Favorite Long out of Production Rod?

[poppa del]

My favorite out of production rods were the shimano magnumlite fightin rods,spinning and casting rods.I still have a half dozen or so from 5ft 6in. to 6ft 6in. in both spinning and casting.(some have never been used) I also loved the shimano v rods made in the loomis factory the first year shimano bought loomis rods. I have a half dozen of these casting rods still in my rack ,from 6ft.to 6ft.6in. They are extremely light and sensitive. I am sure they are made from Loomis blanks but I dont know which one. These were expensive rods in the mid 90's(200.00) there is no telling what they would cost today.

[dragon1]

My favorite out of production rods were the shimano magnumlite fightin rods,spinning and casting rods.I still have a half dozen or so from 5ft 6in. to 6ft 6in. in both spinning and casting.(some have never been used) I also loved the shimano v rods made in the loomis factory the first year shimano bought loomis rods. I have a half dozen of these casting rods still in my rack ,from 6ft.to 6ft.6in. They are extremely light and sensitive. I am sure they are made from Loomis blanks but I dont know which one. These were expensive rods in the mid 90's(200.00) there is no telling what they would cost today.

Great rods...I had a 6'6" MHF spinning with the fatter but area paired to a Daiwa !! If these rods were about $200 in the mid-90s then they were priced above the GL3 and below the IMX...these rods would likely be the same or less today vs the GL3 and IMX. If the Fightin' Rod made a comeback, Shimano would likely build he fightin' rod overseas to keep the pricing down.

I think it would be a wise decision for Shimano to bring this "namesake" back.

[mhood]

This one:

Series_One-1.jpg (34.6 KiB) Viewed 6782 times

Series_One-2.jpg (33.39 KiB) Viewed 6782 times

[dragon1]

Marc, you are a riot man!

Luv it dude!

I never had a chance to own an original or any Series One for that matter...I know that the original ones were and are still held in high esteem.

[CALL ME RIFLE]

This one:

Series_One-1.jpg

Series_One-2.jpg

NICE,
You sure dont see those too often..I only have one of the very first original series one rods,like yours,with the "zebra foam" handle (which I know is not correct terminology per se,but that is what I've always called it)...actually picked it up about 2 years ago.Walked into a local "this n that" type of store-had all kinds of kooky garbage for sale,from used lawn mowers to wood carvings,even had vintage gumby toys and a custom Harley in the place..Eclectic is the word I'm looking for..lol and lo and behold,what did I see hanging upon the wall,brand new,still in the plastic overwrap bag?Yep,one of those bad boys.Spinning rod,brand spankin new.Fella said it had been there for about 30 years,and it was still for sale at the original price of about 50 bucks.I tried to contain my enthusiasm until after the transaction was sealed,and barely managed to do so.She now hangs on my wall-yet unused..

[Gulfcoastwader]

I love the Berkley Series One discussions. I was just getting started when they were out, and I have never handled one (unlike the rods I listed earlier - in fact I finally got to own my Holy Grail -- the GLX 905X). I have a hazy memory of them - only seeing them in a few ads in fishing magazines. At the time I kind of considered the Series Ones the ultimate rods. If I run across a excellent one I too may have to start a Series One collection.

[spookybaits]

1st generation Allstar Zell Rowland topwater special. I'm down to my last one and when it dies I'll never throw another topwater bait again . Not really, but I will have a floating funeral procession on Lake Hartwell, where it will be buried on my favorite shoal. Instead of flowers we'll throw spooks

[smalljaw]

Not super old, but one of my favorites was my first "decent" rod - a Mitchell Fulcrum 6'6" MH from Wal-Mart. Split grip and counter balanced before split grips were so popular. Pretty good rod for the money. Still have the blank, thinking of rebuilding it.

I have the same Fulcrum rod, grey blank and grey foam split grip, 6'6" MH, it was the best jig rod I had used up to that time and it is still in my old rod rack with an Okuma Induron 150 reel on it. The best rod I ever used for crankbaits is 30 years old now and broke on me when I moved back in 2002, it was a 1980 Shakespear Honey Stick, I used to fish the Rebel humpy and the Heddon luck 13 on that rod and I don't think I ever lost a fish hook on that rod, even with the lousy hooks, I've had fish break off but never come unbuttoned using that rod, time does fly.

[pharmboy2010]

My Fulcrum was a newer model. It was a black blank with split cork handle. Got in in the late '90s.

[WVU Fan]

I used to have a Browning "Jim Bitter" rod. It was maybe 5 1/2 or 6 feet long. It had a molded pistol grip that I've not seen on any other rod. This rod was perfect for small jerkbaits and crankbaits and close quarter casting. I didn't cry when it snapped in half, but the pre-cry lump was in my throat.

Champion made some decent rods back in the day, too.

[nazareno]

hello friends. Did anyone knows how can i get the shimano beastmaster BE 1654 and speedmaster SM1654 by these days...??
I really need help.... mail me at m.alpizar25@gmail.com

[Bronzeye]

Two rods that I bought for less than $20 new back in the '80s:

Shimano Bantam Graphite C 5'6" pistol grip; its slow action is great for placing lures exactly where I want and for keeping hooked fish pinned, and its short length helps sling lures under overhanging branches. I've caught more surface-plug bass on this rod than on any other.

Daiwa Apollo 5' ultralight. Had cheap double-ring ceramic guides (remember those?), but what I loved about it was that the blank bent right through the reel seat. With a four-pound fish on the other end, the rod felt like a living thing. Biggest catch on it was a 20-lb. carp.

Also loved a Shimano Magnumlite spinning rod and Daiwa's Tony Bean Smallmouth rod, though the latter was quite tip-heavy for a 6' rod.

I lusted after the original Series One rods, but $80 seemed an obscene price to pay for a fishing rod.

[johnnybassboat]

I had a few series ones back in the day, and they were a great rod at the time. But the rod I really miss is a 6'6" fenwick iron feather co-fi world class casting rod. I dont know what it was about that rod but in my hands it just felt right. I cant even begin to count how many bass I caught on that rod target pitching on the river over the years. It was strong and sensitive, until it broke trying to horse a dogfish out of a small brushpile DUH!!!!! I shouldnt complain because Fenwick replaced it with a new Aetos, thanks Fenwick.

[africanbass]

The Daiwa 'interline' rods were fun to fish
Despite the documented 'draw backs',they provided hours of fun.
Way ahead of their time,much like the T3.Perhaps to radical for mainstream acceptance

[gclark519]

I had one of the Series One rods and loved it at the time! I wish I had never sold it as it would be a good keepsake! I also had some Berkley Bionx that were red and black that were good as well but the reel seat broke really easy. One rod I have and still use is a Lake King. I won it at a tournament and it is listed as a 6'6 med/hvy for pitchin but it is a great square bill rod. The rod is over 20 years old and looks bad but still works. I believe the rod was made in Topeka Kansas.