Jackson: Sorting through the challenge of casting reels

I spent two full days last week going through my reel drawers.

I found spinning and casting reels I haven't used in more than 20 years. Some are still in good shape with free-spinning handles while others seem to be missing parts. I never get rid of anything.

In many conversations with Spence Petros, we both confessed to keeping gear we no longer use.

I had a very tough time when my late father tried teaching me how to use a bait casting reel and rod. Those were the days when braided lines were the order of the era and backlashes were as common as crooked Chicago politicians.

Today some of us call backlashes "professional over runs," and we spend fitful moments trying to disengage line from the reel's arbor as well as loosening knots of mono and super-braids.

It's much easier today learning how to use a bait caster. In those early days, I struggled learning how to apply the right thumb pressure on every cast. Sometimes I gave up and went back to the spinning gear (Mitchell 300 or my father's treasured green-colored Luxor). I even screwed up that gear by making terrible casts, and had knots in every line I tried shooting away from the boat.

I have come a long way since those early days on Channel and Pistakee lakes. My father caught the fish, and I caught heck!

Today I can flip and cast like those television cowboys setting up camera shots with eager bass. And my fly-rodding technique has become as good as any glitzy guy in the slick magazines.

But back to bait casting for a bit. Even though I invested in some of the new Abu casters, I still have two favorites I always use. It's a comfort-level thing, so please go with my simple excuses.

I have caught well over 200 northern pike scaling over 20 pounds (some over 25 pounds) with a Daiwa TD-1 casting model. I had to replace the plastic pinion gear in this setup because the pike fought the drag system in an almost breakdown stage. That reel is considered a low-profile model. Its magnetic casting control gets a 10 (top score) from this writer.

My other go-to caster is an Abu Garcia, small Morrum (SX3600-C), with a manual magnetic casting control. Even though this is a tiny reel by today's standards, this finely engineered hunk of metal was able to control several 30-pound pike and a dozen Arctic lake trout over 40 pounds. The only fault is in the reel's shoe on the bottom side. The weld is loose.

I have the 3600's big brother, the Abu 5600 Morrum, my treasured workhorse.

Here's what stands out for me with both reels.

Because I am always switching lures, I have never had to adjust the magnetic casting control on the Morrum and the Daiwa TD-1. Tie on a different lure or either the same weight or something heavier. No problem, no adjustment needed.

The problem today is these reels are no longer produced. There are a lot of good reels in today's heavily crowded reel showcases. Many come with enough ball bearings to sail a lure into space. And today's drag systems are a snap to operate while withstanding heavy pressure from a big fish.

Shakespeare's new lineup of casting reels appear to embody the company's decades-long traditions of high quality, even though 99 percent of today's reels by all companies are produced overseas.

And as good as the new stuff from overseas appears, I still dream of the time when American companies put American ingenuity to work on the technical tables and assembly lines.

• Contact Mike Jackson at angler88@comcast.net, catch his radio show 7-9 a.m. Sundays on WGCO 1590-AM (live-streamed at www.1590WCGO.com) and get more content at mikejacksonoutdoors.com.