Reel of choice

[Tritonrob]

So your saying Quantum is junk? 

[SUPERTUNER!]

ROB,

To put things in proper perspective I have not serviced or been inside a quantum reel for at least three years, that being said I truly do not know what kind of quality they are putting into their reels today! I know they feel good in the hand and cast quite well when new that's a fact (I have owned them)! Quantum appears to be innovative and has a great marketing campaign as well but, here are some facts that I do know from both owning them in the past and servicing them for others. They have been made with a lot of sub standard materials, I have literally seen RUST on the inside of many Quantum reels, on the main gears and other components, let that sink in a minute, RUST! Who makes a fishing reel that is capable of rusting??? They hold the distinction of being the only reels I have ever seen do this! When I worked for N.A.O. as a reel repair tech we had two large boxes full of Quantum reels that we could not get parts for and/or were beyond economical repair. Then we had others that we could get parts for that were often left (abandon) at the shop by their owners because they figured they were not worth paying for repairs on! We had to quit accepting them for service as we were losing a lot of money messing around with them!  No other brand of reel was treated like this by their owners. Again to be fair this is PAST experience I have had personally. Things may have changed at Quantum today, this I don't know, but I do know that I will never own one again based on the reputation that they have established with me and with others. Testimonies like the one given by BLAKE711 are commonplace! More the rule than the exception. Quantum has got a lot of "sins" to make up for and until they do they will have to be looked on with suspicion as far as being a serious piece of fishing hardware. Sorry if this hurts or offends you, but I am stating known facts, not opinions on this one!

[blake711]

Well my main question was wondering if people could even get those BPS reels serviced is why I was asking about the parts..

As for the Quantum .. I can go one further..  I work a mile from the main Zebco Office in Tulsa Ok.  Its really a shame man ask almost anyone and they will say their first real was a Zebco.   I fished them for years as a kid.. then I learned to fish baitcasters with an ABU and when I bought my own baitcasters I started using Quantum.. Well none of those reels lasted more than a couple seasons without issues.  and I had them serviced regularly.  If you go to the quantum website now they don't offer parts for anything over a few years old.  Oh and back to the local zebco they used to employ Tons of people locally.  Then they laid them all off to ship their operations over seas for more profit.  I still have one operational Quantum Rig its a USA Rod and Reel.. That's how bad it got at the end of my quantum purchases back in the late 90s.. if it was made in America is was a special line and they put USA on it.  I have looked at some of their reels and its hard for me to get that bad taste out of my mouth.

[LoonyToon]

I really don't know that much about reels of choice. I do know a little about reels of necessity. When I started I bought what I could afford, not necessarily the cheapest, but the best for my money. Once it was Abu-Mitchell, then Abu Garcia, then then Mitchell. Along about 1980 came the lowered versions of baitcasters, called Low-Profile(now). I went with Pfleuger/Shakespeare and had moderate success, but times changed and so did I. In 1990's I used the new Shimano's and had their Bantam Currado's on 90% of my rods. Then I found out they were a wholly owned Chinnese company and I switched to Diawa(most by being sponsored on the Mini-Tour by them). During that time on the FLW/Wal-Mart gig and the BASS Fishing League, Diawa was the bomb. In 2001 I went with a new and upcoming company in the US., Okuma, which made a fine reel then, and still makes a nice reel today,but after all the trials and error, repairs,useage,breakage& non--repairs I went with a Company out of South Carolina, called, Silstar/Pinnacle and I want to tell you for the money you can not beat their new MatrixII Limited Edition Baitcasters in 6:3.1 or 4:7.1. They are ALL Metal construction, stainless & Brass gearing or their 8 anti-rust bearings. They cast like a dream, and can haul in the biggest lunkers you may ever wish for. Quantums are O.K., for gussied up Zebco's, and Shimano still makes a good reel. There are nice Pfleugers, and Diawa's too, but for the endurance of everyday fishing, and the rigors involved you can not top the Pinnacle MatrixII.........................remember..............

[SUPERTUNER!]

Its amazing how much disinformation that therer is out in the fishing tackle world!

