Holliday's World Famous Fishing Thread - 2023 Version

[oldslowandugly]

Some things have changed. The Blues used to go no further North than Cape Cod. They are a warm water fish. They stayed in NY waters all Summer and they ate anything that did not eat them first. If we got an early snow, they left. But now with the warming water they go all the way up to Canada. So they sometimes pass us right by. We have seen whole Summers with no Blues. This year was strange. Really big ones showed up early, stayed a bit, then kept going. None all Summer. Then mid- August the smaller ones came back in from spawning offshore. They are still here and eating anything that moves. Too bad the hot weather is keeping the asshat navy around too long. I need it to get cold so they go away and let us fish in peace.

 

[oldslowandugly]

I went to check on the boat yesterday. I noticed some splashes so I went looking . I tossed a 2oz spoon for no hits. Switched to a floating popper and BINGO!!! They hit it like it was their mother-in-law. No net man along, I lost 5 at the boat, but boated 3. It continued until the tide quit at sunset. 2 fatties and a small one. One actually bit the treble hook right off the popper. See lure pic. Three Creek Chub Knuckleheads, one with the middle hook bitten off, a new one, and one with a chunk bitten of the head. Tailors don't play.

 

[oldslowandugly]

I went back for more yesterday. I spotted a friend and his Grandson fishing from the dock. His boat was under repair. I said come with me in my boat. We nailed 8 more BIG ones, and lost as many at the boat. The kid had a ball. He boated several that almost pulled him in. A grand time was had by all. I love fishing with kids, it takes me back to when I was that age.

 

[oldslowandugly]

I fixed the oil leak on my car. It took a week to track down an oddball fitting. I was able to get down to the water today. At first I thought it was going to be a bust, nothing happening. High tide. Windy, wet, chilly, snotty weather. I went all over looking. Then after the tide started going out I spotted some bird action away over where a small creek empties into the main channel. I scooted over there and saw fish splashing. They grabbed my popper like they were starving. Big ones, small ones, they were feeding in the shallow creek mouth and had no where to go but UP! I finished with nine, as I cleaned the small ones I remembered to snap a pic so all I shot was the four big ones. The Fall run is ON!

 

[oldslowandugly]

You may notice the Bluefish are a bit bigger than normal this season. When the Grandson caught that 30"er it bent the mainshaft on the PENN 250GR. That convinced me to upgrade my weaponry to my PENN 704Z reels and PowerGraph heavy action rods. My trusty old 704Z used to suffer from the bail closing at the worst time. My ancient 700 'greenie' did the same thing. That caused me to remove the bail and change to the manual bail kit. MUCH better- in the surf. When you are trying to toss it away far out there, the manual bail cannot close on you. In the surf it is easy to operate the manual bail, but on a small boat, not so easy. You are not casting as far, and have less room to operate. I decided to remove the manual bail and put the full bail back on.

I ordered some new bail springs just because. On the parts site the 704Z showed two springs, one on each side of the bail. When I removed the manual bail on my reel, there was only one spring. Hmmmm. Then I figured it out. The old 'greenie' 700 reels used only one spring and it was on the line roller side. The early 704 reels copied that and used the 700 bail. That is why the 700 and 704 bail kept closing when it should not. These early 704 reels used a black line spool. Later reels used a gold colored spool. They also added the second bail spring on the release side. That is the difference. So why can't I just add the second spring to my bail? Because they did not drill a hole in the 700/704 release where the second spring would attache. A new later model bail assembly would be needed to make the upgrade. Or would it?

I compared the early and late bails and saw that they were identical except for the spring hole. Why not just drill a new hole? Exactly. I found an 'N' drill bit fit the mounting holes perfectly. It miked up at .300". I clamped them both in a vise with the bit and aligned them. I miked the tag end of the spring and it miked up at .040". Then I found that a .046" drill bit fit the spring hole just right. I drilled through the new release using the hole as a guide and made a new hole in the old release. PERFECT!!!!
Then it was just a matter of adding the second spring on the release side just like the later models. As a result, the bail closes with much more authority. So far, it has not closed prematurely. Keeping fingers crossed.

.300" bit centering releases.

Releases and bit are clamped in vise and aligned.

.046" bit makes a hole in old release using new release as a guide.

