the fishing poles that my dad left me were still set up the way he used them (one 6" leader drop down about a foot another 6" leader and a little over a foot down from that a huge triangle shape sinker), i didnt want to change anything on them at first because they were done by him, but they were worn out. i havent measured the length but they are about 7-9 feet in length, one is shorter than the other one. the reels are large and round with a release lever on the side and i have no clue who they are made by.

after my dad died from cancer in 2004 they stayed in the garage and about a month ago i walked past them and it was like they were calling my name, my dad must have wanted to go fishing. well these fishing poles are old and in need of some repair around the eyes, but are in great shape other than that. i would really like to know what kind of rod and reels they are. anyway first night out with these poles and i baited the first one and couldnt even get the other one baited and i had a cat on the line. it had been a year since i had caught a fish ( and not for lack of trying)anyway i caught 9 catfish that night it was awesome.

i still cant cast them very well and every now and them i backlash them pretty good any tips on that would be appreciated also. i want to take a picture of them and if anyone could give me any info on them that would be greatly appreciated.

this is an awesome forum and i am very excited about how my future fishing trips will be, now if i could just get my husband to be more patient while we're fihing, if not he may go over board next time.

about the guide, i just dont have the extra cash for it or i would certainly do that. and may try in the near future.

for now im just trying to get a better understanding of a few things.. thanks for the info on the guide i will definately keep it in mind.

Sounds like they could be Penn reels, but I'm sure some others made reels with a lever release. Yes, they are hard to cast, we used them offshore and drift fished with them. Just payed the line out and the current kept it tight. You got to be pretty good to cast one. I got decent with a Penn Squider once, but no level wind on them. That is what made them good for surf fishing. If that is what you have, do not get rid of them (not that you would, since they have sentimental value), but are getting more and more rare. The long rods and big arbor reels were for long casts. Get good at it and you most definitely should be able to fish Fairfield with them. For the giants!

Look for a reel maker name and model number on one of the end plates of the reel and post them here. Somebody probably has experience with them. Look for that and report back with the reel maker name and model number.

Did your Dad keep the reel box, if so it might have a owner manual in it? If you find this information you can go to the manufacturers website to see if you can download an original owners manual, which can teach you how to control that reel during a cast. If they are too old you will not find a manual there.

Look to see if there is a star shaped handle just below the crank handle or a metal capped button right in the center of the reel crank side end cap. These are typically casting tension and drag adjustment devices.

That pyramid weight sharp corners will hang up in the stump and roots on the bottom of Fairfield and needs to be changed out for one with rounded corners. The sharp cornered weights work better in running waters. You can buy tear drop shaped weights or silver dollar size round shapes that look like dough nuts without a hole in them at most good tackle stores. The tear shape is best to get your casting technique down. I do not know of a good tackle stores near you. Academy (Garland or Arlington) Sports Authority in Cedar Hill, Bass ProShop (of Garland or Grapevine), Gander Mountain in Corsicana or Cabelas in North Fort Worth should have these kinds of weights. A super Walmart in Wax, or Midlo. might have some. Been many a year since I ventured over to Grand Prairie. AAA had a quality store on Jefferson or Davis? in GP years ago. There used to be a minor tackle store inside the Joe Pool Cedar Hill and Lynn Creek State Park Marinas.

Written on most rod shafts 1-3 inches above the handle your rods probably have a brand name, length, plug weight maximum, it handless and there may be a line strength. You can use weight up to what the rod is designed for. Buy a pair of weights about as heavy as the pyramid you are taking off, so if you cannot read a weight on it, for comparisons take that weight with you to the store. Buy another pair either 50% heavier or lighter. Do not exceed the rod's maximum weight as you buy this second pair. If you already have the maximum rod weight in the pyramid buy the second pair half that weight.

Get a tear shaped or dollar shaped weight to attach to the poles for casting practice, and another about half as big and or half size bigger. (I you need help with knots, click here and here, use a Palomar knot.

Find a clean surface 50-100 yard long field you can practice casting in, unpaved, the more grass the better or better yet a body of water with a smooth bottom (not a rock pile or concrete bottom surface). If you practice casting long enough sooner or later the line will become nicked and break. A loosed 2-3 oz weight will fly a country mile. Just in case that weight could come loose, make sure there are no Houses or people down field of your casting alley.

