How Old Is Too Old

[Crestliner2008]

I have four Ambassadeurs. The oldest is a 5000 bought in the '60's. Another is a mid-70's 5500-C. Two latest ones are at least 12 years old or more. My grandkids will be using them all I'm sure. I also two Johnson Century spin-cast reels from the early '60's. My grandkids use these whenever they visit me each summer. They're still going strong and still catching fish.

[jtesch]

wow, I had a bunch of those Sigmas also, some with the rear drag. If I remember they replaced my 308's and 408's and were pretty top of the line in the day

[Goose52]

You bet, the Sigmas were pretty classy reels in the 80s; I used them for fresh- and saltwater.  I fished the freshwater sizes until just a few years ago and finally phased them out - they still reeled in fish OK, but they just felt a bit "clunky" due to the lack of an instant anti-reverse.

[slonezp]

2200's and 2400's which have the rear drag

[slonezp]

I also have a couple Silaflex rod. Pre Browning era that were my grandfathers.

 

These haven't seen action since the early 70's. The spinning set up has 2 blanks and the casting set up has one. From what I gather these rods are from the 1950's, and were top dollar rods costing over $100 a piece at that time. My grandfather taught me how to use a bait caster in the early 70's on a stainless steel rod. My how things have changed. 

[jtesch]

Cool, I have the same Silaflex casting rod and a spinning rod that is 7'6" that is like a buggy whip

[Bankbeater]

I have a couple of reels that are 40 years old at least.  I used them when I was a kid just learning how to fish.  I put them away when one broke and the replacement part had to be specially made.

The oldest rod I have is an old Daiwa Procaster rod bought sometime back in the 80's.  That is my punching rod.  The thing could hold an elephant and not break.

[teamdownrightnasty]

Not as old as your guys stuff but i retired a team diawa x from about 1999 or 2000. Would still use it but the cast button broke. Wish they still made reels that sturdy. It had all metal gears unlike all the reels now which are mostly plastic because evreryones worried about a few ounces of weight

[SudburyBasser]

I occasionally use a rod my grandfather bought back in the late-60s/early-70s though its largely retired now. I have a rod and reel set-up from 1994 that my sister bought for me that I used last summer several times. Nothing crazy like some of you cats.

[Hooligan]

I've got a pile of Shimano Curado 100 + 200 B reels that are well aged.  Not much for rods, though.

[Tartan34]

I still have and use my first "good" rod occasionally....a St Croix 6' ML Spinning rod....mid 90s.

[Basseditor]

I stored some late 70s Browning Boron rods, but I think of pulling them out. I have rods from the early 80s from Browning and Fenwick and custom rods made from Lamiglass blanks.

[Hooligan]

I stored some late 70s Browning Boron rods, but I think of pulling them out. I have rods from the early 80s from Browning and Fenwick and custom rods made from Lamiglass blanks.

Sometimes those browning borons go for extreme amounts to the right collector.

[IowaHusker28]

The oldest rod that I use is 3 yrs old...  I had one that was 6 but I snapped last yr on the rod locker. We have a few rods from the 80's in the garage but I haven't even touched them in years. They were the rods we'd take to the various small creeks and farm ponds but neither of those two application get fished much anymore. After fishing ponds and streams for years and then getting a boat all Ive wanted to do the last few years was to be on a lake. 

 

As for something being too old? Hey if it works it works. Its always fun to use somethings that are old, they might not be as effective as something new but if it gets the job done, it gets the job done. I love using old golf clubs for kicks every once in a while but I'd definitely take my custom set if i had to choose. 

[daiwaguy]

O.K. everyone, what's the oldest rod or reel you use in the regular rotation and how old is too old to be really usable and be able to keep up with modern equipment. Mine are a couple of team Daiwa X's [close to 15 years old] and 1 or 2 team Daiwa S rods [ 10 years old]

My first spending spree at BPS was used to purchase Daiwa S and Light& Tough rods. Got some Zillions, Vientos, a Sol and a Fuego. I still use all of them. I am only 25 but this was my senior year in high school 8 years ago. I love my S rods so much that I recently bought a few from a BR member(webertime, thanks BTW). So most of my stuff is fairly old but all works fantastic. This is the first winter I have bought new gear in bulk since.