Second bail spring inserted into release using newly drilled hole.

My old 704Z with new second spring installed. You can't even see it because it is hidden under the release screw. The bail closes with authority now. This is an easy upgrade that costs only the price of the springs.

 

[The New Holliday]

Successful Bassing year. Increased my catch rate to 175% of last year.
. Probably still have 1 or 2 BIG Reservoir trips left if I can find any days w/o 10+ mph winds. Only gone once up there this year but it was a very nice day - 23 Smallies to 3 lbs.
. Over 600 in total this year.

Sorry - keep forgetting the camera.

 

[The New Holliday]

.Today was very likely my final day fishing for the year. I see a day that might be good on the 13th but cost of travel, and I've had a good enjoyable year of it so what's to add(?).
. I always love the experience of being outdoors and in nature while fishing and also expressing something about it in numbers - so..

.Total Bass caught in 70 outings - 635 or a little over 9 per day fishing (no skunkings - 139 straight stretching to last year)
. 3.49 catches per hr - sure, many were smallish river Smallies, but they are fun and there is nothing like the waters of a beautiful clear water river running over you to wash ills away (a truly ancient notion and human experience).

118 hooked up got off - ooops. Good for you, fishes. This was a low in terms of landed/hook ups. 84.3%
. Again - congrats fishes.

To @oldslowandugly - Thank you for your contributions. I really enjoyed your gear discussion and pics of modifications which are very impressive.

. Enjoy them Blues. I miss dining on those. So tasty.

 

[oldslowandugly]

I yanked the Whaler yesterday. Today we cleaned it. It must have been a very good year- [YUCK!]. I'll post more when done.

 

[oldslowandugly]

We were having Bluefish blitzes at the AB bridge and along the reed banks. That lasted maybe a month. Then, they started schooling up and roaming the outside beaches and inside bays. You had to be in the right spot at the right time or you got skunked. Still, if you were persistent, casting floating poppers, big spoons, and diamond jigs, you could pick a Blue or two almost any day. Even some Stripers were mixed in under the Blues, picking up the pieces of bait the Blues savaged. Then it slowed down to almost nothing unless a school passed by. The weather changed too, big winds, cold nights, choppy water. Boating weather was over so time to take it home. No fun cleaning a boat while freezing your butt off.

I launch and retrieve the Whaler myself every year. I need a high tide during the mid-week and dry calm weather. It only happens every two weeks right after a moon, no guarantee on the weather. That came last Thursday so my daughter and I pulled it out and took it home. She lugged all the boat crap down to the basement while I power washed the scum off of the hull. Next day my grandson helped me clean the inside, then we built the frame for the cover [PVC pipe] and covered it. Then we moved it to the back of my yard, put the trailer and boat up on cement blocks, and took the wheels off and stored them.

Fishing is not over for us. We have a NYC park right on an inlet [East Rockaway- Debs] in Far Rockaway where you can park a hundred yards from an inlet to surf cast. I live between that and Little Neck Bay where the entire West shore is public fish-able. Many late season big Blues and Bass have come from both places. If my legs can take it, we will fish those spots until the fish are gone for good.

 

[The New Holliday]

We were having Bluefish blitzes at the AB bridge and along the reed banks. That lasted maybe a month. Then, they started schooling up and roaming the outside beaches and inside bays. You had to be in the right spot at the right time or you got skunked. Still, if you were persistent, casting floating poppers, big spoons, and diamond jigs, you could pick a Blue or two almost any day. Even some Stripers were mixed in under the Blues, picking up the pieces of bait the Blues savaged. Then it slowed down to almost nothing unless a school passed by. The weather changed too, big winds, cold nights, choppy water. Boating weather was over so time to take it home. No fun cleaning a boat while freezing your butt off.

I launch and retrieve the Whaler myself every year. I need a high tide during the mid-week and dry calm weather. It only happens every two weeks right after a moon, no guarantee on the weather. That came last Thursday so my daughter and I pulled it out and took it home. She lugged all the boat crap down to the basement while I power washed the scum off of the hull. Next day my grandson helped me clean the inside, then we built the frame for the cover [PVC pipe] and covered it. Then we moved it to the back of my yard, put the trailer and boat up on cement blocks, and took the wheels off and stored them.

