Vintage fishing tackle

[Kevin Peacocke]

Are any of you into vintage fishing tackle? I am into nostalgia as you know and in the youthful days either owned or hankered after special itels that have since been lost along the way.
Enter e-bay and a credit card and one can re-live it all.
A year or so ago I found a 1960's NIB Mitchell 408, the little ultra-light model they made. It has been on many enjoyable outings already and even landed a 6kg tiger fish on the Zambezi.
Here is it's companion, a DAM 110 Microlite, also NIB out of Australia, and hailing from 1966.

 

[Sarg]

That’s cool, I’m into some vintage fishing & reloading gear but mainly for display, do use the reloading tools sometimes.

6kg is a nice Tiger, I caught a 12lber at the Deka River on I think a Penn reel of some type, I had a lot of trouble that day/week !

 

[JG26Irish_2]

I developed a love of fly fishing later in life. Wish I had done it sooner as I could have hiked further to get to the honey holes. I have always had an affinity for things that have survived the test of time. Vintage rifles, scopes, motorcycles and cars. My fly fishing gear is no different. My best fly reel is an ancient Pflueger made in Akron, OH. Often mated to an Orvis style custom Bamboo rod in 3wt. Although lately it is riding on a little 11ft graphite job that is decidedly not vintage but is totally better than the old bamboo sticks simply because it has better feel, is more durable and if I do break it, I am not tossing away a few hundred $.

I am very much a purist as I simply refuse to fish with anything but a dry fly. This may mean that I do not catch as many fish but when I do, it is special.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

This is the little 1970's Mitchell 408 that also came as new in it's box with the spare spool. I had a few issues adjusting the bail arm so it clicks back freely. It is mounted on a 1970's Fenwick blank that I had made up in Johannesburg and this outfit is as sweet as it gets.

 

[Hogpatrol]

IIRC, these were made in France?

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

IIRC, these were made in France?

yes

 

[jpr9954]

This brings back memories. I had the Quick 331 Finessa reel. I think I was in high school when I bought it. My dad always swore by a Mitchell 300 and Shakespeare rods.

 

[Fordy]

Gday

I’ll see what I can dig out as got some older stuff & 2 very precious to me cane fly rods
Cheers

 

[steve white]

How I got to collect a bunch of antique lures: My wife had a picnic for her Sunday school class--all age 10 or so. We had it at a private lake, so we encouraged them to bring their fishing gear. The father of several of the children ran a moving company and had obtained an old abandoned tackle box that he let them bring along--it was all he had. And in it were Creek Chub Dingers with the swishing horse hair tail, and other Creek Chub wooden painted plugs from the 1930's plus a D.A.M. wooden mouse, metal and rubber frogs which had legs that kicked outward when you twitched the line, etc. I almost fainted when they started casting them toward a bunch of logs! I offered to buy them OR to trade them any two lures in my tackle box for each of the antique ones. Those little scamps cleaned me out of my new Rapala plugs like they knew the retail prices! But I was able to put the antiques in a framed box to this day.

Also found a new in the box Shakespeare President reel at an antique store. Those had the old "fly-wheel" technology and would cast a country mile. The only reel I have today that will match them with casting distance one-handed is a Shimano Curado DC.

If I can get my daughter to help me, I'll post a picture of a spin cast reel with a large hole on the side that you cast out of. Very strange. Other than that I just have various old knuckle busters from the 30's and 40's where the handle unwinds as the line strips off during the cast. One of them, a Langley Lakecast was the first reel to feature a light aluminum spool as opposed to the heavy "fly-wheel" spools, so it is literally the grandfather of all the light spool bait casters today. It is an easy caster, but slow to retrieve with probably a 1-2 gear ratio. I used to know men who fished all those old reels. Sometimes if the level wind gave them too much trouble, they would just take it off and control the line lay with their thumb. Said they casted farther that way, anyhow.

Several people have bequeathed me with bamboo fly rods, usually Japanese exports which I use only very infrequently.

The only thing that bothers me about what some of you are describing as antique reels is....I am old enough that I used those, and I'm just not ready to call myself an antique!

 

[steve white]

I developed a love of fly fishing later in life. Wish I had done it sooner as I could have hiked further to get to the honey holes. I have always had an affinity for things that have survived the test of time. Vintage rifles, scopes, motorcycles and cars. My fly fishing gear is no different. My best fly reel is an ancient Pflueger made in Akron, OH. Often mated to an Orvis style custom Bamboo rod in 3wt. Although lately it is riding on a little 11ft graphite job that is decidedly not vintage but is totally better than the old bamboo sticks simply because it has better feel, is more durable and if I do break it, I am not tossing away a few hundred $.

I am very much a purist as I simply refuse to fish with anything but a dry fly. This may mean that I do not catch as many fish but when I do, it is special.

View attachment 708955View attachment 708956View attachment 708957

I appreciate your finesse and skill....I on the other hand am one of those trout fishing bottom feeders that would probably clean your fishing hole out with tiny Mepps spinners...lol

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

This brings back memories. I had the Quick 331 Finessa reel. I think I was in high school when I bought it. My dad always swore by a Mitchell 300 and Shakespeare rods.

