Subscriber Question - Crappie fishing with vintage equipment, my recommendation

[@skyedancer3106]

Hi Willie, it was very nice to see Monkey Do on the road. 😊 I have never caught a crappie in my life, let alone seen one in real life. The 1875 is gorgeous. Almost to pretty to use. I watch Dan's videos he puts out. Very interesting guy. Tell the family Hi and meow for me. Take care and stay safe till next time. ❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@ddselvig]

Thanks for the shout out, Willie! I've found that sometimes vintage solid fiberglass rods can give off fiberglass particles that are very irritating to your skin and eyes. I'm very sensitive to the itchiness that those particles give me, so I give the rod a coat of polyurethane to seal the fiberglass before handling it any further. Not every solid fiberglass rod will give off those particles, but you will know right away if you start experiencing the itch on your skin. I wear gloves, goggles, and N95 mask when spraying polyurethane on old fiberglass rods. After the polyurethane cures the rod is safe to handle. The translucent solid fiberglass rods are the worst offenders.

[@TheGraytOutdoors]

You’re very welcome Dan!! Maybe Josh will get in touch.. Very good info on the fiberglass rods.. these are the reasons I don’t really use older rods.. They have to be in extremely good shape and unique for me to bring it home.

[@ddselvig]

@@TheGraytOutdoors I never have problems with the tubular fiberglass rods, only the solid ones.

[@TheGraytOutdoors]

@@ddselvig I do not like the solid FG rods.. I have a couple just because they matched the couple reels I had on them.. but it’s a “looks” thing only.. I love vintage reels but have very few vintage rods..

[@TheCATFISH1949]

The Fonz .. You have a out of this world knowledge about village reels and rods period!!! I hope you have better luck catchin next time

[@TheGraytOutdoors]

@@TheCATFISH1949 Haha😁, Thank you.. when you mess with as much old junk as I do, you eventually learn something😂. Plus, I’m intrigued by them all. I wanna try as many as I can and get as many back out there doing their thing.. and the next fishing trip, fish will be caught!! lol 😂 Thanks for watching!! Willie

[@harryhoward3064]

Willie, hey there fella, enjoyed you last couple of videos and I know Bill will enjoy his new vintage 25th Anniversary reel. I don't have an underspin reel yet so maybe I will keep an eye out for one for stream fishing for trout. I am thinking of something along the lines of the UL 4 or etc. You know me with the Zebcos. I have used the open face spinning reels but never have cared too much for them. Anyway, I just wanted you to know we are watching and enjoy the content of each and every episode. So keep them coming and we will keep viewing and liking. Miss Sophia says "Hi".

[@TheGraytOutdoors]

Hey there Harry! I just picked up a Zebco Micro 33 Gold (under spin) I’m putting together an episode on that reel as we speak. Caught some fish on it last week and plan on doing the same this weekend.. 😉.. We’ll see how that goes.. might take a couple other Zebco underspins just as a comparison.. Thanks for watching and tell Miss Sophia Hello!! Willie

[@joshpederson5926]

Thanks so much Willy, really appreciate you taking the time to do the video. Your hilarious. Love your videos. Yes you answered my questions. I just cant find a rod that feels right and the one I had broke. I had it paired with a zebco 33 Authentic . And I've caught so many fish with it. I bought a spinning rod . Shimano reel and st. Croix rod. Just not the same. And I remeber as a kid in the 80s I had a Johnson tangle free. Just like the push buttons. But I'll try your awesome suggestions.

[@TheGraytOutdoors]

@@joshpederson5926 You’re very welcome. I appreciate the question. There’s a lot of choices out there. It really depends on what looks good to you and a lot of it is trial and error.. Some Zebco reels are just fine. I like the older ones of course but it also helps if you’re a bit mechanically inclined. The older reels always require some maintenance and being able to take them apart, clean them up, and put them back together is a good thing. I like old Johnson, Abu Garcia, Shakespeare, and Zebco. If you truly want the standard Spincast reel (thumb button style) you can’t beat the old Shakespeare, Zebco, and Johnson reels. I’ve made a huge amount of videos on all those companies.. If you see an episode that interests you on a certain reel, please feel free to ask anything you’d like about it.. I’ll tell you what I can.. Hope I helped and just didn’t make you confused 😂. Thanks again, Willie

[@AndyCortez-r6b]

Hi Willie. The crappie bite will be starting up again soon. I use the fly rod/underspin combo depending on the time of year, location, and the weight of the lure I'm throwing. Right now, my vintage underspin set up is a Johnson Century 100-A on an Eagle Claw 6'6" 3/4 wt. fly rod with 4# Trilene. So far, it's working well. Andy

[@TheGraytOutdoors]

@@AndyCortez-r6b Hello There Andrew!! I don’t think you have near enough underspin reels. You need at least 4 more before you can have a favorite.. 😄

[@christinerogers5331]

Hey Willie, 260 miles on a Monkey would seem a bit far for me, but then again, it has been a long time since I was riding motorcycles! Take care and be safe!

[@TheGraytOutdoors]

@@christinerogers5331 Not gonna lie.. it was a long ride.. but I loved it..

[@jimamccracken5783]

Howdy Willie, I have always enjoyed your videos and liked your way of describing things clearly and precisely. I plan a fishing trip to my local lake and take along a few of my Johnsons which I really like. Whatever bites is what I plan on catching. Just wanted to mention Red vs blue monkey. Could the Gearin be just a bit different between the two

[@TheGraytOutdoors]

@@jimamccracken5783 Howdy Jim.. 🤠 I thank you so much!! I like to be sure people are understanding what I’m sayin’ I do have a tendency to jump from subject to subject. I don’t want to confuse anyone. Good luck out there!! Catch anything and everything.. Those two Monkeys are identical except one has front ABS brakes and the other doesn’t.. not sure why they’re different but they are.. not by much but enough I notice it. Thanks for watching Jim!! Willie