Now I have never heard the one about Shimano being a "wholly owned Chinese company" That kinda caught me of guard so, just for anyone that is curious I did a little research to make sure that I didn't embarass myself and make an Ignorant statement (done that a few times in the past). Shimano Is Japanese Through and Through !The company does have a Bike parts operation In CHINA, but its a Japanese dominated company, PERIOD! Take a look at the excecutive board members by clicking on this Link. I dont see any Chinese names in this list as a matter of fact check out the name of the CEO and PRES. SHIMANO I believe is what it says.

http://corporate.shimano.com/publish/content/corporate/en/shimanocorporatesiteen/about_shimano/executives.html

Also you can check out the companies history and see its spead for Japan into the other parts of the world!

http://corporate.shimano.com/publish/content/corporate/en/shimanocorporatesiteen/about_shimano/company_history.html


Bottom line Shimano Is a Japanese company!! Thought you Shimano fans would want to know that!


ALso regaurding Pinnicle/Silstar being a "american company" check out his info I found

Silstar Corp of America (1983)
County: Lexington
Location Address:
1141 Silstar Rd
West Columbia, SC 29171
Mailing Address:
PO Box 6505
West Columbia, SC 29171
Mr. Charles Park, Pres
Phone: (803) 794-8521
Fax: (803) 794-8544
Employees: 15
Type facility: Distribution
Trade Activity: Import
SIC NAICS Product Description
5091 421910 Fishing rods & reels
Parent: Eun SUNGIND Corp
Shiheung City, KOREA


You Guys you are not going to beleive this, I checked out SIlstars parent company "the Eun SUNGIND corp" on google, apparently they are a COSMETICS company!!!!!
Somebody check me out on this!

http://silstar2.en.ecplaza.net/  and here http://www.sil-star.com/

If I did this right looks like Silstar America maker of pinnacle reels is a Korean  owned cosmetics company!!  YIKES!!!!!!!! It doesnt look good for Pinnacle being American!

[blake711]

Nice info Again Supertuner.. Its always an enjoyment to have folks around that know their bizuness inside and out..  We appriciate the research you did and your fact finding mission.. also makes me happy to know I am not directly supporting the red chinese.  As for korean makeup I will let the misses figure out where he makeup is coming from..

[Pferox]

Man, have times changed, I remember when I was a kid, "Made in Japan" was worse than the term "Made in China" is now.
Maybe some day "Made in China" won't be so bad either.

[blake711]

Man, have times changed, I remember when I was a kid, "Made in Japan" was worse than the term "Made in China" is now.
Maybe some day "Made in China" won't be so bad either.

Oh so true.. I remember when  Walmart also touted that they purchased made in America when ever possible.. not anymore since sam walton died..  Now its made where its cheapest and profit highest.

[LoonyToon]

I don't want to burst your bubble, but if you use google and key in Shimano.com you will get the home page for fishing, bicycles etc. Then go to fishing and get their home page and go to History and read for yourself that their fishing gear co. is Chinese. i wish I knew how to cut and paste because I would put it here for you to read..And to clarify another point you are wrong about Pinnacle, Their reels are designed in Germany made of Japanese parts and assembled in Korea the same as Quantum, Their parent co. Right now Is BRUNSWICK

[Pferox]

I dunno, I have owned a couple of Silstar and Southbend reels, and I will admit they aren't the smoothest, but they did catch fish, and big ones and didn't fall apart.
Heck, I caught my biggest snook on a Southbend reel.
I remember not too far back when I had to fish to eat, and buying an inexpensive rod and reel was more that I could afford.
Ya know what I learned, fish don't care what you are fishin with, if you have the right bait, in the right place, and they are hungry, they will hit it.
Down here, I catch as many bass with a collaspable fishin pole when spec fishin with a minnow, as I do with all of the neat rods, reels, and lures.
If you are a pro, thats different, cause you cast thousands of times more than I ever will, for sure.

[SUPERTUNER!]

Sorry to be a horses rear about all this guys but I try my best not too misrepresent the facts, I don't lie and don't like to be called a liar, directly or indirectly! I most definitely can be wrong and in the interest of finding out whats right and telling the truth here is what I have verified this morning!

I tried checking out all the info given by Mr.Okuma500, I could not verify anything at all, maybe I missed something, can anyone else verify his info???

Here is what I could verify!

