Anyone collect old fishing gear?

[KalamazooKid]

I grew up on the Muskegon River in mid Michigan (flowing into Lk Michigan). Every weekend was spent at the cottage my Dad built in 1959 (I was 3 at the time).

Being an avid fisherboy/man my whole life I often think back to those good old days on the river catching trout, smallmouth bass, and panfish of every variety.

For the last decade or so I’ve been amassing a collection of old 50’s / early 60’s fishing gear from that era. Being from the Kalamazoo area, most of it is Shakespeare (HQ here back then).

Here’s a few favorites. All rods and reels are from 1953-1959, are unused or barely used, and all reels have original boxes and paperwork. Rods all have original “socks” and aluminum tubes. The two with fly reels are what they called combo backpackers. They are 4 pcs and can accommodate either fly or spinning gear.

I would love to hear about and see items you may have an interest in!

 

[Chuck24]

If I “collect” it, it’s probably because I don’t remember where in my house I put it.

 

[hsguy]

I don’t purposely collect old gear but have occasionally found an odd bit that have been useful. In 2018 I found an old “Cherrywood” fly rod that entitled me to a 20% discount on an Orvis Helios 3D fly rod in 6 wt, my favorite rod by far. I am essentially a fly rod fisherman exclusively now, not out of snobbery but because fly fishing exclusively is allowed where I fish.

 

[Bald1]

Don’t have it in front of me but I have a lot of my dads Mepps, Daredevils,and Rapalas from the early 60s. I grew up fishing the Niagara River and Lake Erie. We went up to the west arm of Lake Nippising at least once a yr. Usually Memorial Day weekend. We were mainly Walleye Pike and Perch fisherman. Now I enjoy picking up old 50s and 60s outboards and bringing them back to life. I like the 5hp and under motors. We’ve had a pretty similar childhood, just on a different Great Lake.

 

[hsguy]

Don’t have it in front of me but I have a lot of my dads Mepps, Daredevils,and Rapalas from the early 60s. I grew up fishing the Niagara River and Lake Erie. We went up to the west arm of Lake Nippising at least once a yr. Usually Memorial Day weekend. We were mainly Walleye Pike and Perch fisherman. Now I enjoy picking up old 50s and 60s outboards and bringing them back to life. I like the 5hp and under motors. We’ve had a pretty similar childhood, just on a different Great Lake.

Interesting! I visited the Manitowoc Maritime Museum last fall in in Wisconsin and they had a fascinating display of mostly locally produced outbound motors. iCloud Photos - Apple iCloud

The display brought back a vivid memory of using a Seagull motor to get us to dry ground in an 11ft dingy lafter double anchoring our sailboat in the Bahamas during a significant storm. A story for another time.

 

[Nevada Ed]

Those "Auto" fly reels were really cool back in the day.

Good luck with the sales.

 

[KalamazooKid]

Don’t have it in front of me but I have a lot of my dads Mepps, Daredevils,and Rapalas from the early 60s. I grew up fishing the Niagara River and Lake Erie. We went up to the west arm of Lake Nippising at least once a yr. Usually Memorial Day weekend. We were mainly Walleye Pike and Perch fisherman. Now I enjoy picking up old 50s and 60s outboards and bringing them back to life. I like the 5hp and under motors. We’ve had a pretty similar childhood, just on a different Great Lake.

I’d love to see some pics of the old motors!

 

[Bald1]

Interesting! I visited the Manitowoc Maritime Museum last fall in in Wisconsin and they had a fascinating display of mostly locally produced outbound motors. iCloud Photos - Apple iCloud

The display brought back a vivid memory of using a Seagull motor to get us to dry ground in an 11ft dingy lafter double anchoring our sailboat in the Bahamas during a significant storm. A story for another time.

HSGUY, does this 1965 British Seagull bring back memories ?

 

[Bald1]

I’d love to see some pics of the old motors!

Here’s a quick pic of ones I have on hand now. They come and go. 1965 Johnson 3hp weedless, 1956 5hp SeaKing, 1965 British Seagull (easily the coolest one) and a random 80s 4 stroke Honda perfect for my Jon Boat……….perhaps fellow Western New Yorker GypsmJim will be along with some pics. He has a collection of antique motors.

 

[H Richard]

I have been fishing all my life, and Fly fishing probably the last 35 years. I tie all my own fly's and for about 5 years got into re-building bamboo fly rods. I would strip all finish, straighten (which can be a real job), and replace all hardware, real seats, grip, etc if needed, but always the guides. Evan build my own 5 1/2 ft IM6 graphite 4 wt, for panfish and smaller trout.
One of the bamboo.

 

[The Norseman]

Automatic on the Fly

I like vintage Fly Fishing items. I’m always
on the lookout for Fly Reels and Fly Rods,
but they have to be in really good shape.

Here I’m Fly Fishing a cleaned-up
South Bend Oren-O-Magic, Made in U.S.A.,
Balanced Reel, No. 1140, Model D, South
Bend Famous in Fishing
Automatic Retrieve Fly Reel,
and
South Bend Fly Cast Graphite, Model No.
TRC 675 2 PC. 8’ Fly Rod, Line Weight
5-6 lb., South Bend Sporting Goods,
Northbrook, IL 60065 Made in China.
also
The Fly Line is South Bend DT6F
(Double Taper 6 weight Floating) Fly
Line, old but brand new in the box.

