DAM Quick fishing reels?

[JD Spydo]

This Forum has always been a great place to seek out global information as well as the latest happenings that come forth from that great Factory in Golden Colorado USA. Being there are many of the brothers and sisters here from the European side of the pond I know that there's got to be some of you out there that maybe share in my second favorite hobby.

It goes without saying that I am a devout Spyder collector/user/afficionado. But one other high quality item I collect and use are the original German made DAM Quick fishing reels. I still think they are one of the very finest fishing reels that was ever produced on planet Earth.

Are there any of you all out there that share my enthusiasm in that arena?

Also is there any source for these gems other than the German Ebay?

[The Deacon]

Yep. Had three of them, all of which would be about 40 years old if they hadn't been stolen about 20 years ago. Rods were worth more, some of the other stuff even more, but the only thing that really pissed me off was the Quicks, especially the little one. Don't recall the model number but the spool was about the size of a fifty cent piece. Had a lot of fun catching snapper blues (baby bluefish) and annoying, and occasionally landing, 5lb "tailor" blues with that one and 2lb test line and a 6" wire leader. Nothing made today can touch them.

[JD Spydo]

That really doesn't surprise me that you had some DAM Quick reels at all. Because several years ago when I spent over half the summer up in your great state it seemed like everyone I met on the outside Jamestown NY had at least one or 2 of them in their fishing gear. Also it seemed like every bait & tackle and sporting goods store up around the Buffalo area sold Quick rods and reels and other fishing tackle made by them as well.

Their great fishing line called Gold Damyl was just as good as any of the top notch stuff around today.

[Lord vader]

My uncle had a few of these reels,there very well built and made to last.He purchased his back in the 1960s and he still has them today.Here is a photo I found online.

[JD Spydo]

My uncle had a few of these reels,there very well built and made to last.He purchased his back in the 1960s and he still has them today.Here is a photo I found online.

Interesting Lord Vader :) I have the one you have pictured. It's the model 110N ultra light. I purchased mine from the old Herter's mail order catalog back in 1975 :eek: That is one very rugged small tackle reel. I have very fond memories of my 110N. Good find!

[Lord vader]

Interesting Lord Vader :) I have the one you have pictured. It's the model 110N ultra light. I purchased mine from the old Herter's mail order catalog back in 1975 :eek: That is one very rugged small tackle reel. I have very fond memories of my 110N. Good find!

I tried to buy one from my uncle but he won`t part with it.Your absolutely right, the one in the picture is the 110N, and I would love to get my hands on one.They are in deed in my opinion the best spinning reels around. :) outside the few Abu garcia`s that I have.

[JD Spydo]

I tried to buy one from my uncle but he won`t part with it.Your absolutely right, the one in the picture is the 110N, and I would love to get my hands on one.They are in deed in my opinion the best spinning reels around. :) outside the few Abu garcia`s that I have.

Now I'm not going to say that they had no competition at all. Because those Abu Garcia reels and the old Swedish made Cardinal reels Zebco Imported years ago were also great reels as well. But they were very short lived and now most of them are collector's pieces.

Also some of the original USA made Penn reels were a very good quality reels during their time. But of all the reels I fished with from the time I was a youngster till now I never had a reel like the DAM Quick models I still fish with.

The 110N was a great a very reliable reel and I wish I had a quarter for every crappie, trout and bass I caught with that reel over the years. DAM Quick did however have one other reel in their ultra light sector that I thought was even just a bit better than the 110N and that was their model 1202 out of their Champion Series. It's what I call an ultra Light reel with muscle.

What's amazing is that you can still get parts for most all of the German made Quick reels.

[JD Spydo]

I don't often pull up old threads but since I posted this one about 8 years ago there has been a lot said on the fishing websites about these D.A.M. Quick fishing reels. I'm most particularly talking about the German made D.A.M. Quick reels and rods. There have been some serious peer reviews done of these German made, top notch, overkill fishing reels.

One model for instance the 5001>> it's one of their bigger salt water type reels and there has been some interesting articles written about that model. Also in the past 5 years I've been really checking out a lot of different brands of fishing reel. Other than PENN I personally haven't had much luck finding anything else in that quality range.

