The reel story of updating an angling classic
I suspect some of you used a Pflueger casting reel when you started out. That's how it was for me because my father let me practice casting with his Supreme. And then he presented me with one of his Ambassadeur 5000 casting reels.
I had graduated to the big time.
And now I was sitting in the kitchen of Simon Shimomura and had to keep wiping the drool off my lower lip.
Shimomura is an angling perfectionist who believes his creations are better than what the old Abu factory in Sweden was able to bring to the American fishing market. The only problem these days is that Abu will not let Shimomura sell any new Ambassadeur 5000 reels in the United States.
He does have an agreement with Pure Fishing (Abu's distributor) and the Abu factory to make new reels, but only for sale in Japan. And the Japanese bass fishermen are snapping them up in good numbers.
Shimomura came to my attention a year ago when I wrote a column about my 5000 reels and how much I treasured them.
My pal Roger and I are traditionalists in that we would rather use the 5000 reels over some of the more modern models produced by various companies. And I personally choose those reels over many of today's reels that are made in China and Korea. Call me old fashioned if that makes you feel better.
So I'm sitting in Simon's kitchen and listening to his story about how he builds and rebuilds 5000 models to make them a better and more responsive fishing tool, but he still can't sell them here.
After an hour or two he took me to another Schaumburg location where he showed me a workshop loaded with Abu parts.
“I can make a reel from scratch, but they have to be as close to 99 percent of the original models,” he said.
And even before he took me on the 50-cent tour, Shimomura said he never wanted to be a “garbage picker,” going from one garage sale to another finding old 5000 reels no one wanted.
So he went to Sweden and the Abu big shots treated him like royalty as he gazed at their manufacturing processes.
“I was very excited,” said Shimomura, “because I was going to get just about all the parts I needed to make the reels in Schaumburg.”
But again he was forbidden to sell any new reels in the U.S., and that frustrated some American anglers.
“Many anglers came to me and already knew I turned out a better product than the factory,” he added. “So they asked me to make changes or customize their reels. To this day those upgrades could cost between $100 and $1,000. The modifications would run from gold plating to special handles.
“It's the Japanese bass fisherman who demands the highest quality in my reels, and they're willing to pay for it. Regardless of the price, if they want a reel, they'll buy it. And the bass anglers there are more traditional and dedicated in their quest. They prefer to fish the surface instead of using sinking lures. I guess that's how it was in the early days in this country.”
Simon showed me a tray of colored side plates that sparkled under the shop lights.
“Even though I make quite a few 5000 reels for the Japanese market,” he said, “I would still like the handcuffs taken off of me by the Abu and Pure Fishing people, which would allow me to sell to American customers. My creations are a bit stronger, especially in the reel's metal foot as well as in a few other spots.”
On the way back to my office I thought about what I had experienced. The Abu factory in Sweden still manages to turn out a fairly good product, but Simon is all about making an outstanding product, one at a time instead of mass production. And many of us know that mass production can have a major pitfall, such as poor quality control.
By the way, Simon is also an author and historian. He published an excellent book entitled “The Ambassador and I and The Final Chapter.” You'll find more information about it at www.mrambassadeur.com.
• Contact Mike Jackson at angler88@att.net, and catch his radio show 6-7 a.m. Sundays on WSBC 1240-AM.