What to do with old surf rods?
 

I apologize in advance if I posted in the wrong forum. I've been organizing my basement which means going through gear. I hate to throw away gear. But what would you do with custom surf rods from the late 1980's? Any value?

These are fiberglass and S-glass (amber/brown looking fiberglass) Lamiglas blanks built by Dave Hammock (Charlie Murat's son-in-law).

I collected all my Murat rods from my parents house and I have 8 of them:
3, 11 footers with one being a 2-piece
2, 9.5 footers
1, 8'
1, 7.5'
1, 7' - real stout spinner

Now that I've played with these rods a little it occurred to me that they have the right amount of forgiveness to cushion no-stretch braid.

I'm gonna keep 1, 9.5' footer and 1, 11' for nostalgia purposes. Here are some pictures that may bring back memories for some:
Attachment 43057
Attachment 43058
Attachment 43059

why not post some pic's here in Classifieds and try to sell?

Craigslist and Classifieds here

Many of us are in your situation. Who hates to throw away gear?
No one.

Your 80's rods are not what you would call collectible, unless they are made with an original, U.S. made Sabre blank. Some folks pay good money for those, and it's worth it.

Other than that, what you have may be worth something to someone who collects them, but that's about it. Maybe they'll be worth something in 30 years?

I think I have every rod and reel that I ever owned, but don't use. I have countless tackle boxes, and containers full of stuff that I'll never use, nor will I throw away.

I have a bunch of broken rods, that I've intended to fix for the past zillion years, but haven't done it, and probably won't.
I just keep buying new ones.

I have a box of reels that need repair, but never repair them. I just keep buying new ones.
Ya, I just keep buying stuff. . . . 50 years of buying stuff. . . throwing nothing away. . . . taking up space.

I go to every sale, sportsmen's show, yard sale etc. I watch Ebay, Craigslist, various web sites, etc. for deals

Do I really need to do this?
Yup. I always need everything.
Will I use everything that I buy?
Nope, but that's not the point.

It's a curse. It's an addiction. It's idiotic. It's what I do. It's my hobby. It's my obsession.
It's one of the few joys in life to many people.

I have a lot of vintage gear, and I still use selected pieces.
This past season, I showed up at the Cape Cod Canal with a 10 foot, single piece glass rod (circa 1975) and slapped a Penn 710 "greenie" on it.

I caught fish with it, and it was great.
There I was, standing in the same place that I did over 50 years ago, with the same rod and reel, and a few of the same plugs.
Flashback City!

A handful of my vintage rods and reels catch fish every season. I get a kick out of it.
It's nostalgic.

Why don't you make a nice display for all of your gear?
Hang onto it.
It's all part of fishin'. . . . .
Moog

fish em

now wait.... Throw them out???? no way. Likely some great blanks there. Sell em or give em to someone. Great way to practice rod building skills by re-wrapping too.

I've got a bunch of smoker poppers. Very well made bluefish fodder.

Big-O's, however are a different story. If you have got some you want to unload you'll find plenty of buyers.

Old fiberglass spinning rods are important to keep around......they keep the old skis and old golf clubs company.

My go to combo this year was and is a 704 greenie, and a honey lami rod.

I am in the same spot...

Reels too... I have a box 'o reels that work but I will never use them. I plan to sell these on ebay one at a time. But the rods just hang in the garage.

I can't trow out a fishing rod...unless it is trashed. If it is still good I will give it away. I gave away at least dozen rods last year and a huge box of fishing crap (unused) to some kids that attended a fishing event and they were really happy.

I would list them here in the classifieds or on Ebay. You may be surprised at the interest in old Muarat (Charlie or Dave) stuff. Many may want to fish them and others may just want them as part of their collection.

PM PIemma

He has a bunch of Murats and may be interested, or tell you what they are worth....

im guilty as well :gh:

Do ya know what blanks these are built on? I'd definitely be interested in one or 2,I'm near hartford as well

Maybe you know a reliable and honest B&T shop person who could donate stuff to a kid in need.

I ran a fishing derby for my sons cub scout pac and we collected tons of old gear, rods, reels, plugs, and so on. We sent it all to a couple of groups called Take a Slodier Fishing and Tackle for Troops. Two great organizations. Both deal with troops who delt with crap over seas and want to star fishing to ease their minds of all the violence they witnessed. They are very appriciative of the donation and the scout had a blast collecting the gear. Oh and the derby went well too.

Oh, and not all of us fish brand new graphite.
I love old glass on the breachways and such...

If your going to throw them away let me know I will take them if you are with in driving distance

Fish them, or sell them to someone who will appreciate them. I still fish my fiberglass rods. There must be other stubborn guys like me out there.

Find a local fishing club that needs gear for getting kids started. Most of the old gear is great for a young child who does not have anything. Its a start for them and having some vintage gear really gets them excited.

A local club in my area has a youth fishing program. We donate gear year round that ends up being used for them. That way the gear is still being put to good use and getting tomorrow's sportsmen and women interested in the sport!

I build rods and I still fish my old fiberglass rods all the time. great eel rods and you can't beat them for bottom fishing. Plus to be realistick they work better than the new ones using braid as long as you use mono on them.Great for casting the old plugs. Ron

I'd love to get my hands on a Honey I could re-wrap. :rollem:

I fish honey Lamis 90% of the time. They are definitely saleable, especially the S Glass.

They were probably built with the old wire Mildrum and Perfection guides, and those may need to be replaced. There are plenty of people who'll pay good money for those Lamis, especially the S-glass since they're no longer made.

Just have someone take a good look at the brown ones, as there might be a Fenwick in the mix. ;)

Wow, lots of great ideas. I started buying rods from Murats as soon as I got my first job as a teenager. I sold a few through a B&T a few years ago. I'm certainly going to keep my first one and a couple of my favorites for nostalgia. I'll try to get some pictures and post them. I'll try to post pictures. If you are interested in any in the pictures then let me know. It will take a week or so for me to get those pictures.

i have an older 8 ft. black lami that charlie made about 40 yrs. ago, if i remember correctly. been re-wraped at least 5 times. still in use. also broke my favorite 9 ft. murat this sept. the tears are still fresh. like losing a old friend.
fish them.

what to do with them? If none of the mentioned ideas appeal to you then I suggest a tag sale.....trust me any and all fishin gear goes like wildfire in a tag sale but keep in mind your not going to get the $200 you paid for it 20 years ago either. It sure beats tossing it though....

there is a guy on SOL Rhody forum that just had all his surfrods stolen... maybe you could give one to him or sell it cheap if you dont need it??

im sure there are some people out there maybe teaching a son or daughter that maybe able to use them post here on the classified IMHO,

Throw out????

RIRockhound is right. I am interested. Recently bought an original Charlie Murat rod for $100 with a penn 700. I have a bunch of Dave Hammock rods as Dave was a good friend and I was actually a pall bearer for him when he passed in 94. I'd love to see what you have and I would be interested in buys some of them.