The one I believe that Deacon was talking about in his earlier post is the model 1001. That was a really tiny reel but the short time I had one I couldn't believe how well it did with Crappie and other panfish. I'm hoping that with all the newbies we've granted Spyderville citizenship to that some of you guys might also be familiar with D.A.M. Quick German made reels. I emphasize the German made units because a lot of their newer stuff was made in other countries and I've been a bit disappointed with some of those I've checked out.

Also I'm hoping that Brother BLOKE might chime in because I've been told over the years that the D.A.M. Quick reels were popular in Australia. Yes this is still my second hobby next to my Spyderco addiction :rolleyes:

[Tdog]

I had one of those DAM reels when younger, was good but our neighbor in Daytona had a tackle store and he made us "deals" on the Shakespeare's The 2062''s caught many'o fish. They were plain Jane, had brass cut gears and I think a whopping 2 bb's. :D Still have one in my garage. These days the Shimano's and a few larger Penn's spinners get all the love. Still use my Ambassaduer level winds for jigging. One of my fishin buddy's kids me for using this reel, I out fish him nearly every time we go. :cool:

[JD Spydo]

I had one of those DAM reels when younger, was good but our neighbor in Daytona had a tackle store and he made us "deals" on the Shakespeare's The 2062''s caught many'o fish. They were plain Jane, had brass cut gears and I think a whopping 2 bb's. :D Still have one in my garage. These days the Shimano's and a few larger Penn's spinners get all the love. Still use my Ambassaduer level winds for jigging. One of my fishin buddy's kids me for using this reel, I out fish him nearly every time we go. :cool:

Well I sure can't and won't argue with you about any of those USA made PENN reels because they are a quality reel as well. But if you ever got to check out some of D.A.M. Quick's higher up models like the 3002, 5001, and even the ultra-light with muscle as I like to call it the model 1202 I think your opinion on that company would change for the better.

The current D.A.M Quick reels that are made somewhere in the far east just don't seem to have the extremely rigid construction as the German made units of the 70s, 80s and early 90s had. Of all the D.A.M. Quick reels I've owned over the years I've had to maybe replace two parts in the 2 dozen of them I've owned and used. They just don't hardly wear out or break down. I am surprised after all the years since I started this thread to finally see a lot of new fanfare about them on several websites.

The superb quality of these older German made D.A.M. Quick fishing reels is almost non-existent in many of these newer fishing reels you see in these big sporting good stores like Bass Pro and Cabelas. Anytime I can grab a German made D.A.M. Quick or even a PENN made in the 80s or 90s I would grab them immediately.

[Tdog]

Agree, many if not most of the newer spinning reels aren't made very well. Wasn't knocking the D.A.M. reels, the German made ones were d.a.m. fine :) very solid reels.

[JD Spydo]

Wasn't knocking the D.A.M. reels, the German made ones were d.a.m. fine ones, :) very solid reels.

Sorry if I misunderstood you Brother :o But do realize I'm about as passionate about those D.A.M. Quick reels as I am about the super quality blades made at the Great Spyder Factory.

Hey I've got a couple of other reels I could throw in to compare. The older Zebco imported Cardinal reels and the Abu Garcia reels. Two good friends of mine fished with those and love them. Also some of the older Mitchell reels weren't bad either. There were a few reels made here in the USA that also had some quality. But as long as I can still get parts for the D.A.M. Quicks ( German made) I won't quit using them.

Also D.A.M Quick also made great rods too. And the really good Quick rods are very tough to find here in the USA anymore. Oh yeah if I go to a garage sale or thrift store and see a PENN or one of the other I mentioned it gets my attention very quickly.

[Calicoast]

Hey JD,
I have a few of the older Dam Quicks, Microlite, Garcia Mitchell, Penn Reels. All are very well made, I modified all my Dam Quicks to right hand cranks as well. That was a little project. The Garcia Mitchell's (307), have all been stripped, old grease removed, updated with carbon fiber drags, awesome. I am also a big fan of the older Daiwa Japan SS No.1's. Will never sell those. They are solid, and smooth.

