Rod & Reel Matching

UncleStan · Post by **UncleStan** » Fri Feb 03, 2006 12:17 am

Hello. I have a passion for collecting vintage US made rods to give & pass on.

Hopefully someone would be kind enough to advise me on the proper reel selections so as to make combos which are correct for the rods' make & vintage.

It get's confusing to a novice & buying the wrong reels can be disconcerting because of the wasted expense, especially when the rod's condition require's a 9/10 to MIB reel.

I've managed to put some pretty pieces together even if they aren't mint. I always try to match the condition of the reel to the rod & visa versa. Gliebes seem to be my favorite. Any history on the company would be most welcome.

I think the biggest challenge might be a 9/10 reel for a Prieur Castello 'fencing foil' rod, and a shorter, chrome Gliebe of the same type since I'd only be guessing their age.

Any info on a date for when 'Bristol' rods were made of nyglass would be very helpful also.

Thank's in advance...US

fish2458 · Post by **fish2458** » Sun Feb 05, 2006 7:09 pm

Picked up a fencing foil rod this summer from an elderly fellow that says he bought it new in 1949 in Ont. Canada. Cant see a name on it, just a star and then made in, can"t reed the rest. I also picked up the reel that came with it. It was a pen spirial wind with solid copper line. Any info back on this type of rod would be interesting. Glenn Grady

UncleStan · Post by **UncleStan** » Tue Feb 07, 2006 4:28 pm

I'm not familiar with much of what's out there because I only started collecting last year.

Sometimes the style of turning on the handle & butt cap design can help in identifying a maker. Foil rods seem to be around enough to make me think they were popular. Finding one without rust is extremely difficult.

The Priuer rod is French & I noticed another maker, Souz ? that is French, but may have closed prior to 1920. Bristol also made some. I've never seen a Premax so I'm not sure they're made with square spring steel. Gliebe is from Brooklyn but I can't find a history of them online. I doubt these rods were made after the 1950s.

If whatever foil rod you may have is unpresentable/ugly, my advice is to fish it. You'll be spoiled. Try flipping a 7 Kroc with a 50 inch rod made today. Those guys on the boat weren't laughing after I flipped 6 to 8 lb. Blues over the rail.

If I run across anything about the star I'll let you know.

If you find a pretty one you would part with let me know...stan

fish2458 · Post by **fish2458** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 12:22 pm

The rod I"ve got is unmarked and in the original tube. This is as close to new as I"ve seen . I collect reels ,and Canadian baits. Not for sale but always looking for a trade. If you send me an email address I"ll send pictures once this camera problem is sorted out. G Grady

Ron Mc · Post by **Ron Mc** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 2:54 pm

if it's cane, here's a good place to date your rods:

http://orcaonline.org/images/pixel.gif

here's one I fish, c. 1930

and here's one I'm going to fish, c. 1910

UncleStan · Post by **UncleStan** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 4:45 pm

Thank's for the info. I envy your photo skills. They're nice shots and very nice rods & wish I could return the favor with a few of my saltwater setups. It is fun to actually use tackle from the past. If they could talk they'd probably be asking what happened to all the fish.

I've an unmarked 7 ft heavy rod made of basically a pipe which is flutted and painted brown giving it a bamboo look. No way that's ever going to see action. If I get a mark on it I won't be ashamed to cry.

Almost cried seeing the tiny nick in the chrome blank of my best foil rod after the slewingest day ever.

I've got a bamboo & a hickory(?) Montague with the double sided guides. Is there any particular type of line to stay away from to avoid cutting the agate inserts? Since they're pretty stout I wouldn't use thin line...

Ron Mc · Post by **Ron Mc** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 6:47 pm

I would recommend old braided lines, nylon, silk or flax to protect the agates. I would recommend against modern braided high-strength lines since their fibers are probably very hard and could cut the agate. Also, good old green spot dacron should work fine.

I fish vintage lines with a looped end (on my 60-yd reels), and add a mono leader in a loop-to-loop connection - from this point forward, all contemporary terminal tackle works fine. (Also fish it by dropping a buzz bait through the loop - works great.)

