# Old School "Low Tech"



## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

The recent threads on retrofitting old reels were very interesting to me...but sometimes old school can be a joy in and of itself.

My first fly rod was an original "quad" pan fish fly rod. They didn't actually start calling it quad until recent times, I believe, when bamboo quads became a rage at very outrageous prices. Its four sided and about 7 ft and very limber...which makes it an ideal small waters rod for 'gills and bass...and that is what I use it for, still.

The reel is an original Shakespeare 1836 silent "T ru-ar T" as in true automatic art. It works just like it did when I purchased it as a very young lad many years ago. If you've never seen one, it automatically retrieves your fly line at the push of the lever you see in the first picture. It works off a simple spring mechanism, much like a wrist watch, and is effective...but fish should be played by hand stripping rather than on the reel. The reel is basically a line storage and retrieval mechanism.

Its old tech for sure, but still a joy to fish with and reminds me every time I use it of the essence of fly fishing....feathers, line, and pole.


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## Bruce J (Jun 27, 2004)

I've got one too. Haven't fished with it for, oh, 45 years or so! I think I had mine on an old white Sears rod, but I lost that a long time ago. Thanks for the flashback, and it's good to know that at least one is back in use!


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## Ready.Fire.Aim (Sep 22, 2009)

Thanks for sharing sir, that is 2Cool. I also love to fly fish for perch and bass. I always wanted to try an automatic reel and probably will after reading your post. 

My wife bought me a good fiberglass fly rod as a wedding present 29 years ago. I bought her what she truly wanted being a mature woman at 21 years old, her very own nice sewing machine. LOL, we both worked hard, saved and paid cash for each other's gifts, no easy credit cards back then. She still sews almost every other day on one of her 4 Bernina machines, much more than I fish! 

I still routinely use my wedding gift fly rod and reel for sentimental reasons. It brings back a flood of good memories even if I don't get a single rise. 

RFA


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