The Family

[Josh Smith]

Hi Folks,

 

Thought some of you might enjoy this:

 

 

Those are my rods.

 

Left to right:

 

I wanted the smallest reel I could find for my Ultralight.  It ended up being a Pflueger.  The rod is an older Berkely Limited Edition I bought back in the '90s sometime when I broke the tip on my previous ultralight.

 

Next is an Abu Garcia 4-screw Ambassadeur 5000.  I bought this one and fixed and cleaned it.  The rod is a Daiwa Spinnerbait rod I bought as a teenager, again in the 1990s.  I remember I was attracted to it because it has "Bill Dance" on it.  Heh.  It's a good rod, though, and the only thing I hate about it is that the guides are slightly canted counter-clockwise.

 

To the right of it is an Ambassadeur 5600Mag on a 7' Lightning Rod.  Dad didn't like it and gavie it to me.  (I in turn bought him a Silver Max and put it on a Lightning Rod; he prefers the reel handles be on the left side so he can work the rod right-handed.)

 

The Black Max on the Saturn Rod is a medium weight rig.  It's an experiment I just set up this year, and I'm not sure how much I like it.  I don't like longer rods with the longer handles.  The way I hold them, the handles get in my way when working a lure.

 

Next up is my dad's Ambassadeur 5000 from the '70s.  It's the first reel I remember him using and sat for the longest time on the Lew's Speed stick next to it.  I rebuilt it and put it  on an Ugly Stick I had laying around.  I need to get a heavier rod and reinstall the fast gears he had in it (they went in the one on the left because his needed a new frame.)  I also need to find a new reel handle as that small one isn't really usable for me.

 

Next is Dad's old Quantum.  It replaced his Ambassadeur 5000 and he since replaced it with a newer Quantum with the reel handle on the side he prefers, so he let me have the old one.  I rebuilt it and put it on Dad's old fiberglass "Lew's Speed Stick".  I heard tell some folks prefer fiberglass for cranking, and that's what this one is aimed towards.  We'll see if I like it.

 

Finally, that's a graphite Fenwick rod.  I had to repair the tip; it was Dad's as well.  The reel was Grandpa's.  I still fish it now and again.  Currently the line is stripped and I'll probably be finding some Dacron braid for it.  Believe it or not, it casts almost right along with the free-spooling baitcasters, but the gear noise is hard on the ears when it's thrown out that far.

 

___

 

Of these, the three on the left have been used most, though this year the 5600 was out of action until recently.  It somehow suffered a blow to the left side that took out the sideplate, magnet holder, and axle; I had to order parts and rebuilt it.

 

This year the ultralight and the four-screw 5000 have seen the most use, with the Black Max trailing as I get used to it. 

 

The Ultralight has accounted for the most bass this year,, followed by the Ambassadeur 5000 three-screw mounted on the Daiwa Spinnerbait Rod.  Those combos are the two I've had longest.

 

Josh

 

Edited:  That's a 5600.  That's what I get for posting sleepy.

[deaknh03]

Nice post. I like the story on each rod/reel.

[pbizzle]

That's an awesome post man. It's cool to see the stories behind those setups to. Really shows you how tough those Ambassadeurs are. 

[pbizzle]

I'm curious how you hold your rods though. I've never heard of a handle getting in the way. 

[Josh Smith]

I'm curious how you hold your rods though. I've never heard of a handle getting in the way. 

 

Took some more pics

 

1.

    Preparing to cast -- thumbing the spool

 

2.

    Tipping during the cast to reduce friction

 

3.

    Become one with the reel while working the lure

 

4.

    I encounter problems with the longer rod handle/balance when trying to use full range-of-motion.  Jerks to the left are especially challenging

 

Now, I know some of the arguments for longer rods, and while they make a certain kind of sense, it just doesn't work for me.  Greater accuracy?  Naw.  I used to practice by casting at a tent stake.  I'm not the best in the world, but I can hit a tent stake at a respectable distance.

 

Better leverage to land fish?  I never had a problem, and a LONGER lever creates more force at the fulcrum anyway -- in this case, the hand located on the reel.

 

Greater casting distance?  I don't really see it, though that 6500 does cast a bit further, maybe 10 yards.  I can make accurate casts with the 5' to 6' rods to 25 or 30 yards, though, and semi-accurate casts to 35 or 40 yards with the same rods.  The 7' rod might add 10 yards to that, and that's 10 yards I don't need.

 

For a long rod, though, they got the Lightning Rod right.  The Jupiter rod, that silver one I'm holding, is the one that bugs me most.

 

My casting is all in the wrist and mos of the lure action (especially finesse action) comes from my fingers and a little bit of my wrist.

 

I hope I anwered ya'!

 

Josh 

[PondHopper96]

What you said about the rod handle bothered me too at first, then I used it and about 4 fishing trips later probably over a thousand cast total couldn't tell a difference on the longer handle! Sorry for the terrible run on.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Pistol grips and round reels still catching fish. Nice to see. Thanks for posting.

[Maxximus Redneckus]

Yes pistol grips indeed yall gotta try a 4600 on a old elcheapo pistol grip the zebco spincast came on.talk about palmable.like the 2 on the right btw your setups are nice

[WIGuide]

I loved the old pistol grips for casting. Between those and the shorter rods make a heck of a setup for accuracy. As far as fighting a fish though, your leverage is zip. That's where a little longer handle is nicer because you get more leverage on it. The handle tucks under your wrist and makes the rod an extension of your arm. Try palming the reel next time you use your rod with the longer handle. I'm guessing if you do you'll like it a lot better.