Something else - even with old braided lines, sand particles getting trapped in the braids eventually turns them into abrasive cutters. A nice big line winder is very handy - you can spread out the line (maybe a little past what got used today) wash it and let it dry so that it won't mildew.

Oh, and I can't take credit for either of those rod photos - both were from the guys that sold me the rods. But this is my reel photo for the top rod above:

I have a couple of salt rigs, c. 1920s Pflueger Oceanic and Bond. Tried to find a fishable Montague Monterrey for a 7-1/2' bay rod and bought a beautiful rod with stress cracked ferrules, then discovered all the other ones out there are that way, also (I donated the wall hanger rod along with an Interocean to my TU chapter swap meet - garage sale - and it brought them $55). But I have two nice boat rods for each of the reels above (and not the right vintage to match), both H-I - a double-sided Jamaica and a smaller Chesapeake. Wrong vintage or not, they sure look good. I also have right size Ashaway braids for each combo, but have never rigged them up.

UncleStan · Post by **UncleStan** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 9:23 pm

Dacron makes sense. My line collection consists of saving the old line that comes with an old reel. I'm guessing a vintage reel performs better with vintage line. I know it looks much niftier.

With drop fishing or jigging it shouldn't be more than the first 10 yards or so that might come in contact with sand. I think it's better to unspool the whole reel for proper washing after salt use.

That's a sharp looking ? One grandson get's black & red themed tackle almost exclusively. My Brother & my Buddy each got a 581 on a Gep Action rod with agate & a Bristol copper convertable mooching rod respectively for xmas. My future SIL (why me

) got a still strong Union Samson & a black VLX with brown agate stripper

.

I'm wondering what actually makes a vintage combo 'correct'. As far as the age difference goes between rod & reel, all other factors notwithstanding. I'm firmly opinionated that the overall condition of each also match. If it looks used together it adds character. A mint reel on a crappy 'correct' rod or vica versa looks lopsided.

Not that I don't appreciate the real old setups. It's just that they're so hard to put together on a budget with 8 or 9 people on the gift list. The kids are young so if they put a few choice 50's/60s stuff away in a case they'll understand later why I insisted certain stuff not be used. They probably wouldn't regret damaging them til their older but since I am a lot older I'd regret it for sure...

Ron Mc · Post by **Ron Mc** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 11:28 pm

my reel in the photo is a 4Brothers Regal.

My oldest daughter's fav to fish a half-bail Luxor, on a 4-1/2' metal ferrule hollow glass spinning rod with perfection guides. I just found on this board this year that it's a prewar reel, but I'll still let her fish it. She loves it.

UncleStan · Post by **UncleStan** » Wed Feb 15, 2006 11:14 pm

Hollow glass rods are beauts.

I ended up with a pristine Loomis casting rod that came with a bunch of rods that cost me 4 bucks each. I'm not sure what to mount on it so I just look at it.

What I'm trying to figure out first is what to put on some circa 1952 Bristol spinning rods. Is there such a thing as a Bristol or (gulp) Horton spinning reel of that era?

Since the rods are NOS w/bags/tags I fret about what the proper reels of similar condition would run...

Ron Mc · Post by **Ron Mc** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 9:04 am

depending on whether you want fish or display, I have a couple of beauts:
display:
Bronson (sorry, don't remember the model) but it's a miracle of '50s injection molding and stamping - I bet they made this reel for $0.09 ('50s money)
and this jewel,
Ocean City 350 - the original eggbeater (MIB):

if you want reels to fish, I'd go with Luxor, Bache Brown Mastereel, Thommen Record, or a Mitchell/CAP 304.
(not selling my CAP, but I have examples of each of the others I can sell)

Ron Mc · Post by **Ron Mc** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 9:19 am

BTW, greenspot dacron is disappearing. It's no longer at Cabelas. I'd recommend buying where you can find it for vintage reels where you don't want to use modern hard filament braids.

Another good line choice I forgot to mention - Mason tip up ice fishing braided nylon. Soft and teflon coated.

el Lawrence · Post by **el Lawrence** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 1:25 pm

Ron

I think you can still get all you want from the Courtland factory store...

http://www.cortlandline.com/