I have often heard old timers say they could smell water-moccasins. Anytime I notice this odor, I go on high-alert and watch my step. I have never been much afraid of snakes.
Yesterday, I took two vintage reels to my pond to see how well they were working after cleaning them up and lubricating them. I had one of them mounted on a rod that I had fashioned by combining a vintage metal rod handle and rod seat someone sent me with an old reel and an old tubular glass rod that had a broken reel seat and handle. The new configuration was not really planned but it worked well enough with the Johnson 710 reel. It is gratifying to reclaim this stuff and give it new life.
The Johnson 710 era reel from the mid-sixties to the seventies, I am not sure exactly what years, is considered by many to be the best spin-cast reel ever made, due to its extraordinary two-stage drag coupled with its tried and proven simple spool and release design. The weakest link on earlier models was clearly the drag. This specific reel tosses a lightweight spinning lure a surprisingly long way with little effort, using this vintage hybrid cast aluminum rod seat and handle paired with a broken vintage fiberglass rod. Salvaging both rod pieces from discards, I was able to solidly fuse a section of fiberglass rod together with the six-sided rod mount for an extraordinary feel of what is going on with the line and the lure.
Vintage casting and spin-cast rods generally used cast metal or welded steel for their frame. The rod seat is recessed to allow the horizontal position of the fishing line to align closely with the eyes of the fishing rod from the exit point on the reel. The handle portion of the rod is often covered with cork or wound with leather or twine or covered with moulded rubber or synthetics. The rod was commonly attached to the reel seat and handle using a threaded two to three inch hollow section of the handle which was secured with a compression nut. The actual material of the rod was made from various materials including bamboo, steel, tubular and solid fiberglass, and more recently graphite. Each rod material has its own characteristics which can be either pro or con for given situations.
Obvious characteristics that have been sought in casting rods have historically been strength, limberness, and flexibility which combine to provide different levels of spring tension which has become known as the action of the rod. Casting and spin-cast rods on action to propell the attached lure than does either spinning rods pr fly-rods, since manual thrust and gravity are the chief propellants--but the action is very important to retrieval when a fish is attached. The ability of the rod to transmit the least amount of resistance trhough the line to the rod tip on down into the handle where the hand can interpret the tug is very important to modern fishermen who depend upon this feel to determine when a fish is engaging with the lure and when to set the hook.
This specific reel tosses a lightweight spinning lure a surprisingly long way with little effort, using this vintage hybrid cast aluminum rod seat and handle paired with a broken vintage fiberglass rod.
I am only guessing from the style of the old cast metal fishing handle and rod seat that it was originally attached to a solid fiberglass rod, although this same style rod was used with steel rods and bamboo rods too. The hex-shaped prod attachment tube lends some thought that the handle was attached to a bamboo rod, as these were sometimes pieced together in split quarters and pieces of bamboo to enhance rod strength and all of the characteristics mentioned above. The compression nut is missing from the rod handle. I may try to make one or find an existing nut used for plumbing or gas lines since the original type of nut are nearly impossible to find by themselves.
Another name for a water-moccasin is Cotton-Mouth. Thus, Cotton Floats helps us remember that it is the poisonous variety of snakes that float.
But for now, I merely used epoxy to solidify the tubular rod that I had from a broken handle by adding a piece of fiberglass dowel and gluing it into place. This fused it all solidly together. I wound the outer rod and metal piece with synthetic thread and then epoxied the outer part which more or less melted it all together. The rod has more flex than I would prefer as it is, but it casts nicely and does seem to adequately transmit the feel from the lure and the line. I caught a small bass with the rig while I was trying it yesterday and it worked just fine. The Johnson 710 reel is a great compliment to the repaired rod hybrid. This is a 710 with the earlier rounded bell. It looks just like the similar SABRA except that it is smaller. The gears and two-stage drag appears exactly like the SABRA too, except it is s little smaller.
The Johnson 710 Reel is One of the Best Reel Designs
Since the spool is smaller the reel will accommodate less line or a smaller diameter line. Line materials have changed a lot since this reel was made, so higher test lines could be used with it than was ever intended originally. I am still stymied as to why the number 710 was applied to this reel as a model number designation. It may hit me out of the blue like a ton of bricks and I will feel stupid as to why I did not figure it out sooner, but for now I am at a loss.
The 710 is the only Johnson reel that carried only a number as its name. The bigger model of the same design is the SANGA. It is just like the 710, only larger and beefier and holds more line. The SANGA is the only Johnson reel model that carries ONLY a lettered name--just the opposite of the 710. The name SANGA has history-specific significance that is inked to historical events happening during the mid-sixties in Israel. The name during this time-period is also synonymous with versatility and toughness. The marketers and owners of Johnson Reel company appeared to be having a good time naming their different reel models. If only I could decipher the reason for the out-of-sequence model number of the 710. Any ideas? If so, please add your comments. (There is a more complete discussion about the interesting names of Johnson reels at my post entitled Meet the Sanga Family . . . . )
I saw a host of turtles on my pond while I was there yesterday. One big one appeared to be leading a flotilla of smaller turtles. I have always been fascinated with how these painted water turtles seem to face in the same direction as they float stationary just below the surface with their heads pointed as if paying morning alms to Mecca upon any given body of water. I suppose they are using the sun to orient themselves in order to see insects or something. I had never seen several moving together at the same speed in the same direction as a group. There must have been five or six. Maybe it was just coincidence. As a kid I used to practice my casting aim by trying to hit turtles in the water--but only when they were in approximately the area where I wanted to fish.
