I bought my 1st graphite rod 37 years ago in 1972, it was a 4-1/2 ul Fenwick HMG (High Modulous Graphite), my 1st graphite surf spinning rod was a GLB1081M for tossing eels on night tides in the canal at the mudflats in 77'. That was the first breakthru for my little gang.
In 1978 #^&#^&#^&#^& Pleska of #^&#^&#^&#^&'s Wholesale Tackle in Worcester started supplying Cortland Micron to Tony C. at his BassRun Tackle Shop in N.Eastham after Tony got some from the Cortland company and put two and two together. He was the first person I knew that started using what we now know as "braid" on his conventionals and spinning rods. Unlike "Squidding lines it had no stretch and smaller diameter for the lb test ratings.
The skirted spool reel was introduced about the same time by Daiwa in the form of the SS7000c with a red knock on the reel stem that flipped the bail instead of a bail spring and we all went to them and then Daiwa introduced the BG series and we all put them on our graphite rods. We used Ande Green IGFA rated lines.
Though they were around for more than 20 years the graphite rod and skirted spool reels were big advances. Other than Tony C. who had the foresight, it took another 20 years before the rest of us caught up with the use of braids.
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