Fishing is not over for us. We have a NYC park right on an inlet [East Rockaway- Debs] in Far Rockaway where you can park a hundred yards from an inlet to surf cast. I live between that and Little Neck Bay where the entire West shore is public fish-able. Many late season big Blues and Bass have come from both places. If my legs can take it, we will fish those spots until the fish are gone for good.

Chewing out a rhythm on my bubble gum
The sun is out and I want some
It's not hard, not far to reach, we can hitch a ride to Rockaway Beach
Up on the roof, out on the street
Down in the playground, the hot concrete
Bus ride is too slow, they blast out the disco on the radio
Rock-rock, Rockaway Beach
Rock-rock, Rockaway Beach
Rock-rock, Rockaway Beach
We can hitch a ride to Rockaway Beach

 

[oldslowandugly]

Yup, you got it. Many moons go I pulled my '68 Firebird into the parking lot at Far Rockaway, that song was on the radio, and in my head the whole time I was fishing. I caught my last Striper of the year that day. Priceless.

 

[The New Holliday]

Yup, you got it. Many moons go I pulled my '68 Firebird into the parking lot at Far Rockaway, that song was on the radio, and in my head the whole time I was fishing. I caught my last Striper of the year that day. Priceless.

. That's interesting, I had a 69 Firebird. One day on my way to work I had Ramones in the deck blastin down the highway (I think Blitzkrieg Bop), I always got a little sped up, heavy footed, when the Rock n Rock was playing. Blew right through the highway traffic light - the edge of the town I grew up in, and right in front of a cop... Blitzkrieg Bop.

 

[oldslowandugly]

. That's interesting, I had a 69 Firebird.

Small world, eh? In 1968 the girl across the street from me bought a brand new '68 Firebird. She had fits because we kids played ball in the street and she always moved the Firebird far up the driveway to protect it. In 1975 I got out of the army and needed a car, she was selling it, and I grabbed it. It was my daily driver for 16 years. It went from the OHC 6, automatic, to a Pontiac 400 4 speed. I took it fishing, towed a boat, went everywhere in that car. It finally rusted out from under me. I had many second gen Firebirds, but always loved the first gen best. I still have a '68 Firebird convertible I got in a 3-way swap. I saved it for over 30 years and now that I am retireded, I am restoring it. It now has a Pontiac 455 and a Super T-10 four speed manual trans. I am stuck at the moment trying to install a roll bar. The factory sheet metal is pretty thin. If this winter is mild it will get done.

 

[The New Holliday]

I have proceeded to do maintenance and repair on my reels that need attention.
. Finished the 3 spinning reels off (two repaired) and just started on my baitcasters. There's three which need cleanup/lubrication, maybe some repair.
. Found a really good youtube guy (Second Chance Tackle). He has 2 of the 3 older reels in full video. Really helpful. These are all 20+ to 30 years old so I think it was lucky to find the vids. The other is an old (37 years) Shimano. I got 5 in backup + another original from '87-'88, but this one has sentimental value.

Havin fun. Spring ain't coming soon. It's winter hiking weather.

 

[oldslowandugly]

I was cleaning up my junk off the dock and I saw a bottom half of a small rod and reel tossed aside. The rod/reel had been kicking around the dock all Fall. Now the top was missing, the reel was frozen, but I figured why not try and fix it? It was a Piscifun [?] reel and an R2F [ready-to-fish] rod by Zebco. The reel surprised me. After some oil and wiggling, it loosened up. Smooooth! I got the bail working and now it is a nice functional reel. I researched the Piscifun brand. They make decent stuff very inexpensively. This little red/black Flame 500 reel has good capacity too. The reviews are good. I would definitely get these for kids since they might bust them up.