For your remberance of your Dad and his fishing skills he probably tied that knot on the current line, you want use a nail clipper to carefully cut it off and keep it. Tie that new heaviest tear drop shaped weight on the current line.

With the rod tip held at an upward angle, casting hand thumb tension upon the spool, now punch the release button, ease up on your thumb to see if the weight and line starts to drop. Adjust the spool tension device clockwise if the weight drops easily, or the opposite direction until it drops slowly. At the near perfect tension you might have to shake the rod tip slightly to get the line and weight to start spooling out. You might need to refine this adjustment when the weight you are using changes or you add the weight of some bait or the reel gets warmer or cooler than the last time it was adjusted.

This adjustment tightness helps prevent birds nets or backlash along with some slight thumb pressure as the line spools runs out will minimize your overcasts. (Even the pros do "line inventory checks" now and then) The reel provides the constant tension that you adjusted it to. Your thumb pressure does the rest of the fine tuning. A cast starts with good thumb pressure and ends with increasing thumb pressure. Your thumb should slightly feel the spool surface passing by it during the middle of the cast.

Take your whole rig(s) to that grassy field (paved or rocky ground would put nicks in your line) and cast over your shoulder until you get the feel for that size weight. Side arm casting practice is not allowed. With side arm casting sooner or later you will miss the release point and hurt somebody in a boat or along a shoreline by sticking a weight and/or hook in them. A 2-3oz weight makes a bad bruise at best and holes at worst. Besides it is much harder to hit a target casting sidearm.

Each time crank this weight to a consistent distance from the rod tip, about 18" is best for me. Start the cast by pointing the tip at the intended target line, take the tip straight back over your shoulder, feel (sense) the weight turn back there and then cast forward back down that same direction. You can use your other hand on the lower handle below your reel controlling hand. During the cast the place where you ease up on your thumb spool tension dictates the release point, it will likely be just forward or behind your shoulder top.

The release point (the place in the forward motion of your casting hand) where your thumb pressure eases up enough to release line can be too soon (weight and line makes a giant vertical arch) or too late (weight and line thuds to the ground nearer your feet). Recheck the tension adjustment once or twice after the brakes are warmed up. Keep changing your release point until you get the maximum casting distance for that weight of tackle attached to your line.

Good casting is a whipping action. Depending upon the rod strength (heavy, Med. Hvy or Med. Lt.) relative to the weights you have on the line the rod tip can and should bend (bow) as you bring the rod forward during the cast. Most of the bow should happen behind your shoulder. You might need good thumb pressure and rod tip speed to make this bow happen. As long as you are using a weight equal too or less than the rod is rated for you cannot break the rod in this bowing action. Keep practicing until you get the release point and thumb pressure timing down.

Now, change to that other weight 50% more or less and re-adjust the spool tension again and practice casting with that weight until you have that release point mastered.

When you are done reinstall the original weight for your next fishing trip, readjust, and cast it a few times to make sure its ready for your fishing trip. If you hang significant extra bait weight on the hook re-adjust that tension again.

PS how old is the line? Is it a clear plastic or thread like? If it is a clear plastic and several years old and seen any sunlight you are going to need to change it for fresh line before you go after strong fish like red fish or big cats. If so, buy some fresh line while you are buying the weights. Most reels somewhere on their case tell you how many yards of the various strengths (test)or line diameter it will hold. Buy enough in one spool to fully load each reel without a slice. If you want to fish for reds buy at least 30lb test line. Ande is my preferred brand, others like Berkley Big Game. Ande even makes a pink colored line you ladies might like. Only the higher quality fishing departments are going to stock Ande brand. Walmart probably does not offer Ande they should have the Berkley, but the rest I mentioned probably will stock Ande. Change to this new line AFTER you have nicked up the old line perfecting your casting technique, then try casting the new line a few times. The line packages usually have knot tying suggestions and diagrams in them.

Try all this and report back with reel and rod makers, models and the rod length and strength information.

That was really nice of you Don to take the time to pass her that info.

No big thing.

