Blast From The Past

Stewart 1971

Stewart 1971

Well-known member
Was mooching around in the garage at my mother's house the other week and standing in the corner was my first "proper" fishing rod. Brought it home with me and decided to take it out for a spin today:

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If I remember correctly I bought this off Jock Lindsay's son at the Seaham club in 1987 paying I think £50 for it. It's 11' 8" and has a 4' dural butt and a 7' 8" either carbon or semi-carbon tip. It's the rod I first learnt to cast on and I managed 183 yards at Rickleton field with the old Seaham casting club in 1989, 5oz and .35mm line.

Was great fun to use again, it stood up pretty well being used alongside my Primo Synchro though the ally butt made it a bit on the heavy side and 11' 8" feels very short to me nowadays. However if I can save the pennies I'm seriously thinking of getting it rebuilt, it is definitely a bit battered and bruised but hopefully a bit of TLC will see it brought back to it's true glory.
 
smashing to see that mate! after selling most of my rods over the past few
month im back to using my first ever proper rod aswell a DAM chevron surf which was probably past it when i bought it:D
using it as my second rod now and the same as you im thinking about getting
it rewhipped as most of the eyes have the old electric tape on them:D:D
 
Good stuff! I've got a bit of a soft spot for my old gear (what's left of it!). Sadly, the old Conoflexes are long gone, but I did find a couple of these in the Old Man's garage a few years back..

file_zpsb7d03da1.jpg


I've long toyed with getting some new rings (most of the old Fuji's have busted) but the stumbling block is how best to fix the reel on the old dural butt. None of the standard reel seats will fit, and I loathe having to use coasters, if I could even get any to fit. I did toy with the idea of fitting the clamps to my reels (those that have them) - may I ask how you got your reel on?

I still use the old Scarborough gear now and again too...

L1000248.jpg


here at Beadnell alongside a rather more modern Century!

Now all I need is to re-charge the old pit-lamp, grab the solid steel spike & find my leaky old basket, then lug the whole lot over the rocks like the good old days:D

Gary :)
 
It's still as it was when I bought it Gary. The 4' dural butt is covered in blue shrink wrap and there is a fuji reel seat glued in the high (a bit too high for good casting) position with those classy duplon grips either side.

Enjoyed using it, when the weather picks up think I'll strap a casting reel on and take it over the field for a proper work out :D
 
Ah, mine never had reel seats on - back in the day I used to use & regularly break those horrible old coasters (when I wasn't cutting my finger on the damn things!). I think the dural is 1 & 1/4" plus shrink tube, so I'll probably have to try and track down one of those old zip-lock type seats and see if that'll hold up.

I remember taking my new SC6 to a Sea Angler casting event on the Town Moor (only time I've ever cast over grass), must have been about 1981-ish, with my red Abu 7000 loaded with 20lb Maxima - this was then regarded as a "light-line" set-up as most fishing was done with the old Abu 12 / 9000 reels filled with the green commercial nylon from Cosalt's on the fish quay. First two casts went 172 & 174 yards, so with my eye firmly set on getting my 175 yard badge I promptly blew up my reel on my final cast, dropping it only 124 yards. So had to settle for a 150 badge instead:(

I'd like to get the SC6's sorted, just to see what's left in them; and if nothing else I might chop one down a bit to use in cramped locations...

Gary :)
 
g-force said:
Good stuff! I've got a bit of a soft spot for my old gear (what's left of it!). Sadly, the old Conoflexes are long gone, but I did find a couple of these in the Old Man's garage a few years back..

file_zpsb7d03da1.jpg


I've long toyed with getting some new rings (most of the old Fuji's have busted) but the stumbling block is how best to fix the reel on the old dural butt. None of the standard reel seats will fit, and I loathe having to use coasters, if I could even get any to fit. I did toy with the idea of fitting the clamps to my reels (those that have them) - may I ask how you got your reel on?

I still use the old Scarborough gear now and again too...

L1000248.jpg


here at Beadnell alongside a rather more modern Century!

Now all I need is to re-charge the old pit-lamp, grab the solid steel spike & find my leaky old basket, then lug the whole lot over the rocks like the good old days:D

Gary :)
Click to expand...
I remember that day at beadnell it was red hot
 
g-force said:
Ah, mine never had reel seats on - back in the day I used to use & regularly break those horrible old coasters (when I wasn't cutting my finger on the damn things!). I think the dural is 1 & 1/4" plus shrink tube, so I'll probably have to try and track down one of those old zip-lock type seats and see if that'll hold up.

I remember taking my new SC6 to a Sea Angler casting event on the Town Moor (only time I've ever cast over grass), must have been about 1981-ish, with my red Abu 7000 loaded with 20lb Maxima - this was then regarded as a "light-line" set-up as most fishing was done with the old Abu 12 / 9000 reels filled with the green commercial nylon from Cosalt's on the fish quay. First two casts went 172 & 174 yards, so with my eye firmly set on getting my 175 yard badge I promptly blew up my reel on my final cast, dropping it only 124 yards. So had to settle for a 150 badge instead:(

I'd like to get the SC6's sorted, just to see what's left in them; and if nothing else I might chop one down a bit to use in cramped locations...

Gary :)
Click to expand...

Get yourself some jubilee clips on it!
 
moocher said:
I remember that day at beadnell it was red hot
Click to expand...

Yes indeed mate - late May I think it was? A few scorched heads that day!

lambengland said:
Get yourself some jubilee clips on it!
Click to expand...

Tried them before and hated them even more than coasters! Lots of sharp edges & the damn things corrode so fast the reel becomes a permanent attachment to the rod!

fish fingers said:
gary i have a brand new 32mm reelseat you are more than welcome to it mate for nothing i do,nt no what size your butt is lol
Click to expand...

Thanks for the offer - I've just done my best to measure it with a ruler (don't have any callipers) and it looks very close to 30mm, so think I'll pop it down the tackle shop to see if one'll fit - if not I'll be in touch:thumbup:

Gary :)
 
super flick tip.

super flick tip.

I had one of these too,my best ever catch of 23 codling came on this rod winter86/87 if i remember rightly.Mine must have been the "posh" one,it had a composite butt rather than the ally one,alas it had an accident and was made into a boat rod,all be it very stiff.Anyway i will have a rumage around my mothers garage and with a bit of luck the butt section is still there,if it is its yours "stewart 1971"if its any use to you.
 
blast from the past

blast from the past

i love the old conoflex rods-my dural butt has got a bored out 30mm reel seat fixed in position.so i changed the butt after i called conoflex and got the spigot measurements and they sent me an off cut out
 
g-force said:
Good stuff! I've got a bit of a soft spot for my old gear (what's left of it!). Sadly, the old Conoflexes are long gone, but I did find a couple of these in the Old Man's garage a few years back..

file_zpsb7d03da1.jpg


I've long toyed with getting some new rings (most of the old Fuji's have busted) but the stumbling block is how best to fix the reel on the old dural butt. None of the standard reel seats will fit, and I loathe having to use coasters, if I could even get any to fit. I did toy with the idea of fitting the clamps to my reels (those that have them) - may I ask how you got your reel on?

I still use the old Scarborough gear now and again too...

L1000248.jpg


here at Beadnell alongside a rather more modern Century!

Now all I need is to re-charge the old pit-lamp, grab the solid steel spike & find my leaky old basket, then lug the whole lot over the rocks like the good old days:D

Gary :)
Click to expand...

Still got mine as well Gary, although I chopped a foot off the dural butt not long after I got it and it felt a better rod to me.

I've still got the tip section of my Zziplex Dream Machine somewhere as well - still the best rod I've ever used.
 
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