And if your going to talk reels, gotta talk rods. My favorite combo being my Daiwa SS No. 1 and my 60's Fenwick FS55. Netted and cooked up a lot of trout. :)

[JD Spydo]

Hey Jd,
I have a few of the older Dam Quicks, Microlite, Garcia Mitchell, Penn Reels. All are very well made, I modified all my Dam Quicks to right hand cranks as well. That was a little project. The Garcia Mitchell's (307), have all been stripped, old grease removed, updated with carbon fiber drags, awesome. I am also a big fan of the older Daiwa Japan SS No.1's. Will never sell those. They are solid, and smooth.

And if your going to talk reels, gotta talk rods. My favorite combo being my Daiwa SS No. 1 and my 60's Fenwick FS55. Netted and cooked up a lot of trout. :)

That's really interesting "Calicoast" and your point is well taken. Because I shamefully admit that I've done very little research in the better fishing rods ever made. But I do know that D.A.M. Quick did make some really good rods. I still have two of them ( 80s vintage) and the one ultra-light D.A.M. Quick rod that I have to me is comparable to any of these newer, super high dollar units. I've also got a couple of Boron rods I got back in the late 80s that have served me well.

A good buddy of mine who is a bass fishing fanatic has some rods made by "American Rod Masters". But the prices he paid for those literally scared me. I'll bet that I can reel in any bass that he catches with any of the rods I have. But on the other hand I should learn more about the better fishing rods and some of the companies that make them. One of my older Boron rods was made by Shakespeare which has always been a decent maker of fishing tackle over the years.

But Brother I'm all ears I would love to hear what you and others have to share about the subject of fishing rods. This next spring I'm going to comb the auction sites for more of these D.A.M. Quick rods>> because they are quality and I wouldn't even mind getting those used.

[Calicoast]

Hey Jd,
I have a few of the older Dam Quicks, Microlite, Garcia Mitchell, Penn Reels. All are very well made, I modified all my Dam Quicks to right hand cranks as well. That was a little project. The Garcia Mitchell's (307), have all been stripped, old grease removed, updated with carbon fiber drags, awesome. I am also a big fan of the older Daiwa Japan SS No.1's. Will never sell those. They are solid, and smooth.

And if your going to talk reels, gotta talk rods. My favorite combo being my Daiwa SS No. 1 and my 60's Fenwick FS55. Netted and cooked up a lot of trout. :)

That's really interesting "Calicoast" and your point is well taken. Because I shamefully admit that I've done very little research in the better fishing rods ever made. But I do know that D.A.M. Quick did make some really good rods. I still have two of them ( 80s vintage) and the one ultra-light D.A.M. Quick rod that I have to me is comparable to any of these newer, super high dollar units. I've also got a couple of Boron rods I got back in the late 80s that have served me well.

A good buddy of mine who is a bass fishing fanatic has some rods made by "American Rod Masters". But the prices he paid for those literally scared me. I'll bet that I can reel in any bass that he catches with any of the rods I have. But on the other hand I should learn more about the better fishing rods and some of the companies that make them. One of my older Boron rods was made by Shakespeare which has always been a decent maker of fishing tackle over the years.

But Brother I'm all ears I would love to hear what you and others have to share about the subject of fishing rods. This next spring I'm going to comb the auction sites for more of these D.A.M. Quick rods>> because they are quality and I wouldn't even mind getting those used.

It's funny how the mind works. Few years back I was all into the vintage Dam Quick reels (aka german tanks). And as much as I was into them, I never got into their rods? Not that I wouldn't consider them as well, but maybe I didn't correlate the two? Nonetheless, I settled in on what I grew up with, and what my brothers would pass down. My brothers were all fisherman, and I was always in tow, so that's what I became. Being the second youngest of 5 boys, and 1 sister, my older brothers had a lot of classics.

Some of the rods that I inherited from them were brand new Fenwick and Abu time capsules from the 60's, 70's. Including a few Heddon Pals, and some Browning gear. It's funny, because they just abandoned it and my parents river house, mostly because life and kids got in the way.