Please copy and paste this link to your browser if you want to see all the companies that the Mega Corporation BRUNSWICK has holdings in based on their official 2004 company portfolio! If you don't know anything about Brunswick this would be interesting for you to look at THEY ARE HUGE! And interested in Big ticket items, Mercury outboards and Triton boats are but a few of their company holdings: I didn't find any mention of  Pinnacle reels or Silstar here, another set of eyes like yours Blake would be good here, Do you see them listed as a Brunswick holding?

http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/irol/97/97828/reports/ar04/2004_prodinfo.pdf

Here is the Brunswick home page. Though the financial report is from last Year I assume this huge Fortune 500 company keeps there website up to date, there is no mention of Pinnacle or Silstar as a recent company acquisition!

http://www.brunswick.com/index.html

Also I found a fact sheet published by Brunswick in July of this year. No mention of Pinnacle or Silstar

http://www.brunswick.com/news/pdf/factsheet_7_5.pdf

And just to complete this anal discussion once and for all I called the Brunswick shareholders information line this morning @ 1-800-546-9420 and talked to a nice lady Named Maggie, I specifically asked her If Brunswick had any holdings in Pinnacle or Silstar. Her answer was she never heard of them! Then she asked what they did and I told her made fishing equipment. She then told me that Brunswick is not in any form of the fishing tackle business at this time. They apparently got a new CEO five years ago and he liquidated all the Brunswick company holdings that were not profitable which included ZEBCO (about 4 years ago she said) and have aquired no interest in any fish tackle or any other small companies at this time!

Nuff said here! 

Now on to Shimano!
Please read the 2004 Shimano annual report published by the company as prospectus for their Japanese Stock Market! (Copy and paste the link to your browser)

http://corporate.shimano.com/publish/content/corporate/en/shimanocorporatesiteen/financial_information/annual_report.html

If you click on the 2004 report it will come up in a 28 page .PDF file

http://corporate.shimano.com/publish/content/corporate/en/shimanocorporatesiteen/financial_information/annual_report.MainContentPar.0010.File.tmp/2004%20annual%20report%20final(Rvsd20050513).pdf

Please read the statement on Page 5 of the report by company President YOZO SHIMANO notice the emphasis on JAPAN in his statements! THIS IS A JAPANESE COMPANY AND THEY DON'T MAKE THEIR FISHING PRODUCTS IN CHINA END OF STORY!  READ THE REPORT!!!! The only interest they have in China at this time is a bike parts plant as I stated in an earlier post (see page 9 of report)!

Now on to Pinnacle: Surfing their website is very annoying as everytime I click on something my computer wants me to install a Korean language pack! Anyway remember what I stated in one of my earlier post about these other companies using inferior components! One of Pinnacle's NEW emphasized selling points is that they use JAPANESE ball bearings. I could be condescending at this point but again to be fair it seems that NOW they are beginning to recognize the importance of quality components and are making a selling point of them, namely that JAPANESE bearings are inside! Good thing too I can't tell you how many Pinnacle reels I have see in the past fail in this area, I saw more than one owner throw them in the trash literally!!!

If you go to this website (http://www.ackinc.com/reels.htm)
you will see listed, among others, three references: pinnacle rods and reels, Silstar corporation of America, and Silver Star company LTD all three of which link to the same pinnacle website at www.silstar.com

I called Pinnacle @ 803-794-8521 and talked to Vicky Stone in accounts payable who then referred me too Steve Lamond in accounting. I asked him several questions about the company which verified the information I posted earlier. Their parent company is a Korean based company which owns the Silstar Corp of America who employs about 15 people in South Carolina functioning as an Importer, which again verifies the information I posted earlier! He said the immediate parent company was one he called Silver-Star who has its parent company in Korea, which seems to also verify the info I got off the www.ackinc.com site showing that name linked to silstar.com. I could not verify who in Korea owns "silver-star" or even if it is a separately recognizable company. It is most likely an importer/front company name for pinnacle, companies do this for some tax breaks they gain this way. That being said the Eun SUNGIND Corp of Korea did/does own Pinnacle in 1983! I find it an unlikely coincidence that this company's website which is named http://www.sil-star.com the make-up brush company, owned by Eun SUNGIND is not associated with Pinnacle who's website is named www.silstar.com which was reportedly owed by Eun SUNGIND Corp of Korea as of 1983. What are the odds of that kind of coincidence!!!!! Ownership could have changed hands since that time but I cannot verify it! The State of South Carolina 2003- 2004 report at this address http://www.sccommerce.com/teamscpdfs/internationals/lexington.pdf  Indicates that Eun SUNGIND still owns them! (Brunswick however is definitely out of the picture!) Either way it is presently still a Korean owned company according to this information and their American employees in South Carolina.
  I also asked Steve where their reels are designed, he said it was a joint venture done in CHINA and KOREA   not Germany! I then asked where the parts were made for their reels he said again "CHINA and KOREA" So much for the Germany, Japan and Korea connection in the building of their reels! Apparently the only Japanese part in their reels is the new Ball bearings they are touting. Bottom line: if it is important to you not to purchase something either partly or wholly manufactured with Chinese parts then I would advise you to steer clear of any Pinnacle products as it has been clearly verified by their employees that such parts are used in their reels!!!!

