Repairing an old Garcia rod! - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

gandoe · 09-17-2005, 02:07 PM

Hi Guys!

I'm just getting back into surf-fishing - grew up on Long Island and did a fair bit of surf-casting with my Dad - moved to upstate NY and got into flyfishing. This summer I've been trying a bit of saltwater flyfishing, and finally recovered my old surfcasting rod and reel.

I've got an old Garcia rod 10ft rod...can't even tell what model, since the logo decal has mostly worn off...I think I can make out "fast taper". But, it seems like it's still got plenty of backbone, even if it is pretty battered. Obviously, all the guides need to be replaced - I was wondering if there was a complete kit of guides, thread, glue etc for surfcasting rods.

I've also got to completely breakdown and work over the Penn 704 reel I've got...but that too looks to be in good shape.

Or, should I just buy a new outfit?

Any suggestions and recommendations are appreciated!

Ed

fishaholic18 · 09-18-2005, 01:14 AM

It is usually better/cheaper to go with a new blank and build it.
Unless it has sentimental value.
Good luck.
Dave

Mike P · 09-18-2005, 07:20 AM

You don't need a new outfit----you've already got a great reel

If the Garcia is a brown Conolon rod and all it needs are guides, it might be worth rebuilding. They weren't bad rods for the price. They're fiberglass, and a 10' glass blank from Lamiglas runs about 100 clams.

gandoe · 09-18-2005, 07:57 AM

Thanks for the replies guys....this does have a bit of sentimental value for me, since my Dad and I used to go out surfcasting together.

The rod is definitely a medium dark brown...not sure about the Conolon - is that the material, a product name? The rod is in good shape though, aside from a few dings, gouges...and some minor cork damage. It's got 7 guides plus the tip top.
It's a two piece, but the handle piece is only about 4ft long (with 1 guide), and the top piece is 6ft long.

I downloaded the Penn 704 schematics from a website posted in the "How-To" section of this website, and I'll take that apart and give it a good checkover. I was hoping to find a site sponsor that has a good selection of rod and reel maintenance stuff, since I pretty much need to gear up from scratch. But most are primarily for lures/plugs/etc. Of course, I'll need to get a selection of those too! :-)

I checked on Cabelas - they do have guide sets for surf casting

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/co...sets&noImage=0

but do these include the tip tops? Also, I have no idea how to replace guides...I was hoping to find a how-to here on these boards, but haven't found it yet. Things like...materials, basic procedures, tips and tricks, suggestions/recommendations for the different types of guide materials (silicon carbide, chrome, etc.), etc.

In other words, I need a good old-fashioned "hardware store" for surf fishing, to pick up rod repair and reel maintance stuff, a basic selection of plugs/lures, line, leaders...and good helping of sage advice!

Thanks again guys!
Ed

Mike P · 09-18-2005, 09:16 AM

Conolon was the brand name.

zacs · 09-18-2005, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gandoe

In other words, I need a good old-fashioned "hardware store" for surf fishing, to pick up rod repair and reel maintance stuff, a basic selection of plugs/lures, line, leaders...and good helping of sage advice!

talk to mikecc of M&D's / Cape cod tackle.

http://www.capecodtackle.com/

mike is extremly helpful, a great guy, has great deals, and is a sponsor and active member of this site.

Go to the e-catalog on his site. In the rodbuilding supplies section he has everything you need. If you need help, i'm sure if you called the shop he would be happy to assist you in you purchase.

OR the best option would be to bring the rod and ree down to m&d's in wareham and have mike the master do the job for you...

_Z_

gandoe · 09-18-2005, 10:03 AM

Well, there was the remains of the Garcia name on the rod...but didn't see anything that resembled Conolon.

I saw the Cape Cod Tackle link yesterday from the site sponsor section...I'll take a closer look through it today, and send him an email or give him a call tomorrow.

Thanks!
Ed

Bill L · 09-18-2005, 10:45 AM

Mike has a nice how-to for wrappping a rod in the articles section of this site, it helped me a lot when I wrapped my first rod. Look back through old threads in this forum as well

http://www.striped-bass.com/Articles/ninechunk1.shtml

PNG · 09-18-2005, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Or, should I just buy a new outfit?

Check to see if the reel seat is still seated... This is a good starting point to saving an old stick. Then its $$$ vs sentiment.. Like mentioned earlier ask Mike. He's a GOOD sponser of this site and wont chit you up.

Could be a good winter project....

Saltheart · 09-19-2005, 09:30 AM

If it has no sentimental value , get a new one. If it has sentimental value , have a builder repair it properly.

gadabout · 09-25-2005, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PNG

Check to see if the reel seat is still seated...

Good point. I had a couple of Garcia Conolon rods in the late 70's and they both suffered from the same problem. The reel seat became unglued and would just spin around the blank. An easy problem to fix if you're rebuilding the rod.