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Old School brought back to life


mercman

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I have been planning on ressurecting this combo for a while now.My dads "New" Abu 5000c, and an old EagleClaw 6' mh worm rod that belonged to my grandfather.

I did some research and discovered that most owners of this reel, liked it spooled with 12lb mono.So, its spooled with 12lb siege mono, but i added a 24" fluoro leader.

The only thing i changed was the reel handle.I kept the old one, but the 3.75:1 gear ratio,with a 2 1/2 inch single sided handle didnt make sense to medunno.gif

I will be using it this season as a jigging rod for walleye and bass. Enjoy !!

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Well that sure brings back a few memories.

 

When I was a young teenager my friend/neighbour had an "Eagle Claw" rod much like that although it was a spinning model. Man did I covet that rod, especially with that emblem on the handle. Well suffice to say he flaunted it on me at every opportunity until the day I showed him my first custom rod, a Fenwick in much the same colour as the Eagle Claw. He didn't flaunt it so much after that. ;)

 

Anyhoo, nice piece of memorabilia there Paul, enjoy. thumbsup_anim.gif

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They were great reels, and I wouldn`t hesitate to use one today. Is that actually a c model? All the old c models I have seen, which indicated ball bearing over bronze bushing were black.

 

My experience with them was also 12# mono or higher, 10# would get between the spool and the housing causing a jam.

Edited by OhioFisherman
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Roy, i spooled it with 300 yardswhistling.gif Still below the spool edge though.

 

Chris, i am honored by your comment.

 

Ohio...you are absolutely right, i went and did a double take, it is indeed a 5000, no letter. The bushings are indeed,bronze. I managed to get it apart, cleaned,and lubed,without having parts left overw00t.gif

 

I'll see how it handles, i may put the original handle back on it.

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If I may offer a little advice Paul, I'd be very much inclined to display that beauty rather than fish with it.

 

Old hollow glass rods from the good old days can often become brittle over the years depending on how and where they were stored.

It would be a shame to have it break given that it likely has great sentimental value.

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If I may offer a little advice Paul, I'd be very much inclined to display that beauty rather than fish with it.

 

Old hollow glass rods from the good old days can often become brittle over the years depending on how and where they were stored.

It would be a shame to have it break given that it likely has great sentimental value.

 

 

Excellent idea Chris. I am torn between displaying it as is, or catching a fish with the reel for the very first time.Dad got the reel as a retirement gift from his army buds.Sadly, he never got a chance to use it.The rod was kept in an unheated basement for years.I flexed it and it didnt "creak or crack".

What ever i decide, i will be careful,and its not going to be used alot if at all.The dog leg reel seat feels very strange in my hand.smile.gif

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Excellent idea Chris. I am torn between displaying it as is, or catching a fish with the reel for the very first time.Dad got the reel as a retirement gift from his army buds.Sadly, he never got a chance to use it.The rod was kept in an unheated basement for years.I flexed it and it didnt "creak or crack".

What ever i decide, i will be careful,and its not going to be used alot if at all.The dog leg reel seat feels very strange in my hand.smile.gif

 

The "dog leg" reel seat is definitely old school.

Perhaps a compromise, fish it, catch one (or two) then retire it to a place of honour, that would certainly make it a conversational piece for years to come. thumbsup_anim.gif

 

What ever you decide it is of course your choice Paul, I just think it'd be a shame to break it, new rods can be had relatively cheaply, that one is irreplaceable. ;)

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The "dog leg" reel seat is definitely old school.

Perhaps a compromise, fish it, catch one (or two) then retire it to a place of honour, that would certainly make it a conversational piece for years to come. thumbsup_anim.gif

 

What ever you decide it is of course your choice Paul, I just think it'd be a shame to break it, new rods can be had relatively cheaply, that one is irreplaceable. ;)

 

I'm sure your Dad would have wanted you to use it. Cast it, troll it, catch fish. Your Dad will be happy. I own several abu bait casters. I love them, they don't make them like that any more . Somehow, the Chinese haven't figured out, how to build quality into anything . IMHO

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LOL Merc, that setup is so 60's. That reel is usually referred to as having grooved rims, later models with out the grooves on the rims were referred to as beveled rims. Early models of the reel had 4 screws holding the side plates on, later models 3.

