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My cell phone rings and a friend of mind, asks,
“You available to fish with me come Thursday?” Well of course, I
was up for that, and asked where he wanted to fish. He explained
he wanted to fish a section of a creek that he hasn’t “been on”
in a long time. Together we’ve fished other sections of this
same stream, but this section was new to me altogether, so I was
even more than interested. “And” he said “it’s a keeper stream,
so I’m going to be floating a worm.” Then he chuckled. |
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When I hear “keeper” stream, and “I’m floating a worm” that to me means,
spinning rod! Yeah, spinning rod. Keeper streams, for the most part,
are pretty predictable regarding where the trout are and will be
because; the state is in control of stocking those streams. Most of the
fish are near the road, especially bridges and rarely are they stocked
farther up or down a stream. I like to run a spinner or lure through the
“holes” because most “keeper” streams are usually fished using baits.
Spinners and lures are something the trout may not have seen as many of
and are curious. Even if they don’t take the offering they many times
will follow it, giving you a chance to know they're close. For me,
releasing trout off a spinner or lure is easier. I then told him, “Go
ahead and float your worms and I’ll swim metal and we’ll see what
happens.”
I
have a trusty “fishing closet” where most of my stuff is stored, and
from there I got my “good old” spinning rod, a small box I have
containing my hand picked spinners and tiny crank baits, and laid them
out for Thursday morning. I have been fishing this rod and reel for what
now seem like f-o-r-e-v-e-r!! Thursday came and we had a great day. The
sun finally warmed us after burning off a morning fog and we found fish,
here and there throughout the morning. My “good old” spinning rod did
its thing ........... again.
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As
I was driving home after the morning outing, I got to thinking about
that rod and reel and I remembered, once upon a time, when that rod and
reel wasn’t so old. I was dating this young lady, back then, and got to
know her folks pretty well while doing so. One day, while talking
fishing with her dad he said, “I have this rod I’ve never used and
probably won’t. It’s yours if you want it”. He offered up a Fenwick FS50
5 foot fiberglass-spinning rod that came in a brown colored triangular
tube with white caps. I was tickled pink and thanked him several times.
Over the years that became my favorite rod and, as you can imagine, that
Fenwick rod outlasted the relationship I had with his daughter.
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Interestingly enough, at the same time, I was coaching soccer and
at a banquet dinner, held for the team, I was presented with a
coach’s gift. Seems one of the dad’s worked for one of the
outdoor companies, so the kids, were able to “give” me a Shimano
"Mark I" spinning reel. What a great gift. When I got home I
married that Fenwick rod to the Shimano reel and that was the
start of one of the best combo’s I ever owned. Many a tough
battle has been waged between me and trout and few trout have
won. Oh, by the way, they both have outlasted my coaching
career, too. |
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Everyday we’re bombarded with advertising talking about “this great new
product”. How do we know what is great or not when it’s new? Time is the
best test of greatness. Few products will last and fewer still can
withstand the torture and abuse we put our equipment through in the
course of our fishing adventures.
Over the years I have owned several different rods and reels. Some I
liked and some I didn’t. Some failed while fishing, breaking easily it
seemed, while others withstood tremendous strain. I’ve had reels that
had to be replaced unable to make it through a season. Sure there are
those accidents where you slam a car door on your rod for example, but I
don’t count those. I look for equipment that won’t fail during the most
crucial times, when fighting a fish or after the gazillion and one
casts.
I’ve come to believe in those two pieces of equipment and when I’m
shopping for something new in the spinning world of fishing I can’t help
but to look for similar products manufactured by Shimano and Fenwick.
The simple truth is that their equipment has lasted. I fish a lot, as
you can imagine, and to think I can still use equipment as old as those
pieces with flawless performance is saying something.
So
next time you’re in the market for new equipment, stop and take a look
at your old equipment, and think about what has lasted and what has not.
Ask a few friends what their experience has been and use that
information to help you decide on what is your next purchase should be.
Unlike many products we buy today that don’t last very long, you can’t
afford to have your fishing equipment fail you; it could be the
ruinations of your trip. Quality will always come at a price, so ask
yourself, what are you prepared to pay and what manufactures are you
willing to trust.
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