Anyways, they told me to have at it. So, I pulled out a few gems, sold a few for profit. Once a couple of my older brothers, that could care less what I did with them, got all interested after I sold a few for $100-200, each - wanted me to pick up the dinner tab.
Lol.

[Calicoast]

^^^
Just got back from Mexico last month.
Few yellowtails, mainly reds. Lots of beers.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BoA1MrUAI2z/?hl=en

[JD Spydo]

Well "Calicoast" you've kind of lit of fire. Because you just have to deduct that if the company is making good reels well you know their rods are going to be decent as well. I did get some tackle that had D.A.M. Quick's label on them. They were bass lures>> I got them on fleabay some time back.

But another item that D.A.M. Quick still makes is their fishing line. It used to be called "Gold Damyl" but I think they have another marketing name for it now. But I used to use nothing but that line made by Quick. It was just as good or maybe even slightly better than Stren or Trilene or any of the other top name fishing lines.

The drag system on those Quicks is awesome. Some of the later D.A.M. Quick reels had a "Magnetic Drag System" ( MDS) but I never got my hands on one of them and I've heard mixed reviews of them. I wish I could remember the name of the guy who did a big write up on the internet about the Quick model 5001. He ranked that model up with some of the very best salt water reels ever made.

[Calicoast]

Well "Calicoast" you've kind of lit of fire. Because you just have to deduct that if the company is making good reels well you know their rods are going to be decent as well. I did get some tackle that had D.A.M. Quick's label on them. They were bass lures>> I got them on fleabay some time back.

But another item that D.A.M. Quick still makes is their fishing line. It used to be called "Gold Damyl" but I think they have another marketing name for it now. But I used to use nothing but that line made by Quick. It was just as good or maybe even slightly better than Stren or Trilene or any of the other top name fishing lines.

The drag system on those Quicks is awesome. Some of the later D.A.M. Quick reels had a "Magnetic Drag System" ( MDS) but I never got my hands on one of them and I've heard mixed reviews of them. I wish I could remember the name of the guy who did a big write up on the internet about the Quick model 5001. He ranked that model up with some of the very best salt water reels ever made.

Quality reels for sure JD.
Sounds like you know where to put your money.
It took me awhile to figure that out. :)

[JD Spydo]

Well "Calicoast" you've kind of lit of fire. Because you just have to deduct that if the company is making good reels well you know their rods are going to be decent as well. I did get some tackle that had D.A.M. Quick's label on them. They were bass lures>> I got them on fleabay some time back.

But another item that D.A.M. Quick still makes is their fishing line. It used to be called "Gold Damyl" but I think they have another marketing name for it now. But I used to use nothing but that line made by Quick. It was just as good or maybe even slightly better than Stren or Trilene or any of the other top name fishing lines.

The drag system on those Quicks is awesome. Some of the later D.A.M. Quick reels had a "Magnetic Drag System" ( MDS) but I never got my hands on one of them and I've heard mixed reviews of them. I wish I could remember the name of the guy who did a big write up on the internet about the Quick model 5001. He ranked that model up with some of the very best salt water reels ever made.

Quality reels for sure JD.
Sounds like you know where to put your money.
It took me awhile to figure that out. :)

Other than the D.A.M Quick reels that I'm passionate about and with Penn coming in at a distant second place>> which reels do you all think are the top of the line>> or if nothing else which ones are your favorites?

There is a book that I own that list's many great open faced spinning reels out of Europe and the USA. Are there any other great fishing reels I might be overlooking?

[Calicoast]

Trout:
My favorite are the older Daiwa Japan SS No.1's.
I have two of them, and they are solidly built. + No plastic internals. The Daiwa SS900 are nice as well.

Also a fan of the older Abu Garcia's 307's. I was able to pick up a few mint ones from the 70's. Once I got all that old grease out of there, packed it with new, updated with carbon fibre drags, they can stand up to some large fish. I usually use mine when striper fishing with my brother in Lake Havasu. Works great.