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#Post#: 124--------------------------------------------------
It wasn't my first
DIR By: DutchFisher
Date: August 12, 2020, 3:18 am
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Nope, that was the ACE 200. A very common spinningreel that my
parents sold in their tackleshop. So i was very used to look at
it and even get it from the wall to sort of play with it for a
while. There wasn.t real pride in that one once i had it on my
own rod. I worked for it so i earned it. The rod broke at te
first day i fished with it. It was an aluminium rod, allmost
like a antenna from an old car. Ofcoars it broke when a zander
of aboud 2 ft took my bait. But i reeled it in anyway so that is
what i was proud of.
But the second reel: That's what is story is realy about.
My father was sort of cleaning up his fishinggear. It still
amazes me how much stuff he had. Rods in the dozen, reels double
of that, floats of all kinds, and ofcoars lures because he was a
fanatic on catching pike and zander. As he was going to his
stuff i got some of his older material. I still have a ABU lure
thats even older than me. A float i lost during a fishingtrip.
But this red rod with an alien system as a reel on it had my
interest for years now. It was his Browning 63 LH in a white/red
color so a very early one. I wasn't allowed to touch it so
fishing with it was totally out of the question. Even doagh my
father didn't use it himself.
I was about 13 years when i got it from him. Man was i proud to
own it and be able to go out fishing with it. What would my
friends say. No one i knew had a rod like this. I wept when i
dropped it and a small damage on the reel was a result. But
nothing was broken. Allmost every day i went out to atleast trow
out a couple of casts and try to find a small bass. Most of them
where 10-15 cm, les than 1/2 a ft. Some bigger but i think the
biggest was around 25-30 cm. The rod was like a part of my arm
and i could ecactly get my lure (spinner mostly) where i wanted
it. Even under a small overgrow or obstacle. Untill i was about
18-19 i fished almoost every day but after that i had other
things that needed to be done. But atleast once or twice a month
i would be looking for bass or zander.
And then something bad happened. At about 30 allmost all of my
fishinggear was stolen. I only had my Hardy Benelux and some ABU
305 left and some of the old lures just because i kept those at
a diffirent location at that time. But my priceless Browning was
gone. I had reason to think who could have done it but without
proof there is nothing to do about it.
For years i went looking for it at marketplaces and fairs and so
on. Now i discovered that because of no one knew or even heard
about it was super interesting back in the years but a problem
now. Ofcoars there where no picturres of it. And i am bad in
remembering names. So i couldn't tell the brand. Thoaght it was
Bronco and when the internet came the only hits i got at my
search where cars of that brand. After some years i started to
forget about it and even stopped fishing for years but the
Browning was never totally forgotten.
In The Netherlands we have marktplaats.nl It is some sort of
ebay for the Dutch en Belgium market. I looked at it for the so
manyest time looking out for some older lures. Because i was
building up a collection of vintage fishing material again.
Again i tryed to look for Bronco but not the hits i wished for.
Then i saw some spinners i used to often fish with. I contacted
the seller, we came to an agreement and he sent me his name and
banknumber so i could pay. That name was familiar to me. This
man could be the person that had a tacklestore aswell. I asked
him and he confirmed. So we chatted a couple of messages and
then it came to me. Bronco? Wasn't is Bronson? So i emediately
looked for Bronson reels at the internet. That's how i found
ORCA. And browsing trough their site i found a picture in a
folder! MAN, for the first time in about 24 years i saw a
Bronson 63 as an immage. SO i contacted ORCA, told them my story
and i got an account there. I asked if someone knew a 63 Left
Handed (LH) and got the advice to look for it on e-bay. It's so
much easier knowing the brand/type!
As soon as i looked on e-bay i found at least about 5
advertisements of Bronco 63. And i found out that there were
more types of it. Mine, was red/white but later came a red/black
version. And there even was a 66 green version. And a gold one.
Some rods where battered, some reels where battered, but one set
was very complete. The combo had diffirent rodtips, the case and
even some folders with it! Unlucky the seller who i contacted
immediately wasn't willing or able to ship it to The Netherlands
and sold it to someonde in Canada.
But another one was for sale in Germany. The price looked
reasenable so i baught it! And some week or so later it was
delivered to my house. At last, i had a Bronson 63 red/white
again. The advertisement didn't tell about the technical
faillure in the mechanism but i couldn/t care less. I had it,
and i would be able to repair it i suppose.
[attachimg=1]
That morning i made a picture of it and sent in via Whatsapp to
my fishingfriends. Now i could show them what is had been asking
and talking about all those years. Still in the mood and emotion
of finding it i went to the local tackleshop where i come for
many years now. The owner saw me but was bussy with a costumer.
We normaly drink a cup of coffe when i am there and i had nod
visitted him for a couple of years now. So i understood what he
ment when he mimed drinking coffee. I looked in the shelfs to
see what new lures where on the market nowadays and thaught that
some would catch more fisherman than fish ;-) Than it happened:
Without any reason i lokked up. And ther, above the shells,
under the seeling was a blue rod hanging with a Bronson 63
red/white LF under it. I could not believe my eyes. It wasn't my
rod for sure. But that reel lokked so familiair to me. I took
another look at it and without any doubt i saw my own Browning!
The dammage from when i dropped it was still there and i knew it
like a pinguinmom would looking for her child.
When the shopowner was ready he came to me. I was a bit shook up
and said i had to talk to him first. I pointed at the combo
above us and asked him: Did you get it from so and so a person?
He said yes. Then i told him he wouldn't believe what i was
going to show him, the appmessage of that morning. I told him
what happened and without thinking he took a ladder (stairs) and
took it from the seeling to give it to me. It wasn't my rod and
the shopowner told me that was broken and thisone was put on
later.
[attachimg=2]
I left without the things i came for but with the prommisse to
compensate him with material from my collection. At home my wife
was in the garden and saw something was 'wrong' with me. I told
her what just happened and tears where running over my cheaks.
For that moment i was i young boy of 13 again. You must
understand that reel STANDS FOR my youth. That night i was kept
awake by memory's, exitement and emotion.
The next day i went back to the shop to deliver some materials.
A couple of early rods and some reels made the owner very exited
and he emadiately started to give them a nice spot in his shop.
Some of it is on the seeling allready. waiting to telle story's
to people who look up every now and then ;-)
My reel is working well but someone glued the cap to the reel. I
think with 2 components so i will be looking out for a way to
remove that. Perhaps bij warming it with a hotairgun? But not
sure of more dammage especially on the paint. And someone did a
very bad job on replacing the rod. I took it of because it was
to disturbing to let it sit there. The whole part of the front
handle is missing, probbebly been cut off.
[attachimg=3]
For now i took the reel of the handle and placed it on the rod i
baught via e-bay. I have some new line on it and it is ready to
go fishing. Some of these days soon i wil go out and if a zander
grabs my bait my story will be complete again.
Well, not yet. I have some questions about repairs to be made.
Hopefully some people here can help me out with tips and tricks.
But about that i will start another topic when i have more time.
This finding happened in the last couple of weeks. I am 54 now.
Enjoy what you do!
Kind regards, Leo/DutchFisher
#Post#: 126--------------------------------------------------
Re: It wasn't my first
DIR By: nomdeplume57
Date: August 12, 2020, 11:41 am
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Great Story and thanks for sharing it here.
Seems like your old Reel was calling out to you to LOOK UP
!!!!!!!
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