Center for quality vintage spinning reels.

D-A-M Quick, Penn, Mitchell, and ABU/Zebco Cardinals

--------

The first rule of fishing is to fish where the fish are. The second rule of fishing is to never forget the first rule.

"Enjoy the little things in Life — For someday, you may look back — and realize that they were the big things"
                                                     Fred O.

festus

Quote from: Gfish on March 25, 2019, 07:30:25 PM
Did the Diawa and Zebco spinners have an ossilation system? I may have had that Zebco 707 back in the mid-60's...
Yes, they had a crosswind block type of deal that seated onto a stud on the main gear. 

I couldn't afford anything more than these cheapies during my early teens.  We grew up on sort of a mini-farm with chickens, cattle, and garden, so we stayed too busy to have side jobs like a paper route.  My sixteenth birthday I got a D-A-M Quick 220 and the rest is history.

But that old Daiwa caught some pretty good size fish later on.  My first job was lab technician/plant operator for the city water department.  I kept the old Daiwa at the plant.  We often had to go check pumps for the wastewater system that always sat on the creek banks.  Those creeks had some good size carp, buffalo, and channel cats and I got my line busted a few times but the Daiwa survived.

Midway Tommy

Most things in life are relative. To the serious mechanic or craftsman making a living, Harbor Freight equipment are thought of as "throw away" tools, but for the occasional user they'll stand the test of "a few times for lower costs". The same expectations can be had with the quality of fishing or hunting equipment, or anything else for that matter. Serious use requires serious equipment and serious investment if you want longevity.     
Love those open face spinning reels! (Especially ABU & ABU/Zebco Cardinals)

Tommy D (ORCA), NE



Favorite Activity? ............... In our boat fishing
RELAXING w/ MY BEST FRIEND (My wife Bonnie)

Gfish

#7
Man, I think I mighta had as my first rig the same one as Mo's spincaster combo. I's 5yrs. old when I caught the fishin bug and that's what I started with. Loved that rig. Then again, there were probably many models of Zebco cheapo spinners & spincasters from the '60's. Gotta say that the spincaster was much more dependable than the spinner was.
Fishing tackle is an art form and all fish caught on the right tackle are"Gfish"!

philaroman

had that Zebco onesie mid/late 70's -- HATED IT!!!
...so much, I never fished another Zebco, or ANY spincaster

oc1

Line rollers are always the first thing to get messed up and stuck.  I had a cheap-o no-name reel similar to your Diawa as a kid and never had a moments trouble with it.  I would have been proud to have grooved the bail wire on a big fish, but no such luck.  It was probably shame that finally made me upgrade.
-steve

Midway Tommy

Quote from: oc1 on March 26, 2019, 05:28:13 AM
Line rollers are always the first thing to get messed up and stuck. 
-steve

The only line guides that were supposed to roll that I have ever encountered that didn't were those that either had a brass insert or no insert at all because corrosion set in. A lot of the early spinners had stationary guides that were never intended to roll. I have never come across a line guide with a teflon or nylon insert that was stuck. Granted, those with teflon/nylon inserts don't exactly spin freely, but they will roll when they are supposed to, with adequate line resistance pressure.
Love those open face spinning reels! (Especially ABU & ABU/Zebco Cardinals)

Tommy D (ORCA), NE



Favorite Activity? ............... In our boat fishing
RELAXING w/ MY BEST FRIEND (My wife Bonnie)

Jim Fujitani

I can vaguely recall that the first fishing reel that I used was a spin caster, probably a Shakespeare, in the mid to late 50's, for trout fishing.  Since, with very few exceptions, fishing equipment was on the hand-me-down system, the spin caster was older. 

My dad probably had a Mitchell 300 and my brother (8 years older than me), a Mitchell CAP/304.  I ended up with the CAP/304 and my brother the 300 when my dad bought a new Mitchell 350.

That Mitchell CAP/304 was on a light green Shakespeare Wonder Rod.  I didn't get the 300 until my brother stopped trout fishing on a regular basis, then went to college, in 1963.

festus

Quote from: oc1 on March 26, 2019, 05:28:13 AM
Line rollers are always the first thing to get messed up and stuck.  I had a cheap-o no-name reel similar to your Diawa as a kid and never had a moments trouble with it.  I would have been proud to have grooved the bail wire on a big fish, but no such luck.  It was probably shame that finally made me upgrade.
-steve
Actually I never had any complaints on the buck-seventy-five Daiwa.  One day I noticed the brake wasn't working, I suppose maybe I lost the only drag washer.  At the time I had no clue of reel repair. Other than that, no problem.  Last few times I fished it was with 20 lb mono catching big smallmouth buffalo from the Clinch River.

Fishy247

My first combo was the exact setup that Mo posted pics of...It's a pretty dim memory at this point, but I obviously caught enough fish with the thing that I contracted this horrible addiction that led me to this website.... ;)

festus

I don't remember the Zebco 77, but found an ad from 1962.  My first experience with Zebco was borrowing my mother's 606 combo a few times at a coal quarry lake.  I still have that combo in the garage and it will still work, clicker and all.