Can my Grandad's Antique Pflueger Baitcaster Survive a Pike Attack?

Lure fishing in 2020 in England - using an American Rod and Reel (both by Pflueger) dating back to the 1930s and my Grandad's fishing tackle shop in Northern England.

When my grandfather died, my dad was able to salvage some items that came from his own father's tackle shop - which he ran in the years leading up to World War II.

Two salvaged items were the tubular steel (!!) 5 foot Pflueger baitcasting rod and a matching Pflueger "Summit" reel. My dad has never fished with these and has saved them for his kids and grand-kids. The reel was pretty caked up in grease and had several broken parts - but with help from specialists in the USA and UK, I managed to restore it. I've now been taking it on a quest to see if I can catch fish in the modern era using my Grandad's tackle.

Here I'm fishing with a Whopper Plopper 90 and also a regular crank bait - in an attempt to catch a pike. There's no drag mechanism (or even free-spool mechanism) on the reel. So, as well as only being able to use my thumb for a "drag" - when you cast, the handles of the reel spin round too (watch your knuckles!!).

In other videos I'll go into just how this lovely little baitcasting rig from America could have ended up in small-town Northern England around the 1930s and 40s, but for now - here's a short 10 minute story of a lure fishing session for pike.

As I explain in the video, this one was a last-minute adventure to squeeze in some fishing ahead of me getting a COVID swab and then having to self-isolate before my operation (with follow up rehab on my knee before I could wade and fish in rivers again).

I hope you enjoy it - and please feel free to subscribe if you'd like to know when more stuff like this comes out.

Paul