[SUPERTUNER!]

  Now that we have that information behind us, back to the main point of this thread, WHAT kind of reels do you like? Based on just the little bit of fact finding that has gone on here you can see that no matter what kind of reel brand you prefer Quality or Perceived Quality is a main issue. That's why we owe so much to Companies like Shimano and Daiwa along with the American free enterprise system. Here is what I mean. Corporate competition is a great thing for the end user, namely us! Because of the intense and I mean "Intense" Japanese corporate mindset (have you ever seen what these Japanese corporate executives are put through, its like military boot camp!) of being the best they can be they have established a new standard in quality that we are all benefiting from.
I believe Mr. Pferox69 said it best in his post
"Man, have times changed, I remember when I was a kid, "Made in Japan" was worse than the term "Made in China" is now"
I remember that too "Jap Junk" we called it! What we don't know is that this got back to mainland Japan and they were ashamed to be talked about this way. Honor is a very big thing in Japan. Kind of used to be that way in this Country!  Well the Japanese changed the way they did business based on these insults that they heard in reference to themselves and now MADE IN JAPAN (by the way is says this on the foot of my Shimano and Daiwa reels) is synonymous with QUALITY! Because of the Intra-country rivalry between Daiwa and Shimano the Quality of our present day fishing gear keeps going up and up. And smaller selling brands with previously bad reputations like Quantum and Pinnacle are being forced to keep up with the Japanese or you'll be out of the game! They have even given ABU a swift kick and gotten them moving in the direction of a better Quality product and we are all better off for it! This is why I admonish everyone that can to buy the good stuff, it insures that companies producing quality products will be able to keep doing so and you the end user will be much happier having a reel or rod that's still around and working 20 years from now instead to one that's in the trash within 5 years! I wish with all my heart that there was an AMERICAN company that put out the quality of reel that the Japanese do right now I would buy their products, but until PENN (a great American reel company) decides to get with it and jump into the freshwater size baitcasting reel ring with Shimano and Daiwa, I am going to have to put my money into these two companies Quality products, and I think you should too!

You are going to see this year more than ever the result of this kind of competition and the results that it brings. Shimano is really stepping it up this year making new products with High speed retrieves Calcutta B with 27" per handle turn retrieve rates  introduced in 2005 and the New Curado D 7.0:1 reel with a 30" retrieve rate. The new Shimano reels will be loaded with the latest ARB bearings which are the best bearings I have ever seen in a stock reel, new and better drag systems, new and better Anti reverse features are again but a few of the improvements that will be made. The many Curado fans will be taken back a bit by the near $200 MSRP of the Curado D but I think it will be money well spent. If that's too steep for you the new Citica featuring 4 ball bearings and 1 roller bearing retailing for an MSRP of $119.00 will fit nicely into many fisherman's budgets and get you a very high Quality reel that will be every bit as durable as our old beloved Curado B. I cant wait to get my hands on that left handed retrieve 7.0:1 Curado D!!!!!!!!!

Jeff

[LoonyToon]

  I am big enough a man to admit I made a grievious mistake in my information, and reporting that information to you on this forum. So to you Supertuner and to all those that read that I Apologize. I t does not lessen the fact that in 2003 the Fishing Tackle Co.LTD of Shimano Inc. was and is at a place in Jiangsu, Kunshan. China. In my research I did not know that Shimano aquired G.Loomis in 1997, nor any of the other things, like the Bantam reels were released in 1978 at the Exhibit at AFTMA. I am currently looking into the Pinnacle debacle though,because it Was a Brunswick Co. affiliate, This may belong to Bradley Corp. now as they aquired Zebco, Quantum, and others in 2001. But it is neither here nor there, I was wrong on my information in the beginning and I do Sincerly Apologize

[SUPERTUNER!]

Okuma500 SIR,  Apology accepted, respect restored!!
Let us know if you turn up anything on Pinnacle Its possible I missed something! Pinnacle's trail is a bit hard to folloew as the Korean company that SOUTH CAROLINA says owns them doesn't list their holdings like the Brunswick does.

Thanks again for being a man! Hats off too you!

Jeff

[LoonyToon]

  Jeff after I posted my apology, I went out into the garage and took out a Brand New still in the box Daiwa Procaster 6+1 100H I was going to put on my St.Croix flippin stick for this week-end tournament on the Nanticoke and Sun. on the Potomac Rivers respectfully, and darn if I'm not dismayed. It is printed on the box and paperwork inside, and stamped on the stand MADE in KOREA, Distributed by Daiwa Seiko, Inc; Higashikurume; Tokyo, Japan...........I'm still investigating the Pinnacle Debacle......................I just don't know anymore. I guess it's up to ones taste, pocketbook,wallet, and/or prefference. ...............What do you think about the new Okuma's?

