What Happends to Old Fishing Equipment

[Lord of the Fly , Rods]

I was cleaning out a cabinet in the garage and ran across an old box which was the graveyard of some old fishing reels that were in need of repair or were broken beyond repair, me being the pack rat that I am,would throw old reels in the box just in case I ever needed  a spare part, these reels will probally nevers never see the water again. The wife says " You have got to throw some of that junk away" and she is probally right but the pack rat in me snuck it back  into the cabinet, so what do you do with your old fishing equipment?    LOFR

[Lord of the Fly , Rods]

Ok, let me ask yall this question, do any of you have an old tackle box that collect old fishing lures that you dont take to the water any more because you want to lose them? I have an old box just full of stuff that goes back to the 20's, it's like looking at the history of fishing lures over the years and the pack rat in me says that I had better hang on to them a little longer. The collection of Lucky 13's will probally end up in a shadow box on the wall, the funny part is 90%  of the fish I

catch I do so with a fly rod. but that wont stop me from snagging old lures lures I can find them, thats the pack rat coming out of me again.   LOFR

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DAVID L EITUTIS]

LUCKY 13'S !!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY THEY HAVEN'T MADE THOSE IN A WHILE!!!!! I used to use em myself in the wood versions with the little red plastic or glass eyes , they were killer top waters. My oldest son got lots of my old plugs and he'll pass em down to his daughters . They both fish too. I like David don't throw anything away as a rule , lures , rods , reels, nnnnnnnnnnnnothin... I have an appreciation for the vintage stuff and the older the better. ONe thing I use modern makes of though is spinning reels. They just can't be beat as far as I"m concerned.............

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

I don't "get rid" of fishing stuff. This is probably universal among fishermen. I may give something to someone, but it had to be broken beyond repair and a one off item before I'd toss it.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

And trees LOFR, I HAVE SEVERAL tackle boxes full of stuff just like that.

[Tony Livingston]

In my case, if it gets broke it goes in the trash unless spare parts are readily available new, and reasonably priced. When I upgrade equipment, the stuff I'm replacing gets handed down to someone who could use it, provided it works OK. If it doesn't, in the trash it goes. I feel there are many facets of this hobby, all lumped together under the term "fishing"...and that's a great thing. If everyone were exactly alike, and felt all the same way, it would be a pretty dull world.

In my particular case, I don't have as much time to devote to fishing as I used to. So to me, fishing is just that.......fishing. I envy those who derive enjoyment from the "precursor of fishing"......tying flies, rebuilding older equipment, collecting gear, etc.  I can't find the time for such endeavours, so I don't consider myself fishing unless my hands are wet....and when I do find time to fish, I want my gear to be ready to go, without any extra, added effort spent by me in preparing it. So I tend to prefer modern stuff....the supposed atest and greatest. I reckon that's my "precursor of fishing"........researching all the newest technologies, and giving them a try.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

"Upgrading" equipment, Tony?
Now there's a novel thought.
I haven't gotten new gear in, well, I don't know when.
Terminal tackle I purchase new, but the base equipment like rods reels, and so on, well... not so much.
But, I'm a "glass half full" guy. I enjoy every thing I get and unless it tears up beyond repair or is redundant, its probably gonna stick around.

[Tony Livingston]

I completely understand David. This is an area where I probably differ from 99% of the people here on BBG, in that I don't target any other kind of fish......these days, it's strictly Bluegill, or at least a Lepomid of some sort. When I decided to concentrate on BG, I gave away all my other gear......I personally don't own any gear heavier than ultralight, although I bought the boys some med. action stuff so they could tangle with the catfish and Hybrid Striped Bass. It's common to hear folks say "I don't care what I catch", but that isn't me. If I catch something other than a lepomid, it's probably by accident.

And while this may appear short-sighted to a lot of anglers, I find that it allows me to focus on gear made exclusively for the type of fishing I do. I believe fishing gear is a compromise of sorts, intended to appeal to as wide a user base as possible. Granted, there are different weights of rods and line, as well as sizes of terminal tackle and lures... but still there are necessary compromises. Case in point, my St. Croix panfish rods cater to crappie anglers, as well as trout enthusiasts. My years spent working in a mechanical field have convinced me that multi-use tools do SOME things pretty well, but can't do anything exceptionally well....To get this level of performance requires dedication to purpose, and sometimes that can be hard to find off the shelf, especially where older equipment is concerned. These days we are starting to see more species specific gear, or techniques that lend themselves to a particular fishing setup.  Having gear tailored to these particular methods has payed off for me, and I'm always willing to try something new in pursuit of the next biggest Bluegill......

[Lord of the Fly , Rods]

Tony, dont feel like the Lone Ranger, I too am species specific, but that dosent mean that that crappy or catfish that accidentally bit that cricket on my fly rod wont go in the cooler,I've been targeting bluegill as my main focus for the last 43 years except ocassionally when I get to trout fish in our World Class Trout rivers here in Arkansas, we do it cause we can ,but  I have a network of bluegill fishing buddies that test the waters each week and do a population sample so we know where and when to go to catch bluegill. I guess I'm getting crotchity in my old age because I only take the miminum amount of equipment   with me for my fly rod  and the only other people I allow to go with me I require them to use a fly rod also, even if I have to provide them with one, nothing is worse than 2 different fishing styles out of the same boat, my boat , my rules.  As for tackle ,I  may need some more #8 longshank hooks or some small sinkers for my porcupine quills  but I'm good when it comes to anything else. Look at my new box it's lot's easier to tote.   LOFR

[Ray Ditzenberger]

Yea, ....I upgrade periodicly... Most of my rods and reels and lures are only 30+ years old. I do have some new fly tackle that is only 3 or so years old. My new 9wt outfit is less than a year old. Good fly tackle today is much cheaper than it was back in the 70's. Most of the moderately priced saltwater stuff is much better than the high end stuff of yesteryear.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

I'm with you in that I am species specific. However, because the waters I am blessed with contain multiple species, I am also something of an opportunist.
I start with Lepomii, and often go no further. THIS is especially so when I've hit on a mess of red ear.

But it is not unusual for me to have a ready rig for something else nearby.

In the Spring, for example, it is very common for schools of baitfish to be in the areas I frequent. With them come several different "brawler" species, notably striped bass and large, but normally elusive, pickerel.
I'll have a medium heavy rig with me at those times, just in case one of these circuses should come close enough for some casting.