Hey Guys,

We had a similar thread about gimmick lures, so I figured maybe we could do one on rods and reels.  I'm wondering what gimmicks you guys remember on rods/reels/etc. 

I remember back before I got out of fishing for a while, it seemed every new spinning reel to come out had a danged trigger on it!  I tried one and couldn't like it. 

What about you?

Josh

You'll find more gimmicks on reels than on rods.  Twitchin' bars and the like on casting reels appeared to be gimmicks to most of us.  Some consider Daiwa's TWS to be a gimmick, there'll be plenty more to come from others on this subject.

I liked the Quick Fire trigger on my Shimano Spirex I had many years ago.  That reel was uber tough and took one helluva beating for many years, and that trigger always worked. 

You know, the TWS makes sense to me, but I also see it as one other thing to break.

I figure you can have a fragile(???) TWS, or have friction at when the line comes off the outside of the spool while casting, or you can transfer that friction to a non-disengaging levelwind (my preference as I feel there's more to be done there than the disengaging levelwind).

Josh

A rod gimmick you ask? Here's one:

 

Alrighty then... Back on subject. I think the biggest gimmick I have seen is the wave bar line guide system on the u.s. reels. I will admit though, I have never fished one but it just screams gimmick. They might actually work, but I just don't see it happening.

One that stands out to me was a Cabela's house brand rod with the guides on the inside of the blank. 

I bought an Ambassadeur 5600AB anti-backlash reel for my wife several years ago for a fly-in fishing trip to Canada. since she had never fished a baitcaster before, I thought it was a good way to let her use a baitcaster without going through the learning process. Most reviews by fishermen has nothing good to say about them. It worked just fine for my wife. I had problems using it because for it to work, you have to keep your thumb off the spool. No problem for someone not used to using a baitcaster but difficult for me because I kept forgetting and let my thumb slow the spool down which causes a backlash. I guess you can still buy them, but they have to be considered a gimmick.

Shimano DC Reels, the Daiwa's where the line guide separated into 2 pieces when you pressed the thumb bar, and the Wave Spinning Reels. Brian.

Hagane...  sorry i couldn't help myself

The Shakespear "Clear Tip" - I'm not sure what the purpose of a clear tip is. Their rods are strong as can be, but both of mine have a clear tip.....for....what exactly?

 

"carrot fibers" spun into a rod blank 

Anything with words "nano," "erratic," or "attraction" in it.

 

11 hours ago, a1712 said:

Shimano DC Reels, the Daiwa's where the line guide separated into 2 pieces when you pressed the thumb bar, and the Wave Spinning Reels. Brian.

I almost bought that Daiwa.

Spinning reels with the bail flip lever. They invariable fail if used a lot and removing one screws up the whole rotor's balance.

Flippin' switch on BC reels. I have one on an older ABU reel with a composite or graphite frame. If you used this reel for flipping or pitching much it would warp the frame quickly. I know because I warped the frame with regular use and it'll only cast half a decent distance. In fact, I consider a composite frame on a BC reel to be a gimmick designed to lure unsuspecting first time users. I've owned two and was sorry both times. If I bought one as my first reel, I might have quit using BC's.

7 minutes ago, J Francho said:

Anything with words "nano," "erratic," or "attraction" in it.

 

Or EXTREME. I hate that word.

micro guides and aluminum (by any other name) gears...

Any product that includes the words Ronco or Popeil may be suspect.

Also if the term "Just pay separate shipping & handling" is somehow involved, I usually steer clear.

A-Jay

The rocket fishing rod...

As seen on TV. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp4d-KE3k-c

32 minutes ago, Darren. said:

The rocket fishing rod...

As seen on TV.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp4d-KE3k-c

My bro-in-law asked what I thought of that. I had the feeling he was fishing for Christmas gift advice. I told him it was garbage for sure. That cat loves a late-night info-mercial.

12 hours ago, ww2farmer said:

One that stands out to me was a Cabela's house brand rod with the guides on the inside of the blank. 

Man, I had forgotten that one!!!  Seemed great as a concept! ha 

3 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

My bro-in-law asked what I thought of that. I had the feeling he was fishing for Christmas gift advice. I told him it was garbage for sure. That cat loves a late-night info-mercial.

LOL.

I bought one years back when Roland Martin was
the shill for the product. Yeah. Gimmick for sure.

It becomes pretty clear that when people start using words like "nano" "extreme" and other keywords on their fishing equipment as a gimmick..  They haven't been that interested in it long enough to remember many of the TRUE awesome gimmicks! HAHA  

The color-c-lector maybe? 

There are plenty ones, here are some:

Color C-Lector device and Color C-Lector "approved" finish on lures

Daiwa Interline rods ( which later Cabela´s acquired )

Daiwa Computerized reel

Flipping Switch on BCs

Flipping/ pitching specific reels ( Ardent has one, Shimano had one, yes, even Shimano screws up once a while ) 

Oval fishing line designed specifically for BCs ( Magnum 7-20 & 14-40 )

What about those lures that spun like a torpedo they had a grub body and a tail like a fan blade

1982 Bassmaster magazine. 

Hootie