 

[The New Holliday]

. Over last winter (as I had writ) I purchased 3 Piscifun Viper X reels in the 500, 1000 and 2000 sizes. Later I got a Carbon X 2000 on sale also. All of their reels are always on sale, and yes they are economy. @oldslowandugly
.The small ones are for stream and small river trout fishing. The 2000s I got as replacements and backups for river Smallie fishing. Both worked quite well until they suddenly stiffened up and froze. What I later read is that they use very cheap lube from the factory, and also could be cheapo bearings. Get water in them and they turn to cement or at least get very goopy. The way I see it, these are fishing reels - All of the fishing I do involves water - this ain't no video game. I returned the 2 reels - the company was very good about it. They sent me a new Carbon X and refunded the Viper X since they didn't have it in stock, which I was fine with since I had completely lost faith in the reels. The Carbon X is sitting in its box and will be staying there. All of my reels get dunked in the water while unhooking a fish occasionally. I don't expect them to seize afterward, and those are the only two that ever have. Would never buy again, although the suggestion was made to just take it down, clean out the factory grease and re-lube with good stuff.

. The thing with two of the baitcasters is that they both started having casting problems in colder weather. Turns out that is really not that uncommon in older reels, but cleaned and relubed they will be. The other...a Green Machine (old Curado) I think I may have damaged the pinion gear when the spool release popped up mid cast.
I'll know for sure when I open it up. Right now working on a 93-94 Quantum 1311 MG. Gonna shine shine shine.

 

[oldslowandugly]

. Over last winter (as I had writ) I purchased 3 Piscifun Viper X reels in the 500, 1000 and 2000 sizes.

I guess I missed that post. I found that the seizing was the main shaft. It got gunked up and would not pass through the top bearing. A little oil did the trick. I will see next season if they last. I actually use quite a few 'fresh water' reels in salt water. You just need to oil/grease/clean after use. For that matter, my 'salt water' reels need the same maintenance. Until they make a titanium reel , it will be maintenance, maintenance, maintenance. [My E6 squad leader said that every day] I can't believe how many guys leave their tackle on the boat, or on the dock, exposed to UV light and salt air. By the end of the season they are in the dumpster. I have old Penns from my father-in-law that are older than me. But I take care of them. My grandkids will get them.

 

[oldslowandugly]

As you know, the PENN 704Z is a brutally tough reel. It just doesn't quit. PENN first made the 700 back in the early 1960's. In the late '70's they upgraded the looks and made the retrieve a bit faster. It was always a good seller because surf casters needed a bullet-proof reel that could take a salt water dunking. If you owned one you probably passed it down to your kids and grandkids. Then as graphite reels became affordable, imports flooded the market, demand fell and PENN discontinued the 704Z. That did not last long as the outcry for the 704Z was deafening. PENN heard the plea, and began making it again, with the same exact tooling so all parts interchanged with the old reels. It cost $200 and up brand new in 2K dollars. Eventually demand dropped and PENN discontinued it again. Sadly, I missed getting a new one while they were available. I do have several old ones and a brand new 706Z, the manual bail version. This Fall the Bluefish were bigger than normal and ruined one of my favorite graphite reels, a PENN 250GR. Time to go back to using the 704Z against these critters. That did the trick.

So I stumble across an auction on Fleabay for a brand new in the box PENN 704Z. WTF I say, where is this coming from? Someone bought it and doesn't want it? No, it is coming from Fisherman's Factory Outlet, a subsidiary of Pure Fishing, in Spirit Lake Iowa. Pure Fishing owns everything fishing related and was the last place to sell the 704Z brand new. Maybe this was a leftover? That reel sold for way more than I was willing to pay. A few days later another popped up for sale. It also sold for a pretty penny. I began watching and noticed an auction lasted a week, was bid up high by guys who just had to have one. This went on for a while and I wondered how many they had to sell. I wasn't expecting any bargains because this appeared to be the only way to get the last of the brand new ones. The winning bids came down a bit but still hefty. I was watching my bids get beaten badly but I kept an eye on them. Then an auction went off at 11PM on Thanksgiving Day. I wondered if maybe bidders might be snoozing that night. I watched as the clock ticked down and right before 11PM I bid. My bid triggered a few automatic bids, but, I WON! I got that brand new 704Z for $102. That is half of the going price when it was available. WOWSERS! It came yesterday, and is brand spanking new in the box, a real beauty. I will probably give it to my grandson who is the one that suffered the broken reel. But the strange parts is that another reel has not been posted. Are they too busy at Christmas time? Or was this the last one?!? Time will tell. If this was the last one, that makes it extra special.