[SUPERTUNER!]

Okuma500 SIR,


I am sorry to say that I have never worked on or even seen an Okuma baitcaster, I know absolutely nothing factual about their company, Rumor was a few years back they got tired of making reels for others to relabel and sell and they launched out on their own, I dont think they have been in the Baitcaster business for more than 5 years Right?

Interesting and correct discovery that you made about the Daiwa Procaster, Daiwa makes what they consider "bottom line" (still good Quality though) reels offshore! It's their top of the line Products however, to be specific is its the well known "TEAM DAIWA" stuff, thats made it Japan. I believe that you might find that this is the case for some of the Cheap Shimano reels as well. All the Good stuff for both companies is made in Japanese though!

[LoonyToon]

        Thanks for sharing, and you are right about Okuma, they are a spinoff in 1999 and out on their own, but it did not say from whom. Their distributor for this area is giving me 4 spinning reels (MDS30 6:3.1, and MDS50 6:3.1, one each and 2 Alumina reels 1>30 &1>40. In 5:0.1) and 5 Baitcasters 2VS Models and 3ea Nemesis model all are 6:2.1 ratio. . I had been sponsored by him before I quit competition 4 1/2 years ago. Getting back into it again as I'm fully retired now. If you find out anything about them please post, and about Pinnacle, they are evasive but I'm digging hard. Thank You for your insight, diligence and knowledge of product. Want to buty some pinnacles  , as i'm keeping the Daiwas, and Shimano I own , and giving these Okumas a try. I tell you honestly how they work. 

[Sc Bassin]

Laurie, I f I had an old lady why couldn't I give her my old stuff? lol

Supertuner, What makes Pflueger an also ran company?  They have been around for 50 or 60 years. How many Pflueger Presidents WLP's have you repaired?
Thanks

[Pferox]

I hear alot of positive stuff on the salt end about Okumas, also their heavier reels are pretty big in the cat fishin circle. Thats where Garcias and Penns were kings....but they are startin to slip out of their thrones.

[bassindude]

Anybody know where I can find a rear drag spinning ABU? bought one a few years back, and love it but cant find any more.

[SUPERTUNER!]

SC BASSIN Lets start with your Question and answer it in a local down to earth way before I share this exceedingly sad tale of Woe! Deception! and Betrayal!   Man I would much rather be stabbed in the chest by a known enemy, than in the back by a supposed friend! Anyway!
To answer your Question I have not serviced any Pflueger President WLP's to date, Therefore I can offer no exact opinion of their Quality. Later I'll let you make up your own mind as to how good that Quality might be by reason of where they are manufactured!  The reel has received some good reviews on the net and special attention is drawn to the reel having "improved ball bearings!" in it. Looks like they are trying to improve their perceived Quality with Japanese ball bearings like Pinnacle is doing! So that's the story with the President!

I have however serviced a few Pflueger Supreme's and the other step down model from that one, Summit's the name if I recall correctly! Neither model of which is currently in production! (this says something when a model gets discontinued, now called Trion's). This is another classic tale of taking the cheep way out only to have it bite you later. I got ridiculed a lot by my co-worker buddies in our company bass club for my perfectionist attitude and buying what they considered "high price junk" (Shimano reels and Loomis rods) when they were getting "just as good of stuff" from Bass pro. They were giddy when they started buying the Pflueger reels for a fraction of what I paid for my Curado's and Calcutta's ,they reveled when they would show me how freespooling the Pflueger reels were with those neat holes drilled in the spool, better than my Curado's they would claim etc,etc, Then within a year and sometimes just a few months of use the Pfluegers started making squeaking sounds, then they started casting poorly, then they started retrieving roughly, Then in shame they would bring them too me to look at.  :-[What did I find?, Inferior parts, to be fair the actual design seemed pretty good ( looked like some design plagiarism was going on from Shimano), but the components were terrible, maybe some of the worst I have seen, rough finish on the metals and generally coarse components, looked like a cosmetic reel! What I mean by that was it looked cool on the outside, but that's was the Idea!  The "lets look good, not be good!" philosophy of manufacturing was employed heavily, designed to catch fisherman ands not worry about catching fish! The nylon components inside the reel where actually shredding and disintegrating! I had never seen that one! I couldn't even figure out why it was happening, other than it was just poor quality stuff, anyway needless to says to the trash they went as my buddies pretended they never pranced about boasting of how great a buy they had made! Once again the cheap stuff isn't cheap!  See the next post for the "rest of the story" as Paul Harvey so eloquently says

[SUPERTUNER!]

