jasonseaward wrote:
Super naïve question.
Given that I only have experience fishing with modern spin reels (post 90's), how do these vintage reels fish in comparison to the modern ones?
Are they much heavier, less smooth, less distance with casting, etc.
I really like the looks, but curious about the application.
Thanks!
Jason
doug in co wrote:
...
no difference in casting, unless you have one of the the new reels with specially tuned spools available for long casts/braid, a la bulldog
viewtopic.php?f=33&t=71036&p=389127 ...
Doug called out kind of an extreme example with that big surf reel, but it also holds true with MH, ML, down to XUL - if you're matching a modern niche rod, especially fishing modern braid, and pushing your tackle to the limit, you'll appreciate the best of the modern reels.
Just this millennium, they applied computer design and manufacturing to drive and rotor balance, line management (how the drive and rotor fills the spool), spindle and rotor stiffness, and gear strength and precision, replacing trial-and-error, rule-of-thumb design. They continue to get get better at this with new generations.
The improving designs make them stand up better to hard fishing. If you've fished through otherwise very good reels of the'70s through the twenty-naughties by outclassing them with big fish over a decade or more use, you'll appreciate the designs of the new reels in your niches.
Something else to keep in mind: the spinning reel is the most complex piece of fishing tackle ever devised.
If you're matching up venerable glass rods, good-condition venerable spinning reels make the most sense here.
(Hopefully you can tell the difference between a light-use reel and one that has been fished-through.)
Fishing small water with light mono or fluoro, no extreme gamefish, there are great vintage reels that stand out, back to 1932 Hardy Altex.
The Shakespeares deserve their fan club, as do Penn, Mitchell, Cardinal, Luxor, and the Italian and German reels.
In these sizes, the weight is not going to make a noticeable difference. By the time you get to MH sizes, the weight difference becomes significant (in the rods, as well) - that doesn't change how cool it is to get a chance to fish them.
In big open water with a need to maximize cast distance with light lures, fish and strike lures at distance, you'll notice a difference there, as much in the rods as the reels.
Even the little Penn below has landed a few redfish and many nursery seatrout, and it probably holds up better at it than the same size Penn from the '90s, but neither one of them would fill a niche for full-time hard fishing.
They were designed by trial and error - some parts of the design improved in a generation change, and using an example, the next generation may have given up important stiffness, causing excess wear as a trial-and-error trade-off for lighter weight. If you compare the heavy Cardinals to the plastic-bodied reels Zebco derived from them in the '90s, the latter should simply be pitched, while the former has custom aftermarket parts made for them.
Some materials just weren't intended for wear and contact-stress applications - nylon, hello - even if it quieted the drive. (Ok, even a good condition low-use Mitchell will fish nicely in your light-use niche.)
Also don't get me wrong - you can find plenty of cost-cut-corners and weak spots in modern reels - I never met a Shimano factory line roller I like (I replace them with a better aftermarket design for my salt niches).
Some new bottom-end reels don't have a main drive bearing, but the die-cast main gear rides in a plastic "bushing" molded in the side plate, and I would rather fish the combo below in that targeted niche.
Maybe the way to look at it is a quality vintage reel and matching vintage glass can be a better buy than a new low-end reel aimed at light tackle. You'll have something worth keeping in the quality vintage tackle, and the same money in new tackle may just get you lighter weight, smooth function in disposable tackle.