time, longer, replacement “power handles” with big knobs for the manly bass crowd. Needless to say, a red (Ambassadeur) reel with red power knobs was a fine looking set-up. On the spinning reel side, there were some varying uses for bass. Someone will always argue that the Cardinal 4 and the larger Cardinal 7 rear drag models were unique tools, featuring rear drag and “skirted” spool, and have become collectors’ items today. But my personal spinning moments stemmed from the San Diego convention of big, black, Mitchell 306 spinners on homemade glass rods with large wire guides. Those that introduced the rig to me typically were “stitching” plastic worms or “Bombing” the popular wooden crank of the 1960’s and early 70’s. But there appeared almost a full conver- sion to baitcasting before spinning gear reappeared in the 1980’s as part of the fi- nesse movement. After the Ambassadeur 5000, there were several versions with ball bearings instead of bushings, in both wide and narrow spools and higher retrieve speeds. Those were the reels that earned Don Iovino, machinist turned fishing pro, an important part of his reputation by “blueprinting” the narrow spool reels even beyond the 1980’s. The era also saw Daiwa introduce its round Millionaire series, but they may have entered as round reels were phasing out. It seemed that this line lost favor with bass fish- ermen, but became more suitable for saltwa- ter fishing since the equipment got beefier. In the mid 70’s, a full-production challenger arrived to face the Swedish- built gear called the Lew’s Speed Spool. Here was the first “palmable,” teardrop style reel with wide use in the bass market that was beloved for its ease in casting—and its super fast revolving spool. I never owned one, but many of the tournament anglers adopted them here in the West and throughout the South. But what I only learned recently, the first of them were built by Shimano, and when Lew Childre left Shimano, he turned to Ryobi. In the late 1970s, Shimano got in the game big time with the Bantam 100, a little, light and perfectly SoCal adaptable baitcast- er that seemed almost toy-like compared to earlier bass tackle. But these were a hot item, especially in the greater Los Angeles
Dee Thomas flippin’ a jig. Thomas and the marketing skill of Fenwick’s Dave Myers made flippin’ and Flippin’ Stiks an overnight sensation. Not to mention a technique still in wide use.
area, and probably anywhere where you needed to fish light line. Here was a reel that had an almost cult following and was a slick piece of gear—as long as you kept it dust and grit-free. Of course, it was followed by a whole series of models including the Bantam 200, 300 and then 1000 targeting the bass market. After that, Shimano seemed to absorb a big part of the marketplace, even though they struggled with trying to find names for their products starting with the letter “C.” Curado has endured, but I also remember the Castaic with its flippin’
feature—despite the fact there wasn’t much flipping going on at that reservoir. Of course, if you weren’t a Shimano guy, then you probably fished the Daiwa TD series in the 1980s. Remember the sleek, black plastic (and mustard gold upgrade) TD1. The magnetic anti-backlash system used by Daiwa helped introduce many to baitcasting. My strongest impressions of Daiwa in that decade were the many full- color magazine ads they used to run with all the national Team Daiwa members. But they also ran advertising with non-fishing celebrities such as NBA icon Larry Bird.
July 2011 _ SILVER EAGLES 35