Charity shop finds

[MWithell]

Yours lasted a couple of years?! You were lucky. Anyway, it was a budget reel, just as there are budget reels now which fulfil a purpose. People can get into fishing comparatively cheaply and see whether they like it. If so, there's better gear available if they wish to buy it. If not, they haven't wasted a lot of money.

[Tony.J.Newman]

Pretty sure I went Black Prince, Prince Regent, and then to Mitchell 324’s.

[MWithell]

For some reason I can't now remember, I graduated to an Intrepid Extra, which I still have knocking around. My next reel was a Mitchell Match which I saved up for for ages. That's still in working order. I keep looking at it and wondering whether to give it an outing sometime.

[Tony.J.Newman]

Ah yes, I had an Extra as well! Used for light sea fishing when on hols.

[Russell Brown]

Ah yes the Tru-Spin.Used and endorsed by Lady Penelope.Parker was her ghillie.

[Kev D]

If you want that reel, Kev, I'm happy to go back and see if it's still there on Monday. I think the name on it is Herculy. The bottom stroke of the y is worn.

Well true to his word the Gentlemanly Malcom did indeed rescue "Little Herculu" from charity shop confinement and release him into my care.
His bankside debut came about a couple of evenings ago

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in front of a select audience .

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Coupled with a 9' cane " boys' rod" with a bent greenheart tip Herculu took part in the subjugation of a dozen or more small rudd.
Great fun and many thanks to Malcom

[Crucian]

That’s a great result Kev, nice post.

[MWithell]

Very glad to know it was man enough to tame them fearsome rudd! That sounds a good rod to go with it. I must admit to not having yet used the centrepin you very kindly sent me although I've furnished it with some 4lb line . Perhaps I should team it with the item from the walking stick family that I found in the same shop - an Allcocks Viking of whole cane with a greenheart tip which is suffering from brewers droop. However, I think it would go well with my Octofloat on a river, as it's extremely free running. The club has stretches of river which I've never tried as I tend to favour still water.
I definitely intend using it at the Wally bash next month, though. I'm hoping it will handle those mighty gonks.

[Kev D]

Very glad to know it was man enough to tame them fearsome rudd! That sounds a good rod to go with it.

I sort of hoped that Herculu's gentle initiation with a few rudd would lead to an opportunity of proving himself against a tench .
Sadly ,while Herculu performed as a reel should, l let him down by proving unable to tease even a nibble from one of the Green Ones.

[Rockape]

I got a hit of nostalgia when I found a mint boxed Black Prince at a Saturday market in Bridport a few years ago; got it for a fiver.

I tucked it away in a cupboard and now and again I would take it out to bring back some wonderful memories.

I often check out the charity shops in my area, but have yet to find much fishing related.
I have seen a few reels in house clearance shops and warehouses, but they had obviously done their research, and priced them all accordingly.

Since that first Saturday Market Black Prince, I have collected a few more mint or near mint examples (plus one American version, the Tomcat), and a few boyo's.

The black prince was my first fixed spool reel, followed up (because of a grooved bail arm) by a New De Luxe and an Extra; I did eventually progress to a Mitchell 410A (my dream reels at the time were the Mitchell 300 and 440A Match, but the tackle shop recommended a 410, so that's what I happily ended up with).