Some turtle species are highly prized as food. In America at least the painted turtle is not one of the edible varieties. In most geographies they are also protected by game and fish laws. Other varieties may be protected by special Acts of Congress intended to preserve environmentally threatened species. Painted Turtles are common all over the world. They are apparently a very effective design. I understand that Painted Turtles are endangered in parts of Asia, especially in China, because they are eaten and used for medicinal purposes.
To many rod and reel fishemen, turtles present a nuance as bait stealers and are an aggravation when caught. The best way to deal with a painted turtle on the end of your line is to cut the line off and let it fall back in the water. There are other varieties of turtles that can easily take off a finger or even an arm. Although painted turtles are not the same as snapping turtles, they do have sharp beaks that can easily cut through a piece of cut fish bait. It is not a leap to understand that they can similarly cut through your skin. All turtles are part of a environmentally balanced water ecosystem. They serve much the same purpose as do birds that eat carrion. I once thought that these turtles fed on live fish and minnow and were a threat to my ponds fish balance. My research has proved this to be incorrect. Painted Turtles feel on dead or dying fish, insects including misquitoes, and help keep our water free from rotting debris.
Catching a mess of fish for supper on a cane pole with hook, worm, and cork is still a popular and viable activity in the South. Until the advent of the spin-cast reel that made long casts from the bank inexpensive and easy for rank-and-file fishermen, this was the only method commonly used. Bait-cast reels were expensive and required skill to use. Spinning reels did not require as much skill, but they were expensive and were only suited for light-weight lures. Fly-fishing was virtually unheard of in these parts. A can pole and stout line can handle a wide range of fish from small sunfish varieties to big catfish.
Worms, crickets, and minnows are often used live baits and will take all kinds of fish. Stink baits or blood baits are still used for catfish. Catalpa worms, a seasonal caterpillar found only on native broad-leaf Catalpa Trees at certain times are thought to be the best catfish bait known. But regular old red earthworms and larger night-crawlers are still the universal fishing bait for all fishes.
I was distracted from the turtle flotilla by a large water snake disturbing the water with his fat stubby body floating entirely on top of the pond. Having their entire body on the surface is supposed to mean that it is a poisonous variety--at least within the Continental United states. I have been told this all my life--but I used to get it mixed up. I couldn't remember if it was the poisonous snakes that floated or the nonpoisonous ones--which is pretty much like knowing nothing at all.
Plastic Worms are a Relatively New Phenomenon
Hard though it may be to fathom by modern fishermen, plastic worms are a relatively new development. They have come about in my lifetime. In face almost all artificial lures have come into use within just a few generations. The first commercial plastic worms that were widely available were already rigged with a line and two hooks with a spinner and a bead. This is not withstanding that people knew you could sometimes catch bass on a purple pipe cleaner carefully twisted around a hook and retrieved in a lively way.
The Texas Rig and the Carolina Rig for weedless fishing in cover using plastic worms came about only thirty or so years ago. Without much guidance written for the use of plastic worms back in the day, the natural inclination was to simply put the worm on the hook much like a live worm. This was not very productive for most situations. It was then considered a sure tip-off that you had no savvy with using plastic worms if you hooked them through the middle and just let them hang. You would get laughed at for showing such lack of experience.
Placing a worm on a hook in what we today call Senko-style almost looked ridiculous to me the first time I saw it. I had my doubts when I first rigging this type of worm. But I quickly found the simple equidistant hook placement midways into the worm body that allows the worm to shimmer in a natural free-fall can be effective in situations around trees and other areas where bass await their natural food to arrive in just such a manner from directly above.
Just after taking this photograph, I tossed the worm out near an overhanging branch. It was taken by a good size bass. It had taken a pass at the worm previously and I had seen his broad side as it flashed in the afternoon sun. As I attempted to set the thook, the fishing line went slack and faded into the water. It was new line, but I realized that I must have gotten a drop of epoxy on it near where it entered the reel, which essentially melted and weaken the line. I am hopeful that the bass is able to shake the hook. I hope it did not set at all. This is not quite catch-and-release at its very worst.
Then I learned a little maxim to help with this. Cotton Floats. One of the four poisonous snake varieties found in North America is the water-moccasins. These are the only primarily water snakes that are poisonous. Another name for a water-moccasin is Cotton-Mouth. Thus, Cotton Floats helps us remember that it is the poisonous variety of snakes that float. This can be misleading though, because when a cotton-mouth transitions from traveling undisturbed to hiding from a potential predator, they can go underwater and will sometimes just peak a head up. So always exercise care. Cotton mouths have a white inside mouth. They are usually a dull black or grey and although they can get quite long, they tend to be fat and taper quickly to the tail end.
Water-Moccasins have a Bad Smell that May Serve as a Warning
I associate a nasty smell of stagnate mud with water-moccasins, and maybe all water snakes. I don't know if this actually is from stagnant mud from them having it on their bodies or if it is some kind of musky smell that comes from the snakes themselves. I have often heard old timers say they could sell water-moccasins. Anytime I notice this odor, I go on high-alert and watch my step. I have never been much afraid of snakes. I have been in the outdoors traipsing around snaky lakes and swamps all of my life and have never been bitten--although I been alarmed fro time to time. I have seen lots of snakes. I know the difference in appearance between poisonous and nonpoisonous snakes if I get a good look at them. I believe that the danger posed by snakes in North America is greatly exaggerated. I saw two other snakes yesterday--one in the pond coming ashore and the other in a willow growing at the pond edge. I think these were both immature Yellow Water Snakes. It promises to be a banner snake year from these early signs.
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