Fishing Tackle: Time For A Serious Discussion

[JD Spydo]

Well guys and gals if you all have been here for a while you probably remember I did a thread a few months back on my favorite fishing reels which are those German made D.A.M. Quick fishing reels along with their rods and other gear.

Because of a bad shoulder surgery resulting from a mean accident I had last fall I've had to put my fishing activities on hold for a while. But I've sure been keeping my eyes open looking for more tackle. I've had great luck in the past with reels like Penn, D.A.M. Quick ( German made), Abu Garcia ect. But when I do get heeled up I'm hoping to do some serious fishing again this coming autumn.

I've been looking at some rods made by American Rod Masters and a couple of other tackle companies. But I would like to take time to chat about all aspects of this great hobby of fishing. Even the line you use or any hot lures you might have discovered. We can also talk about fly fishing which is something I want to get back into again at some point. And we can talk about freshwater and saltwater fishing. I would particularly like to hear from you guys up north who commonly take on Walleye, Muskies, Lake Trout or even rough fish like Carp & Buffalo or even scavengers like Bowfin and Gar. I want to get back to the lakes and streams so bad I just about can't stand it any longer.

So let's chat about fishing tackle and gear along with vendors as well as any cutlery you might use on your fishing trips. OK I'm all ears!!!

[Mushroom]

What kind of fishing will you be doing? There gear available, for all types of fishing, is so diverse now that it's kind of hard to get started without knowing where you'll be fishing and what you'll be targeting.

For me, I'm primarily a catch and release bass fisherman but still really enjoy multi species fishing as well. I just started ice fishing this past winter, so I technically fish all year long now. I'll target largemouth bass all four seasons but when the striped bass show up around Cape Cod in the summer, that's the hot bite around here.

I'm actually on my way out to some jetties on Cape Cod to fish for some striper now!

[skeeg11]

Hey, striper time. Don't forget your SE LC200N PacSalt 2!!!

[skeeg11]

J.D.

Sorry to hear of your shoulder issues. When we're young, we take physical performance for granted. Now, tossing 4 oz. plugs all day long on the beaches for stripers becomes more challenging. I, too, share your admiration for DAM Quicks and their Teutonic engineering. My DAM Quick 441N with 14 lb. Crystal Fireline on a Ron Arra 1321 still performs pretty much with the best of them.

What kind of fishing do you prefer and what will your shoulder allow you to participate in?

[JD Spydo]

What kind of fishing will you be doing? There gear available, for all types of fishing, is so diverse now that it's kind of hard to get started without knowing where you'll be fishing and what you'll be targeting.

For me, I'm primarily a catch and release bass fisherman but still really enjoy multi species fishing as well. I just started ice fishing this past winter, so I technically fish all year long now. I'll target largemouth bass all four seasons but when the striped bass show up around Cape Cod in the summer, that's the hot bite around here.

I'm actually on my way out to some jetties on Cape Cod to fish for some striper now!

Because of my geographic location I'm mainly into fresh water fishing for right now. But the reels, rods and most of the other equipment I've owned and still own can be used for Fresh Water or Salt Water fishing. Sure the gear for most Salt Water fishing is bigger for the most part. But I've used two of my Deep Sea reels for serious "catfishing" at our local lakes. We've got some really old lakes in my area and there are some monster Flathead Catfish to be caught. Also with the Missouri River very close at hand there are some big fish in that river as well. Huge catfish, Sturgeon, Carp & Buffalo ect.

I do a lot of fishing with my Ultra-Light equipment. My favorite reel for that is my German made D.A.M. Quick model 1202>> it's an Ultra-Light reel with "muscle". I've even pulled in large mouthed bass weighing up to 8 pounds with 6 & 4 pound test line with that reel >> which is quite a challenge I can assure you. We have a lot of Crappie, Walleye, at least 4 types of Bass, Catfish here locally.