[BobP]

I have several small round Ambassadeur ProMax 1600's they stopped making in 1972.  The OEM price was $189, which big money 42 yrs ago.  I upgraded them with carbontex drags and 6:1 gears versus the 5.4 OEM gears.  You couldn't ask for a better reel for crankbaits and they're smooth as butter with 6 internal ball bearings, 2 bearings on the handle.  Turn the cast control all the way off, put 2 of the lightest black blocks on the brake stems and can cast them all day long with never a backlash and farther than any of my modern Shimano reels.  This is from a guy who has backlashed plenty of reels, too!  The free spool is so good that they are also first rate for pitching jigs and plastics.  I don't why these reels were so good, it was just serendipity of the right design details with the highest quality parts - but at $50-75 on Ebay, they are massive bang for the buck.

[Basswhippa]

I have several small round Ambassadeur ProMax 1600's they stopped making in 1972.  The OEM price was $189, which big money 42 yrs ago.  I upgraded them with carbontex drags and 6:1 gears versus the 5.4 OEM gears.  You couldn't ask for a better reel for crankbaits and they're smooth as butter with 6 internal ball bearings, 2 bearings on the handle.  Turn the cast control all the way off, put 2 of the lightest black blocks on the brake stems and can cast them all day long with never a backlash and farther than any of my modern Shimano reels.  This is from a guy who has backlashed plenty of reels, too!  The free spool is so good that they are also first rate for pitching jigs and plastics.  I don't why these reels were so good, it was just serendipity of the right design details with the highest quality parts - but at $50-75 on Ebay, they are massive bang for the buck.

Actually the pro max and black Max came out around 1993. The pro max was ABU's answer to the Calcutta. It was $189.00 and although a great reel it was a failure. I don't know why except for price and the finish wore off easily.

[BobP]

Didn't know about the date, thanks.  Yep, the Promax had gray paint from the factory which chipped and scratched easily, so they usually look beat up even though they may be perfect internally.  I don't mind the poor esthetics considering their performance but I wish they had put the very durable black finish on them like they did on the Black Max reels.  On the other hand, they probably wouldn't sell for the very reasonable prices you can get them for on Ebay if they were pretty looking

[lmbfisherman]

Sure technology has changed, but in reality a sensitive enough rod 10-15 years ago isn't going to really "change" your ability to fish with it 10-15 years more.  The feel of the tug/bite will be the same it was then and in the future.

[Hooligan]

Sure technology has changed, but in reality a sensitive enough rod 10-15 years ago isn't going to really "change" your ability to fish with it 10-15 years more.  The feel of the tug/bite will be the same it was then and in the future.

Sure, but you aren't going to feel as much as you would with a new stick.  Case in point, pick up an old Loomis and a new one.  The difference is amazing- you feel things in the new rod that you wouldn't previously.

Ever see the video Glen Lau did with some really, really good crankbait fishermen?  He was filming them underwater and showed at least two dozen times throughout the day that they got bit and didn't even realize it.  One of the guys swore up and down that he made that tape in advance.  There were times that a fish had wholly engulfed the bait, and they didn't feel it at all.  He did the same thing with a couple of guys fishing jigs, same results.  I would bet a dollar to a dime, now, that if he did the same thing with todays rods and reels, a full 90% of those fish would at the very least be reacted to by the angler, if not actually caught. 

[lmbfisherman]

Sure, but you aren't going to feel as much as you would with a new stick.  Case in point, pick up an old Loomis and a new one.  The difference is amazing- you feel things in the new rod that you wouldn't previously.

Ever see the video Glen Lau did with some really, really good crankbait fishermen?  He was filming them underwater and showed at least two dozen times throughout the day that they got bit and didn't even realize it.  One of the guys swore up and down that he made that tape in advance.  There were times that a fish had wholly engulfed the bait, and they didn't feel it at all.  He did the same thing with a couple of guys fishing jigs, same results.  I would bet a dollar to a dime, now, that if he did the same thing with todays rods and reels, a full 90% of those fish would at the very least be reacted to by the angler, if not actually caught. 

Not saying they would be comparable.  I just think my GLX today and 15 years from now would still be sensitive enough for anyone to be successful.  I'm not saying I'd keep my arsenal without upgrade in that time though, I'm definitely going to buy upgrades every year or two. 

[frogflogger]

just rewrapped a fiberglass fenwick from the 60's my best spook rod

[.ghoti.]

Compared to some of you, I guess I'm more of an "out with old, in with the new" king of guy. The oldest reels I have are four Alphas and a TD-Z. They quit making the Z about ten years ago, and the purple Alphas about the same time. Not sure about the exact dates, and don't really care. Those five reels perform, but none are stock.

 

The oldest rods I have are three pre-IPC St Croix Avids. Bought all three when they were clearanced out to make way for the IPC version, so they aren't all that old either.