What was your first real fishing reel ?

[cwlongshot]

Mitchell 308 & 300 spooled with Royal Bonnell brown monofilament line. I still have the 308, the 300 was destroyed many years ago.

CW

[Grmps]

A 2"x8" piece of bamboo you wrap the line around fed through a metal eye tied on a bamboo pole.

[Yooper003]

The first open face spinning reel I seen.it was called a spin joy cost $3:95 but that was 1953 price.next was arex vagabond

[Traffer]

Mitchell 308 & 300 spooled with Royal Bonnell brown monofilament line. I still have the 308, the 300 was destroyed many years ago.

CW

Always used to use Royal Bonnell. Very strong stuff for the diameter. It did twist up easily though. I caught a 23 lb Chinook Salmon on 8 lb Royall Bonnell and my Shakespere 2062 from shore. It was like hooking my line to the hitch on a truck. I just cranked the drag down until the tip sat on the back of my hand and watched as he pulled out almost all of my 300+ yards of line. Finally cranked the drag so it wouldn't let line out and winched him in. Amazed that nothing broke. Here is the pic (1970 or 1971)Attachment 224746
Cant seem to get rid of that wrong pic. That was me after a near fatal accident. In 1987. Spent almost 5 years on crutches.

[Traffer]

The first open face spinning reel I seen.it was called a spin joy cost $3:95 but that was 1953 price.next was arex vagabond

Many people around here collect old fishing stuff. Your reel may be worth some good bucks now. I used to have a reel that my grandpa gave me in 1957 when they moved to CA. It was a very simple reel with a spool that could be rotated so the open end was facing a hole in a shroud, like a modern spincast. It was made well before monofilament probably in the 30's or 40's but it worked by free spooling line like a modern reel. The problem with it was that the retrieve ratio was horrible. Only one revolution per crank which was about 7" so it was worthless for most fishing. I can't remember if I ever actually tried it out. Probably would have used either fly line or casting rod line.

[twidpa]

Penn 209 bought with money from selling tomatoes. 6 years old.
T

[Petander]

Abumatic 110, I got it in -74 when I was 11.

Got a pike with it today. Made a good soup.

[Tom W.]

I bought a Penn Beachmaster when I lived in Camp LeJeune as a kid. When we moved to upstate NY I bought a D.A.M. Quick spinning reel. I used that for many years. Here in Alabama I joined the local Bass Club and bought a used Ambassador from a member.

[Butler Ford]

Johnson Century 100 then a Mitchel 300

[Thomas Creek]

My dad gave me a Penn "squidder" about 60 years ago. Still have and it landed lots of fish.

[Eddie Southgate]

Pfluger Skill Cast on a South Bend 5' solid glass rod . Cost $7.00 nib , still got it and still use it although the rod burned up in a house fire in the 80's.

Eddie

[ShooterAZ]

Mine was a Mitchell 300, I still have it too. As a kid I used to ride my bike from Cerritos to the Seal Beach with it to catch Bonito from the pier. What a blast those things are to catch on light tackle! Brings back old memories for sure.

[David todd]

I have a collection of reels among them my first baitcaster (Shakespeare) and my first fly reel
( Heddon) although I was always amazed by my father’s Phflugaer Summit ,
It was the reel that got me collecting them , the engraving and craftsmanship on them is stunning!
David

[Art in Colorado]

When I was 17 I purchased a Garcia Mitchel 300 made in France. Now 58 years later still have it and it is still going strong. From what I understand the French invented spin fishing. Not real sure if that iis correct.

[Winger Ed.]

Zebco 202.

There was several bass that it wiped that smile right off their faces.

[Buzz Krumhunger]

Pflueger Medalist fly reel

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Dropped my Johnson overboard when I was 8 (rolled off of a Duluth pack). My dad still reminds me of this on a regular basis. It's in the first bay on SW corner of Sunday Lake in Ontario if anyone wants to look for it!

[Elroy]

My Dad loved the OLD Zebco 33,and that's about all we ever used.I am not into fishing like I was when young,but Dad never lost interest in it.

[PaperPuncher]

Zebco 202 combo was my first rod & reel set-up my parents got me after I ditched the red bamboo pole. The first reel I bought with my own money from my first job was an Abu Garcia Cardinal 755 with a Shakespeare Ugly Stik.

[luckyday]

Zebco Spinner 44 closed face spinning reel and I think the rod was a Garcia Conolon spinning rod.