I really love my German made D.A.M. Quick reels. I got hooked on that brand when my late uncle gave me my first D.A.M. Quick reel in the early 70s. Then I bought more of them out of the old Herter's mail order catalog. D.A.M. Quick also made great rods and other gear over the years>> their quality is impeccable. Their German website is www.dam.de >> They have some new stuff that is also really good. I also like reels made by Penn. I'm currently looking at different rods hopefully made here in the USA.

[JD Spydo]

J.D.

Sorry to hear of your shoulder issues. When we're young, we take physical performance for granted. Now, tossing 4 oz. plugs all day long on the beaches for stripers becomes more challenging. I, too, share your admiration for DAM Quicks and their Teutonic engineering. My DAM Quick 441N with 14 lb. Crystal Fireline on a Ron Arra 1321 still performs pretty much with the best of them.

What kind of fishing do you prefer and what will your shoulder allow you to participate in?

You do know that DAM Quick also makes great fishing line. It's called Gold Damyl. It's hard to find here in my local area. But I've always had really good luck with Dupont STREN. I've never lost a fish when using STREN. But I do change my line about every year or so. With polymer technologies changing for the better there are a lot of good fishing lines on the market. I'll have to take a look at this "Crystal Fireline">> I've never seen it in any of the bait shops or sporting good stores in my area. I'm sure it's available here locally if you know who has it.

AS far as my shoulder they did a complete joint replacement and I'm still healing since October of last year. This shoulder surgery made my two knee replacements seem like child's play. This has been miserable beyond belief. But I'm going to try to do some fishing maybe by September or October of this year. The Doc told me not to try it any sooner than September. We've got good Crappie fishing here locally and that's probably what I'm going to start back with. And using Ultra-Light gear at that.

[JD Spydo]

Hey, striper time. Don't forget your SE LC200N PacSalt 2!!!

You may find this hard to believe>> but years ago I used to catch Stripped Bass out of the Mississippi River close to trees that had fallen along the shoreline ( north of St. Louis MO of course).

We don't have any stripped bass here locally around Kansas City area or Western Missouri that I'm aware of. We have in local lakes White Bass, Kentucky Bass, Large Mouth Bass>> those make up most of the bass I've caught in this area. In the south part of the state of Missouri in the Springfield area is where the bass fishing heaven is. They have lots of BASS tournaments down there in that area of the state.

Also Springfield Missouri is where the original mothership store of BASS PRO is located. Yep that's where John Morris got his start was in the humble town of Springfield Missouri. And it's a really big store too. I wish I had all the money back I've ever spent there.

[skeeg11]

Sounds like you have a plethora of freshwater fishing opportunities in your neck of the woods and given the condition of your shoulder and your doctor's recommendation, ultra light might be just what he ordered. I have a couple of DAM Quick 110N ultralights and even they are built like tanks. The only thing I've done to them is replace the asbestos drag washers with Penn T100's. In the 70's, Quicks were the Cadillac standard of excellence.

Dunno how familiar you are with mini-jigging, but with all the crappie and white bass at your disposal, fresh fish at any time should be the norm. Small mouth bass are also sucker for a mini-jig. What Forrest Gump says about a box of chocolates also applies to Mini-jigs...........you never know what you're gonna get. If you have trout in your neighborhood, you might want to google George Mead or mini-jigging for trout. Out here in the west, 20-30 fish days for planters is not uncommon. Ultralight mini-jigging just totally rocked my world. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to watch a Master put on a clinic many times. Frustratingly inspirational. May take a different mind set and a lot of practice to become proficient, but so worth it. If this is something you want to pursue in depth, let me know and perhaps I can answer any questions you may have and shorten the learning curve.

[max808]

Thanks for this thread, looking forward to a lot of tried and tested kit. Have never caught a fish in my life but been studying the theory for several years and became fascinated. Love vintage poppers and lures like Poe's, Nils master and smithwick to name a few and will be looking at a dam soon

[JD Spydo]

Thanks for this thread, looking forward to a lot of tried and tested kit. Have never caught a fish in my life but been studying the theory for several years and became fascinated. Love vintage poppers and lures like Poe's, Nils master and smithwick to name a few and will be looking at a dam soon
poes.jpg

There used to be a club you could join here in the Kansas City area that had contests of fishing with antique fishing lures. I met one of those guys once and his collection of old fishing lures that he showed me was mind-boggling.

