My dad gave me this tackle box containing these reels his father had. The small silver Climax bait reel was my great grandfather's (1890s?). The half and half can used to carry weights and homemade whittled bobbers
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You need to restore atleast one of the reels, and catch a fish on it. That's exactly how I first got into vintage tackle. I inherited a few reels from my grandfather on my dads side, and took them apart. I got them working again and caught a few fish.
A while back I restored one of my grandfathers rod and reels, and gave it to my father on fathers day, and took him fishing. It was a fun experience for both of us.
I then started seeking new ones out.
About two to three months ago my moms brother moved out of his house, and gave his entire tackle collection to my brother and I. So I now have fishing items from both of my grandfathers. My uncle had three daughters, and none of his six grand children were interested in fishing. (A few of them are even Vegan). So he gave his fishing collection to my brother and I to preserve.
He called my brother up, and said you have been asking about this for years, come get it. My brother picked it up, and being the nice guy he is gave me 1/2.
It was not a expensive collection, but it feels good to hold in your hand and catch a fish on something you know your grandfather was using over 70+ years ago. I never met the grandfather on this side of the family. He passed shortly after I was born, but I still feel a connection to these few items I have that once belonged to him.