How I got to collect a bunch of antique lures: My wife had a picnic for her Sunday school class--all age 10 or so. We had it at a private lake, so we encouraged them to bring their fishing gear. The father of several of the children ran a moving company and had obtained an old abandoned tackle box that he let them bring along--it was all he had. And in it were Creek Chub Dingers with the swishing horse hair tail, and other Creek Chub wooden painted plugs from the 1930's plus a D.A.M. wooden mouse, metal and rubber frogs which had legs that kicked outward when you twitched the line, etc. I almost fainted when they started casting them toward a bunch of logs! I offered to buy them OR to trade them any two lures in my tackle box for each of the antique ones. Those little scamps cleaned me out of my new Rapala plugs like they knew the retail prices! But I was able to put the antiques in a framed box to this day.

Also found a new in the box Shakespeare President reel at an antique store. Those had the old "fly-wheel" technology and would cast a country mile. The only reel I have today that will match them with casting distance one-handed is a Shimano Curado DC.

If I can get my daughter to help me, I'll post a picture of a spin cast reel with a large hole on the side that you cast out of. Very strange. Other than that I just have various old knuckle busters from the 30's and 40's where the handle unwinds as the line strips off during the cast. One of them, a Langley Lakecast was the first reel to feature a light aluminum spool as opposed to the heavy "fly-wheel" spools, so it is literally the grandfather of all the light spool bait casters today. It is an easy caster, but slow to retrieve with probably a 1-2 gear ratio. I used to know men who fished all those old reels. Sometimes if the level wind gave them too much trouble, they would just take it off and control the line lay with their thumb. Said they casted farther that way, anyhow.

Several people have bequeathed me with bamboo fly rods, usually Japanese exports which I use only very infrequently.

The only thing that bothers me about what some of you are describing as antique reels is....I am old enough that I used those, and I'm just not ready to call myself an antique!

Thanks for the write up Steve, what a privilege to have saved that old tackle, please post a photo.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

Talking of cane fly rods I searched in vain for an antique one over here, but fortunately came across Stephen Boshoff, a master cane rod builder from the Cape who built me one.
Here is my pride and joy, an 8 ft 3inch 3 weight with bamboo ferrules too. Set up with the little Hardy Angel this is a pleasure to use, although I confess I have yet to find a truly supple 4 wt floating line that would do it justice.
Here it is on a little stream near Inverness in Scotland.

 

[Fordy]

Gday Kevin & others
We are in Aussie
Stopped off @ m&d for a quick cuppa & check everything ok with them & thought of this thread
Here’s a snapshot of what my father has who’s 82 & still fishes oh & with his dog
He’s a fly fishing nut job although I have him fishing with bait on video lol long story ,
he’s extremely knowledgeable & one many have tried to get him to right a book on his journey & his diary of many a years & old super 8 films are one that is quite interesting but this thread is not about him & I just thought you guys would appreciate a bit of this stuff from incredible hackles to seals fur & a lot in between

Here’s some of the stuff he has ( all stored with moth balls )

Hope you enjoy
Cheers

 

[fourfive8]

Absolutely recognize that rig - a Mitchell 300/400 series on slip ring Fenwick spinning rod! That reel was the standard by which all spinning reels were judged back in the 70s. Wore out a couple of them. The Garcia-Mitchell reel “line” is still around having morphed into the Abu Garcia.

I have a BUNCH of vintage tackle. Most are antique collectibles for display. Not really suitable for use. My coolest reel is a brass “fly” reel made by Holroyd of London- 1859. Also have some old junglecock Atlantic salmon flies on display. Still have my dad’s bamboo flyrod. Too fragile to use now as really no way to repair if broken. Many old baits from late 1800s to 1950s.

 

[Fordy]

Gday 458

That’s a great looking real I’ll show my dad thanks for sharing
Do you have a picture of the junglecock salmon flies

We use the junglecock on matukas mainly ( don’t know how to spell them) & a couple other flies that are used on mainly trout ( as the hackles are really hard to source) but other tropical species it’s also been a pretty good but mostly vibrant colours are used up there or still down there for you lol
Cheers

 

[fourfive8]

5 mounted under glass with a Tomelleri Atlantic Salmon print

Don’t know exact age of flies, but certainly old. Maybe 20s or earlier. A couple of them have gut loop eyes tied on the shank- no integral metal eye.

 

[grand veneur]

I use only vintage Mitchell reels. All still in service, the Mitchell 300 even since 58 years.

Vintage spinning rod made on split bamboo.

 

[Phil Giordano]

I use only vintage Mitchell reels. All still in service, the Mitchell 300 even since 58 years.

View attachment 709517

Vintage spinning rod made on split bamboo.

View attachment 709518

Awesome
It's relatively easy to see vintage bamboo fly rods, but I've never seen a spinning cane before! And in pristine conditions!
May you share couple more pics of it please?

 

[grand veneur]

I have to admit that, as the 58 years old model 300 Mitchell is concerned, surprised me more than anything. I have been fishing under various conditions with this model worldwide for over 40 years without any problems.

 

[fourfive8]

A few old odds and ends.

Pflueger Summit- the “bee’s knees” of baitcasters back in the day. Engraving on end plates and jewel end bearings.

Three steel bait casting rods- Hurd Super Caster combo (tubular steel), Heddon Pal (wood grain steel tube), Orchard Action-Rod (triangular steel) w/ Pflueger Summit level wind mounted.

Hardy St George fly reel with agate guide, Hardy LRH Lightweight.

Misc reels- Two old simple un-branded reels, “Nottingham” wood, Holroyd, Heddon Winona, Goite.