Not a hobby I would have any interest in but I did find it interesting to talk about. But I do like older, well designed open faced spinning reels>> especially the German made D.A.M. Quick line. And to some degree the USA made PENN reels have caught my interest as well. And I've taken a look at a few of the older Shakespeare USA made reels.

It really breaks my heart when I see so many "Throw-Away" fishing reels on the market today at the big box stores. My dad and my favorite uncle saw that didn't happen to me.

[max808]

Thanks for this thread, looking forward to a lot of tried and tested kit. Have never caught a fish in my life but been studying the theory for several years and became fascinated. Love vintage poppers and lures like Poe's, Nils master and smithwick to name a few and will be looking at a dam soon
poes.jpg

There used to be a club you could join here in the Kansas City area that had contests of fishing with antique fishing lures. I met one of those guys once and his collection of old fishing lures that he showed me was mind-boggling.

Not a hobby I would have any interest in but I did find it interesting to talk about. But I do like older, well designed open faced spinning reels>> especially the German made D.A.M. Quick line. And to some degree the USA made PENN reels have caught my interest as well. And I've taken a look at a few of the older Shakespeare USA made reels.

It really breaks my heart when I see so many "Throw-Away" fishing reels on the market today at the big box stores. My dad and my favorite uncle saw that didn't happen to me.

Glad to hear you were taken care of at a young age in that respect. I assume you date back to a time when things were built to last, wether it be a washing machine or a fishing reel. Seen tons of vintage reels on eBay at very reasonable prices but lack the knowledge to discern between them, so thank you for that golden D.A.M. tip, will be acquiring one of those when I see it.

What are some of the things you should be looking for in a vintage reel and what would be considered the holy grail of D.A.M.? In function that is, not so much in rarity. The lures I got down to a T, somewhat of a sniper on eBay which is how I acquired that Poe's collection, rumored to be handcrafted by Milton Poe himself. Or that redhead thriller from the 1930's carved by Frank Suick back when he was gaining legendary status as the guy that caught 30 trophy muskies in 30 days (reportedly on a Pflueger Supreme reel). Or that collection of devil's horses, which by the way are still winning tournaments down south...

I could go on and on but rest assured my collection is peanuts compared to some of the real collectors out there. And before I brag anymore I should probably take my hobo reel for a spin and try to catch at least one fish. Thanks again for this wonderful thread and shout out to Oak Park class of '95!

[JD Spydo]

Thanks for this thread, looking forward to a lot of tried and tested kit. Have never caught a fish in my life but been studying the theory for several years and became fascinated. Love vintage poppers and lures like Poe's, Nils master and smithwick to name a few and will be looking at a dam soon
poes.jpg

There used to be a club you could join here in the Kansas City area that had contests of fishing with antique fishing lures. I met one of those guys once and his collection of old fishing lures that he showed me was mind-boggling.

Not a hobby I would have any interest in but I did find it interesting to talk about. But I do like older, well designed open faced spinning reels>> especially the German made D.A.M. Quick line. And to some degree the USA made PENN reels have caught my interest as well. And I've taken a look at a few of the older Shakespeare USA made reels.

It really breaks my heart when I see so many "Throw-Away" fishing reels on the market today at the big box stores. My dad and my favorite uncle saw that didn't happen to me.

Glad to hear you were taken care of at a young age in that respect. I assume you date back to a time when things were built to last, wether it be a washing machine or a fishing reel. Seen tons of vintage reels on eBay at very reasonable prices but lack the knowledge to discern between them, so thank you for that golden D.A.M. tip, will be acquiring one of those when I see it.

