Hi everyone my name is Philip and I live in the the Tucson area of Arizona. I have not been fishing in over 10 years since I moved to this area and miss it very much.

Today while cleaning out the garage I found an old Berkley rod I had forgotten about. It was still in the tube it arrived in back in 1986 and has BERKLEY stamped on the tube several times.

It is a Berkley Bionx with a World Record Number L7613. It is black with some red and gold striping and has a soft foam grip. 6' long and has 6 guides for the line. There are photos of it on my Photo Bucket page, user name 64elcamino and then go in the Fishing folder (Sorry the software will not allow a clickable link). It is unused and has been stored since 1986. I was wondering what type of fishing it was designed for. I mostly fished the White Mountain lakes for bass and trout but this was a promotional give away I received for buying other equipment so I have no idea of what it was designed to do. I never used it due to the fact it was one piece and would not fit well into the car.

Thanks for any help you can offer. I will be retiring in a few months and fishing is going to be high on the list of activities. This 24 year old pole is finally going to be put into use and hopefully provide many hours of enjoyment.

I haven't the faintest clue what application it's for but I would do a little research on it before I busted it out of the original packaging. Not saying it is but, it could be worth something.

As far as using it....the cheapest stick at Wal-Mart is probably light-years ahead of it in quality due to newer materials and manufacturing process'.

Bionix were nice crappie and walleye rods.  I still have a 6-6 "Medium" spinner.

So it would be better to enshrine this one and start with a more modern rod? What would be a good rod/reel combo? Except for this one I lost all my gear in a divorce 10 years ago. By the time I went back to get the rest of my things the locks were changed and I was not allowed to remove anything else.

Marriage is like a long term lease, with a huge penalty if you opt out early 

Oh I was wrong, she didn't get everything I also found 4 new in the package copper Z Rays, these are the ones that were made from copper, not painted. I caught a boat load of fish using them, more so than any other color I had.

hey philip, welcome to the board. i'm a native tucsonan now living in california. when i was a teen and in my early 20s back in the 70s and early 80s, i spent many a hot day and cold night fishing lake patagonia and pena blanca for bass and rose canyon (mt. lemmon) for trout. if you need any fishing advice, PM me. it's been 25 years since i've fished there but i know those waters very well.

by the way, z-rays rock! people outside of tucson (where they're made) don't seem to know much about them though.

What kind of budget are you working with?

Do you want a baitcaster or a spinning reel?

Phil, a spinning reel and not more than $100 for rod and reel.

snoopy, I'll check out those lakes.

thanks

http://www.***.com/Pflueger_President_Spinning_Reel_10_Bearing/descpage-PPSR.html

http://www.***.com/Berkley_Lightning_Shock_Spinning_Rods/descpage-BLSS.html

You can probably find the Pflueger reel cheaper somewhere else. A rod under $50-60...the only one I've fished lately is the Berkley Lightning. For the price I think it's a great rod.

I have a Bionix in a second generation I got when I worked at Walmart. Meaning the blank is outsourced IM-7 and cork handle. Mine is a 6' Med.  I use it for small topwaters.  Truth is that is a very good rod. Not junk at all.  That 6' Med heavy would be excellent for either close range spinnerbaits or larger topwaters. The rod should have SIC guides, so braid will work their too.

I have a Bionix in a second generation I got when I worked at Walmart. Meaning the blank is outsourced IM-7 and cork handle. Mine is a 6' Med. I use it for small topwaters. Truth is that is a very good rod. Not junk at all. That 6' Med heavy would be excellent for either close range spinnerbaits or larger topwaters. The rod should have SIC guides, so braid will work their too.

Are you sure about the SIC guides ?

100% on mine. His should say what they are on the tag. Berkley made some good rods once upon a time. The latest Bionix had the stainless things.

Not SiC.  They run $50 a set for 6-7' rod.  They probably Aluminum Oxide.

Thanks for the suggestions, braided line is new to me  ;D

Anybody have any more info on the "old" Berkley I have now?

Thanks for the suggestions, braided line is new to me ;D

Anybody have any more info on the "old" Berkley I have now?

Bottom line , it's worth nothing , use it and see how it stands up to the use.