 

[Golddollar]

I have enough fishing tackle to open a shop. Most of my fishing partners are now departed. What should I be doing with all this stuff so that my estate won't have to deal with it? I donated some poles to the local bar association for its fishing with kids program, but that hasn't made a dent.

 

[s&wchad]

I grew up on the Muskegon River in mid Michigan (flowing into Lk Michigan). Every weekend was spent at the cottage my Dad built in 1959 (I was 3 at the time).

Being an avid fisherboy/man my whole life I often think back to those good old days on the river catching trout, smallmouth bass, and panfish of every variety.

I would love to hear about and see items you may have an interest in!

Mark,
I have a similar background. It's difficult for me to understand people who grew up in Michigan and don't fish.

My paternal grandfather, his siblings and my parents had property on Lake St Clair. We spent summer weekends at the cottage and did a lot of fishing. It started with panfish, but evolved into smallmouth, walleye and pike/muskie. When salmon fishing on the Great Lakes was hot in the 70's, we's spend a week every fall fishing out of Frankfort on Lk Michigan. I've also fished more inland lakes and rivers than you can count.

The cottage is long gone, but my brothers and I each have owned/own boats and still fish for salmon, Steelhead, Walleye and bass. My boat hasn't been out of the garage in over 10 years. We now go on charters several times a year on the Detroit River and Lake Erie. It's a lot cheaper, easier and more productive.

I have enough fishing tackle to open a shop.

You and me both! I've sold some, but it hasn't made a dent.

The rack next to the rods is filled with tackle.

 

[Bald1]

Damn Chad!!!!!!! That’s some good eat’n right there.

 

[Bald1]

I have enough fishing tackle to open a shop. Most of my fishing partners are now departed. What should I be doing with all this stuff so that my estate won't have to deal with it? I donated some poles to the local bar association for its fishing with kids program, but that hasn't made a dent.

You’d be suprised how quickly stuff sells on Craigslist and FB. Price it right and make a little gun money. Sell it in lots if it is truly a significant amount

 

[britbike1]

Abu Ambassador

I've been using the different size Ambassadors since the the '70's and like the quality of the swedish made ones. My oldest is from the middle 50's as best I can tell from the number. I've had luck finding them in antique stores, used sports shops and garage sales. Not too expensive but they float my boat! Humor intended.

 

[RetCapt]

I don't identify myself as a 'collector' but more as an 'accumulator'. (I do love the ability to rationalize and thus justify).

I was a spin fisherman until the mid 80s when I converted to fly fishing.

I quickly learned that my love for spin reels became a full blown addiction to fly reels. I got into a situation where I seemingly could not see a (conventional, not auto) fly reel that I did not like. I now have quite an extensive accumulation of fly reels - from inexpensive to muy expensive. This was taking me down the path to economic insolvency.

But, fortunately, that all changed. Somewhere around 2000 large arbor reels (for faster retrieve) came on the scene and forced most conventional fly reels into obsolescence and out of production. To accommodate the additional diameter without weight gain, they were skeletonized. In my aesthetic perspective that made them ugly. I don't have one and never will. Thus was saved the family fortune.

Within the last several years I had come across a couple of old Orvis gift cards. I decided to go shopping. Orvis had two series of conventional reels, the CFO of which I have several, and the then current Battenkill series introduced in late 2016. I decided on the smaller Battenkill Spey reel. I liked the full frame and the unventilated back of the frame. I figured that the slighter additional weight would still balance with many of my rods since my quarry are large trout and bass. I knew from Orvis that these reels were imported. But also reading customer feedback and period reviews that these reels had a very solid reputation. I ordered one, and upon initial inspection I was not just impressed but blown away.

The quality just stands out. I immediately rigged it and went after some large fish to test the drag. It fished/es perfectly. I was/am smitten. I also learned that the old addiction was still there. Not too long afterward Orvis reduced the price on these reels, obviously to clear inventory as quickly as possible. I grabbed a duplicate of what I had. Within three weeks Battenkill Spey reels were gone, supplanted by a very similar, but more expensive line of exclusively spey reels. To this day, I think Battenkill Spey reels were too much reel for too little money. Not good for profits; great for fisherman.

We have a guest bedroom upstairs which is A framed with wood walls. We term it the Orvis room because of my long history with them. It houses a pretty decent accumulation of all types of tackle suspended from the A frame beams. Very nice environment and very much in keeping with where we live. One of the photographs in there is of my little bride catching her first fish on a fly.

To anglers, reels are baubles. That is as it should be.

 

[Beruisis]

I grew up with cane poles & fly rods, I didn't know there was any other type for many happy years. All we had were those automatic reels & now those are outlawed in many places I understand. When I moved to Texas I was introduced to bait & spin cast tackle; the size of some of those lures were bigger than many of the fish I used to catch!

 

[ameridaddy]

...I think back to those good old days on the river catching trout, smallmouth bass, and panfish of every variety.

... They are 4 pcs and can accommodate either fly or spinning gear.

I would love to hear about and see items you may have an interest in!

I look at those and can smell the scent of the waters I fished with stuff like that when I was a kid in the 1950's. All I have left from that time is my Mitchell 300 reel that was my pride and joy bought with newspaper route savings when I was about 15 or 16. I still have more modern tackle, but I miss the feel of those old time cork handles.
Thanks for the memories.

 

[cololab]

Love the responses above. I have quite a bit of hand me down rods, reels, lures, flies, etc., (and some that probably fall into a "collectible" category) but in all honesty I'm more of an accumulator.