Now on to why Pflueger is an "also ran" company, as SC BASSIN phrased it, at this time!


Where to start this one, WOW! I found out a lot more than I wanted too know. I need one of those little yellow animations falling on the ground, throwing dust in the Air and on his head and weeping profusely (no humor intended at all!) What a story of deception and betrayal of two well known AMERICAN brand names gone to China!

To start this retail company has a neat little synopsis of Pflueger which you can read here. Its reads as follows. Remember what I stated in an earlier post about American brand names being snatch up by big companies and moved off shore for manufacture and then resold to us as if it were still an American product? That tale your are about to read will sadly detail this fact for you!
http://www.pfluegerreel.com/

THE HISTORY OF PFLUEGER FISHING PRODUCTS

Fishing reels that perform are here! Since 1881 the Pflueger name has been part of the fishing industry when Ernest F. Pflueger established the Enterprise Manufacturing Company. When Earnest A. Pflueger took over the family business and founded the E.A. Pflueger Company and expanded the company from a hook manufacturer to all aspects of fishing gear. In 1916 the first Pflueger Baitcasting reel was manufactured in Akron, Ohio, and became the benchmark of the fishing reel industry. The Pflueger spinning reel was introduced in 1954. Over the years Pflueger remained one of the leading fly reel and fly fishing tackle manufactures, but ended production of spinning and baitcasting rods and reels.

But times have changed. Pflueger is once again offering baitcasting reels, spinning reels, as well as their long standing line of high quality fly reels. These new fishing reels carry the quality that is the Pflueger name. Dependability and innovation are the foundations of this new line of fishing reels. Pflueger has brought the attention to detail and pride in craftsmanship back and commitment to new technology to create a line of superior fishing reels. Get acquainted with fishing reels that mean excellence in fishing.
These reels are now made in Asia with the quality of American oversight that will maintain the German heritage of these reels.

Note the words made is Asia, when they says Asia nine times out of ten the mean RED CHINA   the country all our manufacturing jobs are being moved too! A place of poor Quality and high profits!

You can click on this link to

http://www.antiquefishinglures.com/history.htm

read a little more about Pfluegers German/American Hertitage! It reads as follows:

Pflueger

Pflueger was first called the American Fish Hook Company and was started in 1864 by a man named Ernest F. Pflueger. Ernest was born in Germany and came to the U.S.A. with his family and settled in Akron, Ohio.
 The Enterprise Manufacturing Company was incorporated around 1865. The company was a family business that was run by four brothers. Ernest Pflueger was president, Charles Plfueger was vice president, Joe Pflueger was the treasurer and William Pflueger was Sales Manager. Ernest Pflueger marketed his first two lures. They were the Flying Helgramite and the Luminous Crystal Minnow.
 The Enterprise Manufacturing Company specialized in mostly spoons, rubber baits, snelled hooks and the famous Phantom Minnow. Around 1899 Pflueger introduced their first line of wood lures called the Simplex, Monarch and the Globe. In 1907 Pflueger had to improve their underwater minnows in order to compete with the Heddon Co. high quality minnows. Pflueger largest growth with lures was from 1907 into the early 1930's.
 After the early 1930's Pflueger still produced a few of their major lures but they did not introduce anymore new lures. Pflueger's main business was in their reels. In 1966 the Pflueger Company was sold to the Shakespeare Company.


Now a little on the Shakespeare Company, another great American fishing company who acquired Pflueger in 1966! Which can be read using the same link as the Pflueger one above.

On a personal note: Shakespeare was a great company at one time as was Pflueger, does anybody remember in the 1970's that Shakespeare was the first big name company to market the then new fishing rod technology using "GRAPHITE".  They made an absolutely fantastic line of equipment bearing the SIGMA SUPRA name, real top quality stuff then! I remember as a boy that I saved up all my Christmas money so I could purchase a new Shakespeare Sigma Supra graphite fly rod! It cost a Whopping $75.00 at my local tackle store but the rod was so much lighter and better than the old fiberglass stuff I just had to have it! I still have it too this day! Its nearly 30years old now! Graphite rods have progressed far since that time but these rods were WAY, WAY ahead of their time. The history you are about to read doesn't say what went on inside Shakespeare regarding the Sigma line of products, but somehow they made a decision to cut the Quality SIGMA SUPRA line in favor of cheaper lesser quality, higher selling volume stuff! What a shame, what a mistake! The road they were on was heading them in the direction that's made the Shimano and G.Loomis greatly respected names in the fishing industry today, the roads name is QUALITY! This American company could have been there long before these two. Maybe some of you guys reading this know what happened back then, if you do I would love to hear it. Maybe that decision lead them down the road of mediocrity that resulted into their absorption into the K2 Conglomerate today! Who knows! How sad!

move to the next post to continue!