 

They were the preferred reel here in the 1960`s, 70`s. If you ever see some very old bassmaster films all the old pros seemed to use them. With good reason, a solid dependable reel.

 

As a very young kid my dad used Langley baitcasters, when he made the upgrade to baitcasters with a drag all were Abu. I had 5000`s myself, but switched to 5001c`s as soon as I saw one, I was just more comfortable with a left hand retrieve even though I am right handed.

 

LOL, if you ever hook a big smallie 20 feet down that is coming up in a hurry? You will understand why a lot of people made a switch to the fast retrieve shimano reels in the late 70`s and early 80`s. Their retrieve rate, fast for the day was like 4.5 to 1, their spool design was different also, they would handle 10# test, which was fine for use on the open waters of Lake Erie with no issues.

 

Abu came out with a different style to compete with them, the Ultra Mag XLT Plus, not a round reel but not as low profile as the shimanos, in the late 70`s, early 80`s? Also very good reels, I still have 3-4 of them around.

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If I may offer a little advice Paul, I'd be very much inclined to display that beauty rather than fish with it.

 

Old hollow glass rods from the good old days can often become brittle over the years depending on how and where they were stored.

It would be a shame to have it break given that it likely has great sentimental value.

 

Chris,

 

I had a hollow glass 12' surfcaster from the late 50's or early 60's that I brought over from the UK. In my teens it used to throw 3oz of lead close to 100 yards off the beach in the UK. Brought it out of storage a couple of years ago and paired it with a 7001i. Second cast off the beach in Cape Cod snapped clean in two at the brass ferrule... :angry:

Never thought of the deterioration in the glass.

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NICE looking reel Paul....I have a similar one I purchased in the mid 70's....when I get my boat back I'll have to check on the model #....it's green, not red and it doesn't have a traditional star drag but you rather let go of the handle and then drag then works.....caught a lot of nice pike on it years ago in Nipissing....when I get my boat back I check in the garage attic where I store all my fishing "stuff".... :rolleyes:

 

I also had one of those old yellow Eagle Claw rods, but my was also a spinning model....that might also be up in the garage attic.....

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If you have an interest in older reels watch where the sale price of this one ends.

 

http://www.ebay.com/...=item4cff477f91

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Take a look at these old gems. Mom sold the house last year, and i was lucky enough to get the job of cleaning out the basement.whistling.gif Look what i found in there.

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Here is a pic of the rod with the original reel on it. A Pflueger president.clapping.gif

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Edited by mercman
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nice classic reel Paul now don't get stuck while trolling in the la prairie Basin and lose all that line lol

 

 

Ya think i should take some line off?dunno.gif I only put 300 yards on it. Figured it would be a shame to throw out the rest of the roll, so i loaded it right up to just below the spool edge.whistling.gifw00t.gif

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I have an Eagle Claw glass spinning rod that I bought in the mid '70's. It looks just like yours only for spinning reels. I still use it every year as my drop shot rod and catch the occasional accidental large pike with it. Not bad for a rod that is about 35 years old! Enjoy your rod thumbsup_anim.gif

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Cool old stuff Merc! I collected reels for a time in the late 80`s and 90`s. It was interesting to see some of the stuff that would turn up at garage sales and flea markets, and dirt cheap. Ebay made it a heck of a lot easier to buy and sell stuff you found, I did business with people all over the world at one time.

 

A lot of my old Abu reels ended up in Japan, it was pretty amazing to me what they would pay for a mint Abu reel at the time. I think the only really old reel I have left is a Langley ( 1950`s ? ), a memory from my youth.

 

The reel in the link was made popular in this area, er... after they went out of production, by a former local bass tournament angler here. They are a great reel for flipping and pitching, the guy won around a half million bucks in tournaments here using them. As I recall he is now retired and guiding and fishing tournaments in Florida.

 

When they stopped making them he would buy up any left over ones in stock, most people viewed them as they did the old Zebco`s here, a reel for beginners, and they were pricey compared to a Zebco and didn`t sell well. Unlike the Zebco though you can put 20 pound test mono on them and pitch or flip a 1/8 ounce lure anywhere.

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