 

[The New Holliday]

.. That looks like a very sturdy reel - great price. I love auctions. I see something I like, figure out what top dollar is, add 50%, make an opening minimal bid, then put in a max bid no sane person would match. I never lose.
. Just reminded me that if I ever purchase a spinning reel again I'd like to try one of those Penn Battle III reels.

...and Yeah - luuuv Pure Fishing. Lurenet too - They got all the old-timey brands. I love Heddon lures, so that's where I get them. Often they have limited edition stuff - Got Heddon Boyo Spook in a nice silver scale pattern. Good for smallies.

Turns out that it was the cold weather affecting the casting on those reels. Got them nice and warm tied on a practice plug (oiled the spool bearings) walked out the front door, looked both ways, and ripped off casts with each. No problems. I'll tell you, that '94 Curado Green Machine 201 is the smoothest casting reel I have ever owned. I got a Scorpion, new in the box on ebay from Japan. Never used. Some guy found it collecting dust in a warehouse. I find stuff from Japan is always good. Got a couple of old Calcuttas from Japan...aces. Well worth any additional wait time.

 

[oldslowandugly]

I have a Battle II 4000 my daughter gave it to me on a birthday. I found an original matching 6' PENN graphite Battle II rod on Fleabay. What a great combo. The rod is stiff and I like it for bucktailing around the docks at night. Stripers hang out under the dark docks while the bait frolics in the light from the dock. The Battle II has never failed.

Oddly, when PENN was struggling to play catch-up to all the graphite reels in the 80's, they subcontracted the 250GR out to Japan. Probably why they have lasted so long for me.

When I was a kid in the 60's there were not many choices for fishing line. Most was junk. Many reel companies sold their own line. It was a big deal when Berkley came out with that baby blue Trilene. I had my Mitchel 302 on a 10' surf rod filled with the 12lb. It was on that reel for many years as I got older, went into the Army, came home, got a job, and still fished with that same rod and same line. It was in the early 80's that I caught my first Striper, with that same rod/reel, filled with that same line. It held. I was impressed. Berkley was in Spirit lake, Iowa. They got big. I believe that became Pure Fishing. Normally I avoid mega-corporations, but most of those companies would have died out had they not been scooped up by Pure Fishing.

 

[The New Holliday]

I have a Battle II 4000 my daughter gave it to me on a birthday. I found an original matching 6' PENN graphite Battle II rod on Fleabay. What a great combo. The rod is stiff and I like it for bucktailing around the docks at night. Stripers hang out under the dark docks while the bait frolics in the light from the dock. The Battle II has never failed.

Oddly, when PENN was struggling to play catch-up to all the graphite reels in the 80's, they subcontracted the 350GR out to Japan. Probably why they have lasted so long for me.

When I was a kid in the 60's there were not many choices for fishing line. Most was junk. Many reel companies sold their own line. It was a big deal when Berkley came out with that baby blue Trilene. I had my Mitchel 302 on a 10' surf rod filled with the 12lb. It was on that reel for many years as I got older, went into the Army, came home, got a job, and still fished with that same rod and same line. It was in the early 80's that I caught my first Striper, with that same rod/reel, filled with that same line. It held. I was impressed. Berkley was in Spirit lake, Iowa. They got big. I believe that became Pure Fishing. Normally I avoid mega-corporations, but most of those companies would have died out had they not been scooped up by Pure Fishing.

. Mitchell invented the modern spinning reel and was what all us kids had in the 60s. Trilene was also the primary line, though the XT wasn't around till the late 70s (and is all I ever use now - the green). Pure Fishing has the Mitchell brand - there's 3 reels available including the 308 which was a big one back then. Mitchell was French owned - still headquartered there. Boy, that Berkeley label brings back some memories.
. Speaking of Berkley, which along with Browning was the rod of choice....every year I look for a new lure and/or technique to try. A few days ago I came across a Berkley lure, the Finisher, which I will get a couple of in the #5 and #7 sizes - likely good for spinning and baitcasting respectively. Probably they are in a class with lures like the Sonar, Rat'l Trap type lures, and maybe suspending jerk baits and Little George (sadly, I think out of production), Not sure if that would be a useful salt water bait but there is a #9 size too.

One thing, these are waaay less costy on the Berkley site than on Bass Pro or others that I saw.