[SUPERTUNER!]

Now to Shakespeare!

Shakespeare Co.

- In the late 1800's William Shakespeare Jr. invented a reel that wound the line evenly on the spool. This reel led to the beginning of the William Shakespeare Jr. Company in 1897. William Shakespeare Jr. patented the level-wind reel and his new design was superior to any other reel on the market.  He began making tackle about 1900 and by 1902 the company had grown to a dozen employees.  Shakespeare issued their first catalog in 1902 which only offered four lures. They were the Revolution, Worden Bucktail, Evolution and a rubber bait casting Frog.
William Shakespeare Jr. acquired patent rights from Jay B. Rhodes from Kalamazoo, Michigan on October 16, 1905. It included the Rhodes Wooden Minnow with see through hardware and the Rhodes Mechanical Frog. There was a patent dispute between the Pflueger Company and the William Shakespeare Jr. Company. The Shakespeare Company finally ended up winning the lawsuit. By 1910 the William Shakespeare Jr.  Company was producing a wide range of lures.
  In 1908 the company slogan was "Built Like a Watch" was created.  The company's name was changed to "The Shakespeare Company" in 1915.  During World War I (1918) the Shakespeare Company converted their factory to manufacture mortar fuses and automobile carburetors.
  By the late thirties anglers needed a reel that would brake to prevent the spool from back lashing.  In 1939 William Shakespeare Jr. invented the "Back-lash reel".  This new reel was one of the most popular reels to hit the fishing tackle market in that time.
  During World War II (1941-1945) the Shakespeare Company was contracted to build controls for aircrafts, tanks and jeeps.  After the war in 1946 Shakespeare moved their fishing line production to Esterville, Iowa.  Shakespeare manufactured braded and fly lines and was the first to manufacture monofilament fishing line.
  By 1947 William's son Henry Shakespeare was running the Shakespeare business.  This is when Henry introduced the fiberglass rod that was invented by Dr. Arthur Howald.  This new invention made the bamboo and steel rods virtually obsolete.  Shakespeare then move their rod production to Columbia, South Carolina and they were incorporated as the Columbia Products Company.  This South Carolina factory was the center for the research and development of the fiberglass rod.
  William Shakespeare Jr. passed away on June 25, 1950.  Nine years later in 1959 he was elected into the National Sporting Goods Hall of Fame.
  In 1956 Shakespeare moved their fishing line production from Iowa to Columbia, South Carolina.  Years later in 1965 Shakespeare moved it's reel production from Kalamazoo, Michigan to a new plant in Fayetteville, Arkansas.  This modern Fayetteville plant was the first in the country to treat their polluted waste water and return the water purified.  With their fiberglass rod business growing rapidly they expanded the Columbia Products operations to a new plant in Newberry, South Carolina.  This new location became their production center for all of their fiberglass products.
  The Shakespeare Company acquired the Pflueger Corporation of Akron, Ohio in 1966.  Two years later Shakespeare opened a subsidiary company in Rexdale, Ontario, Canada called Shakespeare Company Ltd.  Also in 1968 Shakespeare added electric trolling motors to their product line at their Arkansas plant.
  Shakespeare corporate office was moved from Kalamazoo, Michigan to Columbia, South Carolina in 1970.
  The Ugly Stik tubular fishing rod was first introduced in 1976.  The Ugly Stik utilized the Howald design.
  In 1982 Shakespeare shut down all of their operations in Arkansas and moved to Columbia, South Carolina.  At this time all of the Shakespeare facilities were located in South Carolina.
  1984 a new advertising campaign was launched.  Their new slogan was "America Goes Fishing With Shakespeare".  Later in 1995 Shakespeare re-entered the bait casting market with their new Sigma bait casting reel.
  In the following years Shakespeare introduced a number of casting and spinning reels.  Shakespeare is still in full operation today and looks forward to manufacturing top quality fishing products.


