I was kind of surprised that no one else on his side of the family fishes. Because of this, the family decided to give me his old tackle, saying that he would have wanted it to go to someone who would use it. I'm also looking forward to Mark(ette) Jr. catching a monster bass a few years down the line on a lure his/her great-grandfather passed on to us. :)
I thought I'd share a couple pictures of some of the things that were given to me. I'm looking for tips on a couple things and just thought a couple items were really cool.
Bob was really big into going to Canada and fishing for giant toothy monstrosities. I'm guessing that's why he had a bunch of these:
I don't think I've ever used a spoon in my life but I'm looking forward to trying. Does anyone have any tips/blog posts on how to fish them? Can the smaller ones be used for bass and/or panfish or should I save them for a trip to a lake with some muskies and pike?
I didn't pick up any rods as they were pretty old and brittle looking. However, I did get a couple old reels that will probably get some use, most notably my second baitcaster!
This gives me a reason to pickup a new rod! I was looking into the Amp rods by Berkley, anybody have any good/bad/indifferent experiences with them? What I've read is that they're a pretty good rod for the $30. I also think I'm going to pick up some reel oil and try to make sure its working in the best condition possible. It'll be fun to see how an older Daiwa reel compares to my new (but inexpensive) Shakespeare baitcaster.
Clif (or anybody with fly fishing experience) may appreciate this next picture. I didn't find any fly rods or reels or anything but I did find these mixed in with some of panfish lures:
I'm curious as to why Bob had these but no other fly fishing gear. Makes me kinda sad that I didn't know to ask him while he was still around. Whatever the reason, I'm very grateful to have them passed on to me as I'll be picking up an old fly rod my dad has in his basement. I'll be giving fly fishing a shot for the first time. Whenever I can find time to drive up to Northern IL that is.
I was really excited to see some of the different bass lures he had. A few Rapalas, Mepps Aglia spinners, and some other crankbaits that I have been wanting to try but couldn't have brought myself to spend the money on. I'll have to remember to silently thank Bob whenever I catch a fish on one.
Finally, I found this in the bottom of one of the tackle boxes:
Some old-school Omni-Flex mono. Pretty sure it was made before I was born. The best part is I found this on the back:
87 cents for 700 yards of 10 # test mono! I just paid $5.97 for 330 yds of 6 # test Stren. Damn you inflation!!! :)
Time for another week of work/school. I have finals coming up (and getting married on the 25th in Vegas!) so I'm not sure how much I'll get to fish over the next couple weeks. Good thing is I have a lot to experiment with when I do!
Tight lines everybody!
6 comments:
Looks like you are very fortunate in what you have gained here for your fishing pleasure. That is wonderful when someone passes on the love of fishing to someone else. I fish a lot of spoons for trout, bass, perch etc. It is hard to tell from the photo the exact size of those spoons, but, I definitely would give them a shot at some big ol' bass.
There is probably a reason that line was 87 cents and it isn't good. If you look around hard enough you can find cheap outdated mono that goes for almost nothing.
Those Johnson Silver Minnows are not a bad bass lure. You can use all kinds of plastics or pork for a trailer. I haven't thrown a Silver Minnow in years. Maybe I should give them a shot this year.
That big bass popper would be a good way to learn how to fly fish.
Mel - I'm super fortunate to have it all passed onto me, I'm looking forward to taking my future nieces fishing and reminding them that Great Grandpa allowed us to have so much fun.
BP - I'm gonna give the Silver Minnows a shot when I head out to Banner Marsh. All kinds of stuff popped up on Bassholes when I search "spoon". Thanks again for letting me know about that place.
Clif - That popper and the one a little bit smaller have got me just trying to make up a reason to run up to Dixon and get my flyrod to give it a shot. The videos you posted of the topwater flyfishing have me itching to try it.
That's some great stuff. I've never caught a bass on a spoon, but they'll be great for Pike.
Too bad you don't live closer to Minnesota. I've got some old rods that I'm not using anymore that I'd love to sell. Problem is, they are one piece and I'd have no idea how to ship one to you.
For a good, inexpensive rod, you can't go wrong with an Ugly Stick.
Thanks for checking out the blog, I'll have to give yours a look in a bit here.
I'll have to put a leader on my pole and one of those spoons and just see what gives it a whack. I wouldn't mind catching a few pike or a muskie.
I'd be all about trying to find some way to ship a rod down here but I have put a freeze on my fishing spending until after my wedding/honeymoon at the end of the month. Once I recup from that financially I'd be willing to try to figure out something. :)
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