Does anyone still use Pistol Grip Rods?

[luvmystratos]

I was going through my Storage and Garage and found 15 different Fishing Rods ranging from 5' 6" to 7ft. Some were Gandermountain Classics from the 80's to Pistol Grips, Cork, Plastic and Rubber. Does anyone still use the Pistol Grip Rods these days? I found a St. Croix Pro Glass 6' 6" that was used maybe ten times. I found reels that I bought back in the 80's and still in good condition. Just curious if anyone still uses the older stuff compared to the new tech equiptment out there on the market today?

[toddmc]

I've got a real nice Lightning Rod. I still use it every time I'm throwing a crankbait. My lure retriever is tied to it!

[scott h]

I have an old Zebco gator 5'6" pistol grip rod in my boat with 50lb braid on the reel and i use it for one thing and one thing only, trollin motor on high 10' off the bank and pitchin a blade to pocketrs in the tules.It is amazing how accurate a person can be with that rod and cover a ton of water fast.

[bassindon69]

I used to love using the pistol grips for underhand casting using the (circle cast). Those rods were short enough to do this.

[fish_food]

luvmystratos: Check your PMs...

[fishingfamily]

I used a Fenwick forever until it got broken to the point it was unfixable,theres nothing like throwing a spinnerbait on a pistol grip.

[Cooch]

Ya made me chuckle dood, and go rummaging through my old rod locker too. I've got about a dozen of these old relics, some are in play out in the water garage that I use with spincasting reels for the kids that come over during the gill and catfish bite here. I found these four and I also have 4 of the old Shimanos I got back in the day when we gave em away at the first two BBAC Pro-Am events up at Clearlake back in the late 80s!

relic_rods.jpg (273.62 KiB) Viewed 5288 times

From Top to Bottom:
Unknown Bamboo one piece
Unknown Glass two piece
Zebco Glass one piece
Zebco, glass, two piece

[big_gorilla]

I still have the old shimano beastmaster I believe it is 6'MH in great condition. It sits on my rod rack.

[DanWarme]

I think my last pistol grip rod, A phoenix rod with a shimano reel,
leapt out of my hand on a long cast on Vail Lake into 40+ feet of water back when you could still get on Vail Lake as a general public type of angler. Should tell you how long ago that was.

These days virtually everything I have is 2 handed grip for my bait casters.

I do have a few short baitcaster rods, (5 -51/2 footers) with single straight handles on them but that is it to my knowledge.
Certainly no more than 5-6 rods at best and I have not used any of those in years having converted to longer rods with 2 handed grips long ago.

[brambo0311]

I rebuilt one of my rods that the cork fell apart on. I thru drilled a pistol grip and put it up front, then stuck a second one in the back on a split grip. It's my favorite rod. I have a couple dobynes rods that the cork is chunking off of I will do next.

[1biggbass]

SPINNER-BAITS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Cranks too!--Underhand circle cast 10-30 feet away.Deadly in trees and brush.That little 5'6" to 6' rod can get under obstacles real well.And with the pistol grip you can one hand very accurate and quiet casts.We don't see those conditions around here in San Diego very often.But this year with all the flooded brush I pulled mine out of the closet and I am rearming with a new reel.Hodges, El cap, Fishers here I come!

[toddmc]

In the late 80's when I was in college, broke, and couldn't buy all new long handle rods, I had Ty at Phenix Rods put longer handles on all of my pistol grips. There are lots of old school Fuji handles where you can plug in the blank in the front of the handle. Ty just took my old pistol grip handles off and plugged in a new longer one. It takes a little of the sensitivity away when the blank doesn't run all the way through the handle, like a Fuji ECS. I don't know if the new owner of Phenix Rods does this, but there are probably rod builders out there that can do it. I got another few years out of those rods and my bass club friends were anxious to buy those unique rods from me when I was ready to sell.