I've just been given a load of vintage sea fishing gear....

I've been given a load of 'vintage' sea fishing gear, in immaculate condition.

Anyone with knowledge of these things care to comment on this lot?

- an ABU Atlantic 484 Zoom rod, in a lovely copper colour with a red rod bag. An incredible looking rod with a cork handle, but heavy.
- A Daiwa "Paul Kerry Supercast" 7300D. Again, a superb looking rod but somewhat heavy. In a nice bag.
- an ABU Ambassadeur 6600c multiplier reel. Looks amazing - like absolutely brand new.
- An enormous Mitchell 486 reel. This looks as new.
- A Mitchell 206, which I suspect is more for course fishing.
- loads and loads and loads of rigs, weights, hooks, line and so on, evidently all from the early 1970s.

The reason why I'm posting this is that a condition of my 'inheritance' of this gear is that I get out there and use it. I'm not about to muck up a load of classic, potentially valuable kit, am I? Are these rods / reels any good?

There's only one way to find out....

Both rods are good quality and useable as are the reels. Sea tackle does not seem to have the collectable status as coarse stuff, but I suspect the rods will have a value.
From memory the 484 is a light beachcaster 2 to 4 oz and the P Kerry a stronger rod.
Yes they are usable and are better on the beach than in a cupboard.

vintage is the way to go. More fun. More sport. Except for when the eyes break off, when your fighting a big grouper.

The paul kerry Supercast is Servicable... He is still a consultant for Daiwa. its going to be heavy by todays standards, but should be able to off-ground cast and get a sensible distance.

Got a feeling the ABU ambassador reel has a level wind mechanism from memory - it was common for the level wind mechanism to be removed - a simple engineering project carried out by local tackle shops.

Mitchell fixed spool reels were the 'go-to' reel for beach casting (inevitably when the difficult to control early multiplier reels exploded into a mash of tangled nylon).

As for recking the stuff. after use, make sure you rinse them thoroughly under fresh water and dry before storage. you can spray the reels with a bit of WD40.

To be realistic, rigs/booms/weights from the 70's were a bit industrial. These days, rig componants are completely streamlined and designed to be aerodynamically clipped down for maximum distance.

for your interest, this is essential reading. Nigel Forrest revolutionized sea angling in many ways.... I still spend many hours in Break-away and occasionally fish with Norman Bickers. http://www.breakaway-tackle.co.uk/i...away-tackle-and-memories-of-nigel-forrest.pdf

---------- Post added at 09:44 ---------- Previous post was at 09:18 ----------

I will just add, it says a lot about fish stocks that any fish were caught off beaches considering the nature of early sea fishing tackle. These days, being able to cast over 100 yards can be the difference between catching a cod or blanking.