 

[oldslowandugly]

That looks just like a sand eel. The Stripers were slurping them up all fall. It was great because the sand eels try to dig into the sand right at the shore line or sod banks. That brings the fish in where we can get at them.

Yes, the Mitchel was king of the hill. Most had the 300, which is still in production, and has seen many forms. I have the 308 too, great for snappers and other small fish. But my favorite was the 306. Not too big, not too small, held a lot of line and cast a mile. I was on a Bluefish party boat and someone snagged a decrepit 306 on a chunk of rod off the bottom. I grabbed it from the trash barrel and stripped it for parts. One of the toughest reels I ever owned.

Mitchell invented the modern spinning reel

I have some older reels that look the same. One is a Luxor and the other is a Crack. My father-in-law got them before I was even born. The Luxor says Pezon & Michel. Not sure if that became Mitchel or not. The Mitchel was a much better reel.

 

[The New Holliday]

That looks just like a sand eel. The Stripers were slurping them up all fall. It was great because the sand eels try to dig into the sand right at the shore line or sod banks. That brings the fish in where we can get at them.

Yes, the Mitchel was king of the hill. Most had the 300, which is still in production, and has seen many forms. I have the 308 too, great for snappers and other small fish. But my favorite was the 306. Not too big, not too small, held a lot of line and cast a mile. I was on a Bluefish party boat and someone snagged a decrepit 306 on a chunk of rod off the bottom. I grabbed it from the trash barrel and stripped it for parts. One of the toughest reels I ever owned.


I have some older reels that look the same. One is a Luxor and the other is a Crack. My father-in-law got them before I was even born. The Luxor says Pezon & Michel. Not sure if that became Mitchel or not. The Mitchel was a much better reel.

That top one looks like a silver version of my old 304.

Maybe this though -

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"The true origin of the name Mitchell remains mysterious—Although Carpano & Pons had the intention to name their first reel "Michel", they discovered this name was already used and patented so they gave the reel an American sounding name that was very in vogue at the time."

Maybe what you have there is far rarer and valuable.

 

[oldslowandugly]

Great article. So Michel came first. I save everything so maybe I do have a gold mine stashed away.

I had a few Garcia Cardinals. This one was very popular in the 60's but too expensive for a kid. When I finally tested one, I did not like it. The 306 was way better. Zebco by Garcia? WTF? First rear drag too.

 

[The New Holliday]

Zebco by Garcia?

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"I was You-tubing and an older gentleman was going "retro" and using an old Zebco Cardinal 4. At first I though he misspoke because I remembered Abu Garcia as having the Cardinal line but no, it was a Zebco. Which came first and was one company eventually (thinking perhaps Zebco) required to discontinue their use of the name?"

However, yeah - that's the Abu emblem on it. Rebranded?

Okay, that's what I get for not reading all of what I linked:

"Manufactured by Abu, sold in the US by Zebco. Pretty much bullet proof."

"Looking over the history - there was a short time when Garcia had an issue in re-distributing the Cardinal reels because of a contract with Mitchell of France. So for a time, Zebco was the distributor of Cardinal reels...first batch of reels were labeled "Zebco by Abu", but Tom Lenk (President of Garcia at the time) objected to the Abu link as they had the Ambassaduer line, so the label changed to "Zebco Cardinal" until Garcia was able to distribute Abu spinning reels.

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"

That's what you have.

 

[oldslowandugly]

WOW! I had no idea about all that history. Zero Hour Bomb Co. (Zebco) That is amazing. I have some old Zebco reels, even a 33, all are in working condition. When I was a kid my Uncle took us fishing on Youghageny reservoir. We mostly used closed face spin casting stuff. I still have the old Abumatics and Zebco reels. When my kids were toddlers I got them some pink plastic Zebco spin cast reels on very short kids rods. Bass Pro sold them and added their names to the spincast cover. Still have them and the grandkids get broken in on those.

The Cardinal reels were the top of the heap in the 60's. You knew that when Salt Water Sportsman magazine always had pictures of someone fishing with the Cardinal. The one I remember best was a cover shot of Al Reinfelder, Lou Palma, and some others surf fishing with Cardinals. Al and Lou were the guys that invented the Bait Tail lure. They became the ALOU company and sold the Bait Tail and the famous ALOU eel. These were the very first plastic/lead head lures ever and all of today's leadhead/plastic type lures exist because of that. Garcia eventually bought them out and sold them under their brand.

