Which reel best match for my rod?

[Rascal1010]

Just getting into fishing with vintage tackle and just wondering which reel would be the best match for each of my rods. The rods that I have are:
Early 1920's Heddon Jim Heddon's Favorite Split Bamboo - 5'
True Temper Pennant TA-5 - 5' Medium Action
True Temper Castmaster - 5' Medium Action
JC Higgins 4 1/2' Round Steel w/pistol grip - lighter action (This one I have paired with a Skilkast for Bluegill & Crappie)

From the research I have done the 2 True Temper rods are basically the same just the Pennant TA-5 an earlier version of the Castmaster. The reels I have to choose from to go on these rods are all Pflueger - Akrons, Skilkasts, Nobby, Summits & Supremes. Just wondering from some of you that have been fishing with these older setup's which reel would match up best with each rod. Will be mostly fishing for bass with these Heddon & True Temper rods. Any input or advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Ron Mc]

I like your Skilkast match.

You should have a NLW reel for the pure joy of cast distance, and that Heddon would match very well with a Jack Welch Heddon
Make sure you top the spindle oil reservoirs every day of casting and fishing - oil whirl is the anit-backlash device in these reels.
Also note from the main gear oil port, these reels cast best with daily oil on the gears rather than grease.




I've had a bent for NLW since I began picking up the odd conventional reel. Comparing ninteen-naughties and teens Pflueger and Shakespeare for bushings and casting, the Shakespeare NLW reels have a noted casting advantage over the entire price range, from the inexpensive Leader to nickel-silver Perfect.



My square-section True Temper steel rod is matched with Pflueger Supreme - this is a nice combo.

[Bill Sonnett]

I would put the Nobby on the TT Castmaster with a 10 or 12 lb braided nylon line (Wexford preferred) Be careful with the Bamboo rod. I have broken three Heddons when fishing. If the Akron is the lightweight model (1893-L) it will almost equal the Nobby.

[Rascal1010]

Thanks for the feed back and advice! Also thanks for the info on the Shakespeare NLW reels, saved me a lot of work and money testing/buying different NLW reels to see which ones would be best for fishing. I'm not really a collector when it comes to reels, but have picked up a few that I really just wanted fish with. I have been using some of the "beater" lures from my lure collection fishing for a few years now and thought it would be a nice change to use some of the older rods and reels too. If anyone has any other suggestions on some good older casting reels let me know, I don't really care if they are LW or NLW, just looking for something I can go through and my son & I can go catch some fish with.

[Ron Mc]

you're welcome.
Several friends have followed my lead on Shakespeare NLW from the teens to match with their cane bass rods.
They're happy campers with the combo.

If you're looking for good 10- or 12-lb dacron braid, black even, it's Gudebrod Meatmaster.
Next-best are ice-fishing braids, which are teflon coated.
Also filling a big spool, pick a heavier line test for backing, and a lighter line on top for fishing.

You need to lay a good hand-level-wind when you load the spool, but fishing doesn't matter if the working line waders and stacks. It's a good idea to restore hand-level-wind before your next outing.

I also fish some antique silk lines, which last indefinitely if they're dried on a line winder.