What are some of the things you should be looking for in a vintage reel and what would be considered the holy grail of D.A.M.? In function that is, not so much in rarity. The lures I got down to a T, somewhat of a sniper on eBay which is how I acquired that Poe's collection, rumored to be handcrafted by Milton Poe himself. Or that redhead thriller from the 1930's carved by Frank Suick back when he was gaining legendary status as the guy that caught 30 trophy muskies in 30 days (reportedly on a Pflueger Supreme reel). Or that collection of devil's horses, which by the way are still winning tournaments down south...

I could go on and on but rest assured my collection is peanuts compared to some of the real collectors out there. And before I brag anymore I should probably take my hobo reel for a spin and try to catch at least one fish. Thanks again for this wonderful thread and shout out to Oak Park class of '95!

Great Question in regards to what I consider the "Holy Grail" of the D.A.M. Quick reels. My personal Holy Grail of the German Made "QUICK" open-faced spinning reels starts with their "Champion Series" and those models include 1001, 1202, 3001, 4001 and the huge deep sea model 5001. The 5001 model had a huge write up some time back and you can get it on the internet just by putting that model into your search engine. It's a great article than any fisherman would enjoy reading. The guy that wrote the article compared it to many of the newer, high dollar reels currently on the market.

My first Ultra-Light D.A.M. Quick was the model 110N which I got out of the old Herter's mail order catalog. They were known for having high quality items. That Series had the 110N, 220N and the 550N>> it was a good line up from the 1970s. But QUICK also has a 1990s line known as the MDS series which is an acronym for "Magnetic Drag System". I've yet to get one of those for my collection which was made in Germany. But I'm in pursuit of one as we speak. But QUICK's bait casting reels are super. I also have an older QUICK fly reel which in my opinion compares to many of the really high dollar units on the market today.

My two most used QUICK reels are my models 1202 and 3001 models. The 1202 is truly an Ultra-Light with "muscle". The 3001 can fight the biggest bass or walleye that would dare to take it on. I hope that gives you something to go on. There is also a German edition of Ebay where many of those super classics show up at www.ebay.de >> just make sure the seller will sell to USA customers.

[max808]

Thanks JD for your elaborate reply, took a while to take it all in, champion series 3001 seems to be the golden ticket here... most of the stock is located stateside, at least on eBay and that 3001 is nowhere to be found, holy grail for a reason of course. I am actually located in Northern Europe so direct access to local market, do you know of any good suppliers in Germany for the vintage reels? Have had great results with ebay.de but they tend to focus on buy it now and I sure love me a good auction...

[JD Spydo]

Thanks JD for your elaborate reply, took a while to take it all in, champion series 3001 seems to be the golden ticket here... most of the stock is located stateside, at least on eBay and that 3001 is nowhere to be found, holy grail for a reason of course. I am actually located in Northern Europe so direct access to local market, do you know of any good suppliers in Germany for the vintage reels? Have had great results with ebay.de but they tend to focus on buy it now and I sure love me a good auction...

I find that extremely interesting that you think that here in the USA is the better market for older, German made D.A.M. Quick reels. One model I've been feverishly trying to get back into my collection is their 1001 model out of the Champion Series. It's a small ultra-light reel which is near perfect for Crappie, Bluegill, Goggle-Eye and other fish in that size range. The last time I seen one of those and one of the 5001 models was on the German Ebay ( ebay.de). The problem I've encountered with the German Ebay is that very few dealers on that platform will sell to USA customers. And oddly enough even the U.S. Post office does not sell money orders for the country of Germany. I've never figured that one out and my local Postmaster said she didn't have a clue about that one either.

But when my shoulder gets healed up and I get my medical bills caught up I'll be on the hunt for those models. Also The PENN USA made reels are high quality as well. Also some of the older Abu Garcia, Cardinal, and the older USA made Shakespeare reels are quality built if a guy can find any of those on the secondary markets.

