Does anyone still have any AllStar Rods from the 90’s? I’m talking about the ones made in Houston, Texas. Fished with them growing up, and been on the hunt to find some. 

1 hour ago, Tank1018 said:

Does anyone still have any AllStar Rods from the 90’s? I’m talking about the ones made in Houston, Texas. Fished with them growing up, and been on the hunt to find some. 

A sporting goods store near me, Rogers Sporting goods, used to carry them. Here in Missouri they had a cult following, mostly with tournament guys. I never owned one. At the time I was mostly fishing Lews Speed sticks. I remember everyone liking them, and I think they were very good rods.

I think Academy Sports sells them.  

I have two, both original SJ2 6’10” telescopic jigging rods ?

I have Falcon rods from the 90s,

 

and my dad has a few he didn't step on - yet.  

 

Got WR-1, WR-2, SRM, MSTN2,and flippin rod. Keeping them, still fish with them. The newer branded All Star rods are imports, no more made is USA.

I've got a couple of the original brown/brownish ones - but I don't fish with them all that much.  I broke my telescopic SJ2 rod this year - doing something stupid with it - nowhere near the water.    I've bought a few of the All Stars that are distributed by Academy and they are pretty good rods, really.   Very comparable to the original ones.    Not a big fan of the bright colors that they come in now - but I've had  a few purple ones for a couple of years and the obnoxiousness of that color has worn off somewhat and doesn't bug me as much as it used to .   

I've got a 6'6" Heavy & 7' Cranking around here somewhere from the mid 90's

I had two back then.  I think they they were the All Star Classic and they went for around $100 or less.  I liked them up until each one cracked/broke on me.  I can't explain why.  I just remember fishing them and they both broke bringing fish in.  I believe they were about two years old and both broke within a few months of each other.  Good rods though but a bit heavy by today's standard. 

I had two of those All Stars made in Houston. A casting one (Im6) and a Spinning rod (IM10). I accidentally left  my spinning rod down by a local creek ramp while helping our church kids load up some canoes and supplies and I drove home without it. When I discovered it was gone, I drove back down to the creek to find it and someone else had already found and taken it.   I do still have the lower grade casting rod made in Texas but I will miss that Spinning rod. Both were/ are good rods.

I think the Houston made All Stars are older than the 90's . I believe Morgan McCain was the original owner along was Billy Kistler if memory serves.

Of course it got sold and ruined by Shakespeare but the name goes on.

 If you can find the charcoal colored blanks with maroon wraps with " made in Houston Texas " on the label those are the ones to pick up.

 I have a BCM6 and a Zell Rowland TWS. It's crazy what the TWS would bring these days . I fish it with 30lb. braid now and it's still the best topwater rod I've ever owned. 

I have a flipping one, probably late 80’s early 90’s. It’s the maroon one. LMK if you are interested in it. 

I have a 6’6 Medium action spinning rod that I still use regularly, has to be 20+ years old now.

 

I have an All Star saltwater rod that I've had for decades.  Nice blue color.  Same company?

Morgan McCain is making rods again, under his own name. The non compete clause in the sale to Shakespeare has expired.

They were great rods at that time.  I don't think they'd fish well these days, compared with the lighter rods of today.

Yep I’ve got one, a PT66MH given to me by my Dad before he passed. It’s been my spinnerbait rod for quite some time and helped put a lot of big green fish in the boat over the years. Even though it’s still a good, serviceable rod with sentimental value, I’m leaning towards replacing it very soon with a 7’ stick….

Surprisingly, the newer Asian-made All Stars that are marketed through Academy get very good reviews. Look up the yellow $99 All Star Nano II reviews. Their reviews are better than G. Loomis reviews!!! Haha! Even the All Star Classics ($50) are getting pretty good reviews. I guess I need torture test one froggin' in some heavy weeds or lily pads. I do miss my USA All Star Spinning rod though.

 

 

On 9/1/2021 at 2:07 PM, Team9nine said:

I have two, both original SJ2 6’10” telescopic jigging rods ?

I have one of these also. Love this rod 

I have one that I used to use as a dropshot rod.  Wish I had more of the originals.  Have a friend who was the pro staff director for them and he had a cardboard 55 gallon drum completely full of them.  He sold them all to Jason Quinn when he was fishing the elite series.  

I do and it's still my favorite rod for C-rigs. Just the right amount of flex for casting one, plenty of back-bone for that sweeping hook set along with good sensitivity.

Although mine is not a USA made version, I still enjoy my “ASR shaky head” rod. It’s 6’-10” med power/fast action and really launches them out there. I’m pretty sure I bought this in 2007/2008. It has one of the most comfortable cork grips in my opinion.

People that have them seem to really like them.  I’ve handle some over the years doing minor repairs and even rebuilding with modern guide systems. The ones I’ve seen had a fast to mod fast action with a comparatively soft tip. This action is what the owners like at least in the models I’ve worked with. The blanks wouldn’t be considered high end by today’s standards but they’re something a little different. 

I have 2 WR1's and 1 WR2 That I still use a LOT. My oldest WR1 had the cork finally give up the ghost so I put a 9" Winn Grip on her and still going strong. Like a lot of other rods, if you use them a long time, you develop a certain feel. I have newer, lighter and more expensive rods but for the techniques these rods are good for, I use them with confidence. 

Appreciate all the feedback, sorry for the late response been busy with work. Like I stated earlier, I used them a lot growing up as a kid. The WR2 and the Shimano Curado bantam (old green one) was one of my favorite combos for pitching Texas rigged plastics. I understand there are obviously better rods being made today, was just curious if people were still using them. I wouldn’t mind having one myself they just seem hard to come by. I loved the full cork handles, and obviously the fact that they were made in Houston, Texas since I’m from that area. Seems like the rod building industry is going away from full cork handles, except for a few companies but I’m hoping I can find something similar to what I used growing up fishing.  Thanks for all the feedback.