self-explanatory

lil question:  how long do you suppose a decent baitcaster will last with regular maintenance?  is there a certain point where things get too worn down or need spare parts?

i have a lot of garcia  c-3,s that are over 15 yrs old that i still use they been punished and work perfect  lube 2 times a yr and a good cleanin once a yr also a garcia thats 30 yrs old i still use it has no bearings but works perfect

I have a Quantum Big Iron 410CX that must be at least 13 years old and a Shimano Sonora that must be at least 12 years old.

I have a Shimano Calcutta CT100A that I'm not exactly sure of the exact year but it was bought within a month of their introduction to the public.

I have 2 Bass Pro Shops SG60MT Spiral Medium Heavy IM7 that I use for throwing spinner baits that I bought at the same time as the Calcutta.

The reel and rods are if I had to guess 15 years old  

It was only this past June that I resumed fresh water fishing.

Since it was in my budget, I decided to upgrade my equipment, a single spinning rod that is nearly 50 years old, and in dire need of reconditioning.

All my gear falls into the less than one year old category.

I have a Team Diawa S Series Spinnerbait/ Cranking rod that I've been using continuesly for almost 14 years.  I just put new guides on it last month but haven't done anything else to it.  Still one of my favorite rods and I would love to know how many fish have been caught with that rod!

I have a 9 year old Quantum baitcaster (soon to be 10 y/o) that I still use all the time for deep cranking. Still works as well as the first day I bought it.

My oldest rod that I have, I have had since I began fishing. It came on a zebco 33 rod/reel combo. It is a 6'6" MH rod. I use it now because that rod is more like a Heavy rod then a MH and it is still in decent shape.

My first baitcaster I got in fourth grade, diawa magforce it was a cheap reel but u know what... it looks horrible but it still works like a champ

Castaway standard graphite spinning rod, the first year Castaways came out. I'm guessing close to 19 years or so.

I have some Abu Black Max 3600's and 1600's from the early '90's. Upgraded with new spool bearing and faster gears. Have too much stuff so they seldom get out.

I have an Abu-Garcia Royal that I bought about 1980. Still use it for topwater baits.

I have some of the original Allstar rods from back in the 80's Anyone remember the Stanley Jig rods they made...the Stanley jig 1 and Stanley jig 2? Plus I still use an original 7'6'' BPS cranking stick from that same 80's era.

My wife still uses my XLT Plus Abu Garcia reels and the oldest one I still use is an Abu Garcia 6000C that doubles for both Muskies and Stripers.  Works as good today as it did back when i bought it in the late 70's.

I have an old BPS reel that I bought in the range of 25 or more years ago as a spare to take with me to Canada for a weeks trip. It became my favorite and remained so until summer before last when it crapped out and no parts are available.

There is nothing special about the reel it just fits my needs very well. I haven't dumped it yet as I have this hope I'll find a part I can use from another reel. I have a Curado, Pflueger's, Qunatum's, BPS, Daiwas, BPS' and like them all, some just better than others.

My oldest rod is a Lew's Speed Stick that goes back to the orginal Lew's company. It is about 30 years old and needs a new guide which maybe I'll replace this winter.

At my age almost all of my tackle is old.

I have some of the original Allstar rods from back in the 80's Anyone remember the Stanley Jig rods they made...the Stanley jig 1 and Stanley jig 2? Plus I still use an original 7'6'' BPS cranking stick from that same 80's era.

My wife still uses my XLT Plus Abu Garcia reels and the oldest one I still use is an Abu Garcia 6000C that doubles for both Muskies and Stripers. Works as good today as it did back when i bought it in the late 70's.

My wife has my old XLT's mounted on 1st generation Berkley Lightning rods.  Those things still cast like a dream and the lightning rods are still an incredibly light and sensitive rod given their age.   Currently, my oldest rods I use are probably 6-7 year old All Star Titaniums and a later 90's AS classic and GT2 crankbait rod.  I have a BPS Bionic Blade, IM6 pistol grip that's around 7 years old as well as.

I have a few older round Abus that I will occassionally fish with.  

I have a G-Loomis IM6, 6'6 rod that my ex bought for me 20 yrs ago. My dad used it yesterday.

Up until last year, I had a great spinning rod, a Berkley Accuflex. I believe it was basically their Series One, before they had it. I bought it in the very early '90s for around $80, a small fortune for a rod. It had a split grip, and a raedical shaved front grip. Great rod. I still miss it. Don't ask how it met it's end. Too painful....

Same goes for an old Pinnacle 9.5' casting rod I used for float and fly SMB, floating for perch and crappie, and steelhead. "Big wretched," a very big chrome buck that lived in a small stream near home finally broke it one cold, winter day. I hooked him at least seven times that winter, never beached him.

My son still uses one of the old 33's I had for guiding people that couldn't use a casting or spinning rig. What a great reel. Probably works better than new. Has to be about 18 years old.

There are untold rods and reels at my parents' house that get used when the whole family goes up to spend a week at a cottage on one of the bays locally. They are left over from when we had our own place on the water. Everyday, literally dozens of us kids might be on the dock fishing. SOme of that gear is likely 40 years or older. Still works.

AT this point, most of the gear currently in use is either new this past year to about five or six years old. Most of what I have, I plan to keep using until its unusable. That's not to say I won't be spending untold $$ on new stuff anyway, LOL.

My oldest spinning reel is a Quantum Energy from when they first came out ('95 or '96 I think). My oldest baitcaster that I still use is a Team Daiwa S from '98. The oldest baitcaster that I have "retired" is an Abu Garcia Ultra Mag 1 I got in 83' but it still works like new. Oldest rod is a BPS Crankin' Stick that will see it's ninth year of action this year.

I have four BPS spiral Graphite rods that are 22 years old and still work like a charm. although I am starting to upgrade

I got one of those OLD  mitchell 300 spinning reels that used to be my fathers when he was little that I use every now and then when I go Cat or carp fishing.  That thing is indestructable.  

10+ years old for me is none other than the old red Abu Garcia Ambassadeur.  Still casts and works like a dream.  Was my dad's reel before I was born, and I use it for tossing small musky/pike baits and trolling.  When she starts making noise; tear it down and re-lube.

I have a G-Loomis IM6, 6'6 rod that my ex bought for me 20 yrs ago. My dad used it yesterday.

That's a rare rod.  I remember seeing those at Okiebug (tackle store in OK) back in the late 80's.  I couldn't believe people would pay $100+ ($150 maybe?) for a rod.  I had fished for several years at that point, but, didn't know anything about Loomis.  The young anglers today don't realize how much harder it was to gain knowledge before the internet.  I fished a club tournament on Table Rock when I was 16, and a guy in our club was doing well with a Yamamoto Hula grub.  A Yamawhat?  I hadn't heard of that brand.  My uncle described them as high-end plastics that were expensive.  Those were the days.....

I have a Mitchell 300 on my boat that my late Father had purchased around 1960.

It still works today like it did almost 50 years ago.

I have a few rods and reels on the boat so it does not get used constantly, but when I reach for it, I know it will work.

Brute