Also D.A.M. Quick made some really good quality rods in their days as well. Other than American Rod Masters and Ozark Rods there really are not too many fishing rods I could recommend anymore. I've been extremely disappointed with many of the rods made in 3rd world countries. Shakespeare at one time had some Boron Rods that were USA made for a pretty decent price. I still have one of those in my collection. I was hoping to hear from some of the Brethren from up in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. Up in those lakes you have the legendary Muskellunge, Northern and Walleye pike fish which are all ferocious fighters. Needless to say those guys must have good equipment to take on fish like those. Also I will repeat that D.A.M. Quick also makes a great fishing line called "Gold Damyl". But there are at least 4 really great fishing lines you can get now a days.

[Wandering_About]

My favorite conventional setup is a St Croix Premier 6' Medium-Light rod with a Shimano Stradic reel. 10lb Fireline. Works well for what's common in my area, from trout and panfish, to bass, and to light catfishing (I don't aim for the big ones on this setup).

For fly fishing... general trout rig is a Scott G Series 5wt with a Ross Evo R. That one is better for Western streams where casts are not going to be too long. For stillwater trout, I'll switch to a Radian 5wt. Just a bit easier to reach out there more with that rod. For warm water fly fishing around home, Scott Radian 7wt and Ross Animas. Heavy enough for decent sized streamers for bass and the occasional catfish, but I can fish it for extended periods of time without ending up sore/fatigued.

[JD Spydo]

My favorite conventional setup is a St Croix Premier 6' Medium-Light rod with a Shimano Stradic reel. 10lb Fireline. Works well for what's common in my area, from trout and panfish, to bass, and to light catfishing (I don't aim for the big ones on this setup).

For fly fishing... general trout rig is a Scott G Series 5wt with a Ross Evo R. That one is better for Western streams where casts are not going to be too long. For stillwater trout, I'll switch to a Radian 5wt. Just a bit easier to reach out there more with that rod. For warm water fly fishing around home, Scott Radian 7wt and Ross Animas. Heavy enough for decent sized streamers for bass and the occasional catfish, but I can fish it for extended periods of time without ending up sore/fatigued.

I've heard a lot of good things about those St. Croix Rods. I've never yet used a Shimano Reel>> but years ago when I used to race bikes I did use a lot of Shimano's bicycle parts and they were great. Our Spyder Brother aka "Surfingringo" shared with me on another thread that he liked the Daiwa Reels which are also from Japan like the Shimano reels are. I've heard good about both of them.

We do have one sporting good store in my area that sells those St. Croix rods and I need to go check some of them out soon. I'll also do some checking on those Shimano reels as well. good post!

[Wandering_About]

My favorite conventional setup is a St Croix Premier 6' Medium-Light rod with a Shimano Stradic reel. 10lb Fireline. Works well for what's common in my area, from trout and panfish, to bass, and to light catfishing (I don't aim for the big ones on this setup).

For fly fishing... general trout rig is a Scott G Series 5wt with a Ross Evo R. That one is better for Western streams where casts are not going to be too long. For stillwater trout, I'll switch to a Radian 5wt. Just a bit easier to reach out there more with that rod. For warm water fly fishing around home, Scott Radian 7wt and Ross Animas. Heavy enough for decent sized streamers for bass and the occasional catfish, but I can fish it for extended periods of time without ending up sore/fatigued.

I've heard a lot of good things about those St. Croix Rods. I've never yet used a Shimano Reel>> but years ago when I used to race bikes I did use a lot of Shimano's bicycle parts and they were great. Our Spyder Brother aka "Surfingringo" shared with me on another thread that he liked the Daiwa Reels which are also from Japan like the Shimano reels are. I've heard good about both of them.

We do have one sporting good store in my area that sells those St. Croix rods and I need to go check some of them out soon. I'll also do some checking on those Shimano reels as well. good post!

There are plenty of good reels out there. I just upgraded to a couple of the Shimanos this year, previously I always used the much more budget oriented Pfleuger President (and they have been extremely reliable for me). Heard good talk about Daiwa.