Al Reinfelder wrote a book called Bait Tail Fishing. This was so new he wrote about why he and Lou invented it, where they fished, and how it should be used. I remember it being sold in an ad in SWS. The address was a post office box in Oakland Gardens NY. Eventually I was a mailman in that same office for over 30 yearts. A small world, right? I have a copy still and it is a fascinating book.

 

[The New Holliday]

WOW! I had no idea about all that history. Zero Hour Bomb Co. (Zebco) That is amazing. I have some old Zebco reels, even a 33, all are in working condition. When I was a kid my Uncle took us fishing on Youghageny reservoir. We mostly used closed face spin casting stuff. I still have the old Abumatics and Zebco reels. When my kids were toddlers I got them some pink plastic Zebco spin cast reels on very short kids rods. Bass Pro sold them and added their names to the spincast cover. Still have them and the grandkids get broken in on those.

The Cardinal reels were the top of the heap in the 60's. You knew that when Salt Water Sportsman magazine always had pictures of someone fishing with the Cardinal. The one I remember best was a cover shot of Al Reinfelder, Lou Palma, and some others surf fishing with Cardinals. Al and Lou were the guys that invented the Bait Tail lure. They became the ALOU company and sold the Bait Tail and the famous ALOU eel. These were the very first plastic/lead head lures ever and all of today's leadhead/plastic type lures are the because of that. Garcia eventually bought them out and sold them under their brand.

Al Reinfelder wrote a book called Bait Tail Fishing. This was so new he wrote about why he and Lou invented it, where they fished, and how it should be used. I remember it being sold in an ad in SWS. The address was a post office box in Oakland Gardens NY. Eventually I was a mailman in that same office for over 30 yearts. A small world, right? I have a copy still and it is a fascinating book.

You could be an ebay store. There's plenty of collectors out there that would find those interesting, though it may be better to pass them on to the next gen with history attached.
There are people though - I came across one not long ago of a guy using a 60s Mitchell. Click click click it went as he turned the handle, and he was catching fish.

Not sure if Abu is still making the Cardinals. I have a 100 size I use for trout. Never fails. This past summer I was looking for spinning reels and though I'd see if there were any Cardinals. The only new I found were from Japan. Had ordered one, then cancelled when I found a domestic alternative used Abu Revo S.
The one knock I read about it was that it was over greased so a bit sluggish. The reasoning was that some manufacturers do that because they figure a buyer will never bother to service them, so you can just open it up, clear the mess and relube.

Looks like your Cardinal 4 would go about 60-80 bucks.

Here's that new SX 2000 - 71 bucks
PS: Oh, looks like there are some available in the 50s of dollars and up to size 3000.

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[oldslowandugly]

I hate a noisy reel. Most of the oldies click like crazy. I can quiet down the 704Z by loading the clicker, gear, and spring with grease. Sometimes it works, but not always. There is a lot to be said with the newer silent and instant anti-reverse. My wife says I have enough fishing crap to last several lifetimes. Probably right.

Holiday, where is this Lenapehanna river you speak of? I have a lot of cousins in PA, none have heard of it. I don't want to spot burn, if it is a secret, so be it.

 

[The New Holliday]

I hate a noisy reel. Most of the oldies click like crazy. I can quiet down the 704Z by loading the clicker, gear, and spring with grease. Sometimes it works, but not always. There is a lot to be said with the newer silent and instant anti-reverse. My wife says I have enough fishing crap to last several lifetimes. Probably right.

Holiday, where is this Lenapehanna river you speak of? I have a lot of cousins in PA, none have heard of it. I don't want to spot burn, if it is a secret, so be it.

A buddy of mine, I was talking to him about the clicks of old reels. He brings out this old reel, some brand I never heard of. He says the clicking was supposed to attract fish. LoLz. You know, like transmitted through the line or something.
The Lenapehanna? Lenapewihitak, Makeriskhickon. The native people of this region, the Lenape (which itself means People), called it the Lenape's River, or the People's River. It is known now more commonly as the Delaware.

 

[jack]

Wow I just saw this thread from the bump.

This looks awesome.