Hubby needs the real assitance, he has no idea what he is missing and to have the potential pleasure of sharing it with his love one is priceless.

thanks I will try those casting tricks soon, as for the knots I've hit that covered that is the one thing that stuck with me since my dad showed me when I was a kid. I'm the one who always gets all the poles ready because mo one else can do it.

yeah the line is pretty old, but it was kept indoors. I'm going to give them a overhaul tomorrow, one of the eyes needs to be re-attatched as well.


thank you for the time you put into that post it was very informative, will let you know the progress. by the way they have a star shape behind the crank (the tension adjustment).

I bought a cast net yesterday and I'm going to try this weekend at bardwell lake.

i almost forgot but, my dad bought these fishing poles at a yard sale in oklahoma somewhere (some people dont know what they are selling for 5 bucks) anyway he was real excited about his yard sale find.

You misunderstood that star wheel is probably the drag adjustment, not the free spool tension. Look under it for that center cap.

To know for sure we need to know th reel Brand, and model number. Also the rod maker name, rod name, rod strength label?

If that line saw an appreciable amount of Ultrviolet light is will be damaged. Some UV gets through windows.

You will find some lawn cast netting practice useful before you go to Bardwell. step up on something about as high as your boat stands above the water.

will do, when i get the poles out tomorrow i will check them for a name and free spool tension. im going to completely re-do eveything on them so i start fress. will practice the net too, that should be interesting.

how to throw a net video link

30 # is extreme I think. The heavier the line the less distance you will get with your cast. Jackie was using 20# ande w/ a short leader. I used to use 17# that I could pull a boat with. Use what ever you feel like, but when you get hung up it's easier to break or cut that lighter line. I've seen some huge fish caught on 12# test and 6 foot rods.

Jackie also uses special purpose 9 ft rods that will flex especially well and absorb significant shock loadings. He also uses first rate drags on Abu reels. I fish similar length spinning rods.

I pushed the limit for 20# test braid for my 36# record fish, using a quality drag reel, and we had that fight in open water so I did not have to worry about rubbing on obstructions other than the boat and the two motors. I also used my trolling motor to recover some line more than once. It is my opinion 20# test braided line is bearly good enough for my future day with McGilla+ provided I have a quality drag system and a flexible but strong rod. I have since upgrade my rod strength/quality as well.

Plenty of big reds have been lost trying to use 20# test line. At least one time per trip I pull up the remnant long pieces of lines with weights and bare hooks on them. A lot of that line is heavier than even 30# test. We also drag up an average of 3-4 whole rod assemblies a year, most of them with a long broken off line played out of their reels.

Until we know for sure about; her skill level, the reel drag quality or the rod stiffness I playing this like she has a 6 or 7 foot long heavy duty "boat" rod that is not going to be able to absorb much of a hard run or strike.

Without knowing she has both a quality drag and a flexible long enough rod and the skill for a good fight I believe 30# Ande is a safer bet for both cat and red fishing. Remember she is trying to catch her very first red of any size so, 30# gives her some newbie skill and used tackle insurance.

Casting distance and line strength are always a trade of. When, not if, she gets hook up with her first Red it will probably be the strongest fight of her fishing life. So I'm setting her up to come to that fight well armed. By the way, Reds can be caught directly under a well placed but very quiet boat, casting distance would not be required for that fishing.

Well said Don, i think you hit the nail on the head. However I think you forgot one key component to her arsenal that must be specified...What flavor of beverage will she be consuming when fishing for reds? In my time fishing and catching freight trains at fairfield i have found that Red fish prefer imports like Tecate and Corona instead of domestics...

There are some, not naming names mind you, that say flavors other than indigneous shad or Tilapia will not attract reds. I can show you pictures of reds caught using Bang Garlic, Shad, Crawfish or their Combo, put on Wave Worm, 4" Tiki sticks. That combo will have reds eating that preflavored soft plastic bait. Been there, done that, proved it and own both their Tee shirt and their hat. Never drank the stuff though.

Drinking while fishing for me requires a third hand and I have not found somebody stupid enough to put down their rod to lend me their third hand. The beer chaser is optional, but you better not make any noise in that cooler or rattle the can or bottle in my boat.

PS to all, while on park land- no visible alcohol containers! In moderation on the water is OK.