I picked up an older Abu Garcia 5500c3 reel on a St. Croix avid series 6'8" medium extra fast rod today at pawn shop.

Had it tagged for $44.99, talked them down $5 to $39.99.

They are both well used, but I'd rate the condition as probably good to not quite very good after they both get a good cleaning.

pretty good deal! I'd sell the rod locally for 100 and double your money

I stop in there pretty much every Saturday morning looking for deals.

I've gotten to know the manager pretty well.

He said on rod/reel combos they usually just price it based on the reel and just add a few bucks for the rod.

He said they basically list them for 50% of what it cost to buy the reel new and vary the price up or down from there based on condition.

Great deal, if it matters, you can use 0000 steel wool on that cork and brighten it up a good bit..

Mr Clean Magic Eraser cleans the cork handles well too.

Yeah, just soak the Magic Eraser in water then start scrubbing. It'll look great in no time.

x3 on the Magic Eraser 

Well I got to cleaning it and found one thing wrong with it..

With the reel mount tightened all the way down, if you grab the reel and the grab the cork handle and give it a twist with a little force the rod will turn and you can hold the reel in same place.

So I guess the plastic rod mount has come unglued/fastened from the rod?

Don't have much experience with bass rods/reels, just now learning.

Any suggestions on how to fix it?

Thanks in advance for any help you guys can provide

Matt

About the only way I know of to fix it without cutting off the existing handle and seat would be to work the forgrip back and forth until you can slide it up the rod. Then all you'd need to do is clean off the old epoxy, or lightly sand it a LITTLE and reglue it.  If it's the rear cork, you may be able to slide it back in the same fashion, but don't expect to be able to remove it as the rod's taper would likely prevent it.  If it's the complete handle(cork and reel seat) and there is a rod repair shop near you, I'd take it to them.

Only  ONE  way to clean cork Rod handles...and that is MAGIC  ERASER ..just a little water to dampen the eraser & scrub the cork & it looks brand new.....!!......Truly Magic...!!!

Last Posted October 19, 2014 to present time in a matter of a click. 

chrono-synclastic infundibulum anybody?

And it wasn't even the unbelievable deal on a great rod,   it was Magic Eraser that brought it back...