I wont post the info in the next link here as I know this post is getting long, you guys might get me kicked off the forum for hogging all the space! But you should copy and paste this to your browser and read it. It's the Company's synopsis of its history! Read it here.

http://www.shakespeare-fishing.com/history/index.shtml

move to the next post to see the conclusion!

[SUPERTUNER!]

And now too the stab me in the back my friend thing! I don't know what it is but I feel betrayed when an American company and its name, is bought up by a corporate giant, which moves its operation offshore to RED CHINA   using its pennies per hour slave labor rate, makes a product and brings it back into this country to sell it to me as if its genuinely still AMERICAN. Does this bother anyone else?? This is what you will discover about Shakespeare and Pflueger in the following links!

Copy and paste this link to your browser, watch the scrolling company emblems go across the screen, see the Shakespeare and Pflueger brand names being proudly displayed under the assets belonging to corporate giant K2!!!

http://www.k2inc.net/

Now move onto find out what this Corporate Giant represents! Go to its 2003 financial report (the last available.) I will quote from a few portions of it here so you won't have too look through the whole thing But you can read it all here: Copy and paste this link to your browser!

http://media.corporate-ir.net/media_files/irol/10/101913/ar03.pdf

Read this on page three of the report!

Improving global operations
Another key advantage for K2 is our offshore manufacturing ability and our growing operational expertise. In every corner of K2, we are continually looking for ways to consolidate and reduce the cost of everything we make and sell. Each acquisition gives us the opportunity to consolidatemanufacturing facilities and adds scale to our purchasing and assembly operations. Our China operation has grown significantly over the past year, and we have developed a strong tooling and engineering capability there that vastly reduces our time from idea to product. This creates shareholder value by reducing the cost of bringing our products to market.

And this on PG. 8 and 9 of report, read it and Cry with me!

Shakespeare. Classic.
The Shakespeare Fishing Tackle Division (FTD) is a leading
global manufacturer of fishing rods and reels, kits and combos
and accessories. Established in 1897, today
Shakespeare FTD is headquartered in Columbia, South
Carolina with offices and distribution facilities worldwide.
The Shakespeare Fishing Tackle Division was among the
first in the K2 family to take advantage of the company's
1.5 million square foot manufacturing facility in Guangzhou,
China. To improve time-to-market and efficiency,
Shakespeare FTD recently consolidated manufacturing iinvesting over $2 million in new tooling at the China facility.,

Move on further to discover the Identities of the betrayers! Be ready for shock! Good old American's are here, you'll recognize the names, click on each name, read about them, yes they are who you think they are. I would have never thought these folks would use slave labor and deceit on their own people, It's all about money here folks, quality may not even be Job #2. Copy and paste this link to your browser, if you dare !

http://ir.k2inc.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=101913&p=irol-govCommitteeComp

My conclusion is this, The Japanese many not like me, but I know where they stand! I know what their work ethic is and I know what kind of quality product they are offering me! I believe they might even respect me for recognizing the quality in their products and purchasing them for that reason, with cost being  my secondary concern. I can live with that! I can't live with a Friend selling me sub par junk, leading me to believe a lie that I should buy it cause its American and its cheaper,  Who's not concerned about me or his slave laborers, but just wants my money for his personal gain! That I cant live with!

Sorry for all this info!
Hari kari(spelling?)may be the only way out!
Jeff

[Ouachita]

When guiding for people not usually avid anglers, mostly probably business owners who have little time for recreation, a huge time waster was birdnests and failing parts. I had (and still have) some of most brands of reels, most rods, a big mistake. It's far better to stick to one brand of reel and rod so repairs can be made in a boat out of repetition/experience, and parts interchangeability. When I bought my first Shimano Curado I knew my search was done. I won't even try another brand or model to be handed to a novice angler. I tune them to match the lure weight, and fill the spool half way. Spiderwire Stealth line is well suited to the Curado, allowing very few birdsnests. Set the inertial pins right and cast with confidence.

I put Shimano and BPS Extreme & Stick rods in their hands. I'd love for them to use Loomis or Kistler, but rod breakage and damage is simply a given in the hands of part-time anglers. When fishing alone or with a regular partner, I use the high end rods, but it doesn't work to use the good stuff while giving clients the cheaper. When they ask to try mine it's just not good to say no. 

I have yet to replace a worn part in a Curado after 4 years of use, keeping them clean and lubricated. That is a necessity. Letting them get dirty and dry would probably set up excess wear, probably in any brand or model out there. They get well used. I did have to order a replacement pin cover that flew off into the lake, my fault, not latching it down. 

Jim