The "Good old days".....really?

[Goose52]

Wow! Every post brings back more memories. My 1st spinning reel was a Mitchell 300. The Ambassadeur 5000 came out in 1955, but I had to wait 10 years before I got one. They sold for $45 back then. The best thing about the "good old days", are the memories!

1964 product listing for the 5000 - Enjoy !

[bear7625]

That product listing is great. What's even better is I still have my 5000 and the leather case.

[Goose52]

That product listing is great. What's even better is I still have my 5000 and the leather case.

My Dad still has, and occasionally fishes his 5000 that he bought about the same time you bought yours. It was about his proudest possession at the time. I was looking at it last year when visiting him in Florida - it is a real "veteran" reel - lots of exterior scratches, etc., but internally - it's probably really clean. As an aircraft engine mechanic for many years, my Dad was fanatic about cleaning and lubing. Which might be why, right next to the 5000, he has two Mitchell 300s that are the most modern spinning reels that he owns.....and he bought them in the late 50s. One of those 300s reeled in his 10+ lb bass...

[bear7625]

That product listing is great. What's even better is I still have my 5000 and the leather case.

My Dad still has, and occasionally fishes his 5000 that he bought about the same time you bought yours. It was about his proudest possession at the time. I was looking at it last year when visiting him in Florida - it is a real "veteran" reel - lots of exterior scratches, etc., but internally - it's probably really clean. As an aircraft engine mechanic for many years, my Dad was fanatic about cleaning and lubing. Which might be why, right next to the 5000, he has two Mitchell 300s that are the most modern spinning reels that he owns.....and he bought them in the late 50s. One of those 300s reeled in his 10+ lb bass...

I owed a few 300's, which I passed down to my kids when they started fishing. My oldest son, now 42, still has his 300 and a 308 that he still uses. I have a friend that still uses a 300, and I amazed him by giving him a bunch of hard to find bail springs I found in an old tackle box. ;D

[slonezp]

I remember my grandfather teaching me how to use a baitcaster in the early '70s. The reel was one of those mentioned with the high tech thumb drag. The rod was made of stainless steel and weighed a ton. I still use some old Mitchell 406 spinning reels casting for salmon.

Any of you older farts know anything about these rods? My mother purchased them in the late '50s for my grandfather. She paid over $100 back then. They are pre Browning. Manufactured by Pacific Laminates. The first rod is a 2 piece, and the second has 1 handle with 2 blanks. I think it might be a spinning/flyrod combo but I'm not sure.

Does anyone know how old the baitmonkey really is?

[Catt]

My first tournament boat was one just like this one

This is my first tournament rod-n-reel

Then I moved up big time

[bilgerat]

They're only good old days because we were more naive about fishing in general. We fished for fun and and when we unknowingly reeled in a bait the wrong way and it got nailed, we didn't realize that we were on to something. That's why you never see an 8 year old kid with a 14 lb. tackle bag and 7 combos.

Then we started to get more "educated" about bass fishing and turning it into advanced calculus. That's when it stops being fun and starts to become work. That's why this season I scaled back and am going back to the basics. Sorry baitmonkey, I've got fish to catch.

[clipper]

I'm lovin' every post in this thread and having a great time reminiscing.     I may have to clean up one of those Mitchell 300s and take it fishing.

[Goose52]

I'm lovin' every post in this thread and having a great time reminiscing. I may have to clean up one of those Mitchell 300s and take it fishing.

Do it!  Give that 'ole girl another chance at glory!

[Blue Streak]

I'm lovin' every post in this thread and having a great time reminiscing. I may have to clean up one of those Mitchell 300s and take it fishing.

Don't forget those bail springs.

[bear7625]

I'm lovin' every post in this thread and having a great time reminiscing. I may have to clean up one of those Mitchell 300s and take it fishing.

Yea, a lot of great posts and pictures. Makes it seem like it wasn't that long ago.

I would give the 300 another chance, but that Pflueger Supreme would have to stay in the box. Don't know if I could take those spinning handles. ;D

Maybe someone could dig up some vintage mono. That would make the 300 more authentic.

[Goose52]

Maybe someone could dig up some vintage mono. That would make the 300 more authentic.

Just put on original Stren - it is "period correct" since it was available in the 60s !

[clipper]

I'm lovin' every post in this thread and having a great time reminiscing. I may have to clean up one of those Mitchell 300s and take it fishing.

Do it! Give that 'ole girl another chance at glory!

I will post a pic when I get the 300 ready to go.  It may be awhile as my backlog of work is pretty big right now.  The Supreme will have to sit on the shelf as it is missing the cap on the end of the level wind shaft.

[bear7625]

I remember my grandfather teaching me how to use a baitcaster in the early '70s. The reel was one of those mentioned with the high tech thumb drag. The rod was made of stainless steel and weighed a ton. I still use some old Mitchell 406 spinning reels casting for salmon.

Any of you older farts know anything about these rods? My mother purchased them in the late '50s for my grandfather. She paid over $100 back then. They are pre Browning. Manufactured by Pacific Laminates. The first rod is a 2 piece, and the second has 1 handle with 2 blanks. I think it might be a spinning/flyrod combo but I'm not sure.

Does anyone know how old the baitmonkey really is?

In 1947, Pacific Laminates hired Herb Jenks away from NARMCO (Conolon). Presumably Jenks was hired to develop the manufacturing of tubular fiberglass products. By 1948, Pacific Laminates was making the Silaflex line of fiberglass fishing rods [1] (later called the Standard series). These were conventional, tubular fiberglass rod blanks. In the early 50s, Pacific Laminates developed a high pressure lamination technique. The method wrapped the resin impregnated cloth around a tapered steel mandrel and sealed the combination inside a pressurized bag during the heat curing step [2]. The result was a strong, smooth, thin walled blank that did not need sanding. Similar high pressure processes were the key to Phillipson's Eponite rods (1955) and Fenwick's Feralite rods (1959). The high pressure process was used to make the Medallion rod blanks, which were added to the product line in 1952 [2]. In the late 50s, the Perfexion and Magnum rods were added to the product line. The Magnum rods were claimed to have a "progressive taper" that originated with the steel mandrel. The mandrels did not have linear tapers, but instead were tapered in a gentle curve. The 1960 catalogs and price sheets continued to list Standard and Medallion rods along with the newer models.