I grew up in a small fishing town, and from an early age I was always intrigued by it's stunning harbour. There would be all kinds of vessels heading in and out, day in, day out, all year round. When I was 12, I went on a fishing trip out to the edge of the harbour with friends in their family boat and caught my first ever specimen, it was a Gurnard, slimy and brown with a poisonous spike. I caught a few Mackerel too. This did not make me an angler, for the following summer I spent most of the time on a jetty off the main pier just fishing for crabs and chasing them back into the sea. My gear was pretty poor, an ancient fibreglass rod that would not separate due to corrosion, a cast metal Shakespeare fixed spool with badly worn gear-teeth that had seen better days and a few badly beaten lures. The line was the only good thing I had as it was new, but line ain't no good unless you can actually use it! I was given a Diawa reel by a friend but the handle was cracked off, foiled again. I gazed in the windows of the tackle shops, read the brochures until my eyes were red and dreamed of good fishing gear, but summer was over and I was back in school. My fishing dreams turned into study and homework.
Funny how the years rolled on and I lost all interest in fishing, I was into cycling, model planes, and as a teenage boy I was now fishing for girls. In 2003 I was bored one summer day and walked in to a tackle shop, I told the man behind the counter, I wanted a simple rod, small, compact and cheap. He gave me a Shakespeare telescopic rod kit, the ones that come in a bubble pack with a reel and a couple of lures. It cost me the price of a McDonalds for two! A Bargain. I was back in the game. I diddled around with this set-up, fishing off bridges, piers and jetties but I got nothing. I was thinking if I took it more seriously and ditched the kid's kit then I might have a better chance.
Shakespeare Pro-Am 350
A very tidy affair, and very handy in a car as a 'just in case' rod!
It works perfectly well after 11 years.
Pro-Am, it does boast a bit!
Looking good!
In 2008 I decided to upgrade and I bought a nice Mitchell fixed spool and a Diawa 9' Lure Special. Both reel and rood look good for their sixth year.
Mitchell Avocet AV-C6000V
I very nice reel for the price.
Sleek and sexy.
In 2013 I got more serious and I bought this big Silstar Power Rock FD7000 for casting as far as I could go! I didn't really use this much as there was a big surprise looming in the distance. It was called a round reel and it was made by Abu Garcia.
Silstar FD7000
This is a big bugger but at €24.99 you get big casting and smooth action.
It is a monster and feels expensive in use.
Resting!
This next puppy was found in a garden shed and donated to me by friends. The clamp ring is knackered and even though it opens the reel is still stuck fast, a bit of work may free it up. It needs a good old clean and maybe it will be good again.
Shakespeare 2010-040 Pro-Touch
Gnarly looking old Pro-Touch!
Needs a good service!
Okuma Stinger
This came in a job lot from eBay that had an ABU 12 so I had to buy the lot.
It's a budget reel but works fine.
Red Wolf RD-401
From the same job lot, cheap and gnarly.
Red Wolf FD-701
From the same job lot, big and awkward and half knackered!
Multiplier Time
September 2013 I was bitten my the round reel bug. I knew nothing about them, but after a few days reading online, I knew it had to be an Abu Garcia. Multipliers or round reels as they are called, and even bait casters, have a certain charm and mechanical functionality that make them loved by anglers the world over. The basic design is pretty old but the concept remains the same. Pure fun to fish with. Around this time I purchased a Rovex Lure Pro 10' Graphite rod, oh my god, what a rod, what a rod. It is truly amazing and I cannot bear to think of life without it.
Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 6500 CT Power Handle (2010) - Made in Sweden.
This was my first multiplier and it's Made in Sweden of course. I opted for a non-level wind as I wanted a reel to cast for miles! Well it's not as easy as you think at first as there was 'birds nests' all around but one you master it, it's as easy as pie and a very natural way to fish. I no longer use fixed spool reels or ever think about them because of this little devil.
Words cannot describe how happy this makes me!
Ready for action.
Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 7500 C3 CT (2004) - Made in Sweden.
When I saw this reel in a pawn shop I almost passed on it to be honest. Why? Because I was happy with my 6500 CT and I didn't know any better! I actually walked out of the shop but as the day went on I couldn't stop thinking about it so I jumped in the car the next day and grabbed it at high speed and I'm glad I did. Now I've found very little info online about it but what I did find made me smile. It's rumoured that only 1000 were made and it was almost a carbon copy of the 6500 C3 Blue Yonder but never actually called that name. Also it has a true CT cage and that has vertical bars and not round rods like most people think. It's now a prize possession of mine.
A pawn shop bargain. Sssh! Don't tell anyone I paid less that €40 for it!
A beauty of a beast!
Abu Ambassadeur 7000 (1975) - Made in Sweden
An 1975 Abu from eBay picked up for a great low price, without the level wind, which was removed.
I may restore this but I will have to search for the parts online!
It's an Abu, pre Garcia!
Red is the best colour to be honest!
The handle is smaller than I though so a power handle may be an option down the track.
Here it is after the Level Wind re-installation.
This was an easy fix and fun to do. The parts were got on eBay.
My three Abu reels.
B-SQUARE FISHING REEL BA-1065
This was given to me and it was sold as a set with a boat rod by Lidl stores. It is plastic with mostly plastic parts, a depth counter, bait clicker and a nice handle. Might be okay for back-up but these are cheap and may not cut it at sea!
Fully loaded with 50Lb line!
Hot Rods!
As I already mentioned the Shakespeare Telescopic was the first rod I ever bought,
and the Daiwa Regal Lure Special the second. This is a very nice 2 piece 9' with a stiff action. A good robust rod for general use.
Daiwa Regal Lure Special
A well made and strong rod.
Traditional Cork handle.
The name you can trust!
A year ago I wanted something a bit different and I chose a Rovex Lure Pro 2 piece 10'
Carbon rod, and this is the rod for me. For the price it feels like far more expensive rods and it is very light and sensitive, almost like using no rod. It never tires your hands, it has a lot of eyes and I use it upside down with my Ambassadeur reels.
Rovex Lure Pro
The 'one' for me!
Low profile reel seat, slim design.
Beach Caster Blues
I was given this monster by a friend, it is heavy and I have yet to master this goliath!
Mitchell Premium Surf 503
3 piece 16' if you will!
Rovex Altus
This is my boat rod, it is a one piece 1.75m (6'9") super strong rod with a solid glass tip.
Rovex make great rods and for the price these are superb rods that also look great.
Classy!
Solid Glass Tip
Ready to rock!
B-Square 2 Piece Boat Rod
Corrosion highly apparent!
Shakespeare Omni 3000 Surf/Pier 10ft 2 Piece
A new one for 2018, this is a beast and with it's powerful blanks it can cast as far as you can!
Shakespeare Omni Boat Rod 7ft 2 Piece
A budget boat rod that's easy to carry.
Tackle and Lures and Line.
I was always draw to lures that resembled fish. I hate feathers, and always use one lure even for Mackerel. It's the sportsmans way to hunt prey!
In the box!
This is a Jarvis Walker cheap and cheerful box that holds my tackle!
Knifes and lures and line and oil and grease and whatever...
A 200 hook set bought for peanuts at Lidl
More than a few lines!
Rubber lures.
Trace
Well, now I have the gear I always dreamed of, and how do I know this?
Well go back to 1982 and I'll tell you! There is nothing worse than bad gear!
Showing off the old Abu 7500!
A perfect match, Abu 6500 CT and Rovex Lure Pro!
It's dark demeanour cast a spell on me!
It's dark demeanour cast a spell on me!