I really like the St Croix Premier rods. Made in USA, and they seem to have good components. They aren't cheap, but also aren't G Loomis expensive.

Shimano bike parts are still good, I use quite a few Shimano components on my bikes.

[max808]

Thanks JD for your elaborate reply, took a while to take it all in, champion series 3001 seems to be the golden ticket here... most of the stock is located stateside, at least on eBay and that 3001 is nowhere to be found, holy grail for a reason of course. I am actually located in Northern Europe so direct access to local market, do you know of any good suppliers in Germany for the vintage reels? Have had great results with ebay.de but they tend to focus on buy it now and I sure love me a good auction...

I find that extremely interesting that you think that here in the USA is the better market for older, German made D.A.M. Quick reels. One model I've been feverishly trying to get back into my collection is their 1001 model out of the Champion Series. It's a small ultra-light reel which is near perfect for Crappie, Bluegill, Goggle-Eye and other fish in that size range. The last time I seen one of those and one of the 5001 models was on the German Ebay ( ebay.de). The problem I've encountered with the German Ebay is that very few dealers on that platform will sell to USA customers. And oddly enough even the U.S. Post office does not sell money orders for the country of Germany. I've never figured that one out and my local Postmaster said she didn't have a clue about that one either.

But when my shoulder gets healed up and I get my medical bills caught up I'll be on the hunt for those models. Also The PENN USA made reels are high quality as well. Also some of the older Abu Garcia, Cardinal, and the older USA made Shakespeare reels are quality built if a guy can find any of those on the secondary markets.

Also D.A.M. Quick made some really good quality rods in their days as well. Other than American Rod Masters and Ozark Rods there really are not too many fishing rods I could recommend anymore. I've been extremely disappointed with many of the rods made in 3rd world countries. Shakespeare at one time had some Boron Rods that were USA made for a pretty decent price. I still have one of those in my collection. I was hoping to hear from some of the Brethren from up in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. Up in those lakes you have the legendary Muskellunge, Northern and Walleye pike fish which are all ferocious fighters. Needless to say those guys must have good equipment to take on fish like those. Also I will repeat that D.A.M. Quick also makes a great fishing line called "Gold Damyl". But there are at least 4 really great fishing lines you can get now a days.

I'm honored that you find my thought processes interesting, I've noticed the same trend with vintage beer steins for example. Being a lifelong collector of those you'll find em locally at swap meets but rarely online, the majority of those listings seem to originate stateside and some of the rare ones are quite valuable. My guess is people around here haven't entirely caught on to the whole online shopping thing yet.

Another possible explanation is VAT tarrifs, Germany currently stands at 19% on luxury goods while ours is 21%. On my eBay app I rarely see a German listing anymore when they used to make up the bulk before, now it's more France and Italy when I mark Europe only. Also it seems that customs departments around the world have tightened their grip on international trade as of late.

When it comes to your health I sure hope you get back on your feet soon and get that shoulder fixed and those medical bills settled. Being on disability myself I feel your pain, both physical and financial. Here's hoping you can get back to your fishing routine as soon as possible. Rest assured, this thread will be revisited many times over scouring for names and types and models to research so thank you to everyone who contributes to this compendium in the making. And let's not forget terminal tackle...

[max808]

Since noone took the bait I should probably go first, here's a southbend oreno circa 1940s from my limited research (feel free to correct me). Will try to post one regularly, this one is nice and crusty though many are NOS.

[standy99]

Shimano Stella reel - 4000PE

DIAWA Swamp Donkey rod.

St Croix rods are darn fine rods but have never been one for the price compared to others.

Do a lot (I mean a lot) of fishing in Northern Australia. Mainly for Barramundi. I have a fishing tackle room in the house.

Went to Japan with work a few years ago and they have 24hour tackle shops So much of their gear is above and beyond what I have found in the US or Australia

In Darwin we have a fishing comp in the off season with a 1 Million dollar fish tagged and 100 fish tagged with $10k