My Take On Modern Vintage Casting Setup

[ghost]

Shimano Calcutta 51 and Berkley Lightning Rod, 6 ' medium, pistol grip rod.

I've had the Calcutta 51 for 14 years and has caught some nice bass. I just got the Berkley Lightning Rod, pistol grip last week. I wanted a pistol rod for some time but either they are expensive and old or none are available. The rod doesn't cost much, got it for $30 during Bass Pro Shops Spring Classic sale.

I actually bought the pistol grip rod for a Zebo Micro 33 spincast reel, but was curious how the Calcutta  51 and the pistol grip rod would look together.

I'd say they look outstanding, my version of Modern Vintage. 

Now if it will just stop raining here Southern California and have a chance to fish from this Covid-19 mess, to try this rod and reel combo...????

[KDW96]

Very nice. I bet it will become a goto combo

[OnthePotomac]

Am I correct I that the Calcutta 50 series is no longer available?  What a great reel.

[Fishes in trees]

I use may Calcutta 50 for my bubba drop shot rig.  I'm positive that reel will work on the pistol grip rod.  It will be great for throwing spinnerbaits/square bills, stuff like that.  If you do that alot, I'd buy stock in the Tylenol or Alive company, you're going to need it.  IMO those pistol grip rods are WRIST KILLERS and that is the primary reason they fell out of fashion.

 

How old are you?  In my case, I got my first ( and second and third and fourth) rig like this when I was in my mid-30's, I fished quite a bit then and it took a few years before I noticed my wrists hurting at the end of the fishing trip.  And then I did start noticing it - and it hurt.  Like any good hippie, I dealt with the pain with alcohol & pot, and I got in the habit of icing down my wrists at the end of the day.    I didn't ever get carpal tunnel, but one day I got a straight handle 6' rod, and I liked it enough that I quickly retired the pistol grips.   The straight handle made it much easier to make 2 handed casts and that relieved the strain on my wrists alot.

 

If you just use this rig as a toy and don't fish with it alot, probably won't have any issues.   If you've got fore arms & wrists like Popeye, you most likely won't have any issues.    Speaking as a guy who doesn't have wrists like Popeye and used 5'6" Lightning Rod & Shimano Custom X 2000 as my primary fishing tool for a number of years (1984-91 or so), I'm not a fan of plstol grip rods.  Hope you have better results with them than I did.

 

Cool toy though.

[Jaderose]

Beaut of a combo!  I DO agree with Fishes in Trees, though.  That makes my wrist hurt just looking at it.  

[ghost]

Fish with trees, I'll tell you this; I'm no young guy. I primarily bought the pistol grip 6' rod for my Zebco Micro 33 gold spincast reel. Not too many pistol grip rods that are over 5'6" and I wanted a slightly longer pistol grip rod. Also the Lightning Rod pistol grip is rated 1/4-5/8 oz lures, a medium action rod. But it has a softer tip which I was looking for to cast 1/4 oz or less lures. I've got the rod for over a week and have used it for the micro spincast reel I have. 

 

I just looked at my casting reel collection and mounted my smaller casting reels to get a feel of them on a pistol grip rod. The reels I mounted were: Shimano Calcutta 51, Shimano Curado 51E, Shimano Curado 101D, Shimano Casitas 151, BPS Carbonlite Gold reel(left) and Daiwa Sol.

 

I like how the Calcutta 51 looks on the rod, it has that vintage look. I'll eventually will use the pistol grip rod with a baitcasting reel sometime, but first for the main purpose is to use and catch with my micro spincast reel.

 

I'm curious to see how I can handle a fish without an extended handle in back.

 

And, thank you all for the kind comments.

[schplurg]

I know little about the hardware but that sure is pretty. And I didn't know what a pistol grip was until just now, so thanks for that  

[ghost]

Onthepotomac, you are correct that the Calcutta 50/51 have been discontinued for years. I see them on Ebay now and then though.

[Big Hands]

I still have some of my old Berkley pistol grip rods. I have a couple Lightning rods that are 5'6" and a Bionix Pulse that is 6'. Funny that the Lightning rods are supposedly MH and the Bionix Pulse is labeled as Medium, but for 10-20 lb line and is definitely more stout than the Lightning Rods, lighter too. I have another 5' 6" Bionix rod that has a straight butt, however the butt is only slightly longer than a pistol grip.

 

I did develop carpal tunnel in my wrist and tendonitis in the elbow back about the time I was fishing a LOT. But I was also a carpenter and doing a lot of work that would contribute to that. I can't really say if the fishing of pistol grip rods was a contributing factor, but it hurt like hell to cast with those rods.

 

I'd still fish that 6' Bionix if it had a 12" - 14" long straight butt section..

[onenutinthewater]

That is so hideous that I am going to dig out an old Eagle Claw that I have and take it for a test drive

[NOC 1]

I'm 63 years old and for what seems like forever, I had no choice but to fish with stuff like that...No thanks.

[Mobasser]

I still carry a pistol grip rod. I use it for Spook fishing. One of the best spook fisherman uses one too. Hall Of Famer Charlie Cambell, of Forthyse Mo.