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The reason must be that with each fishing reel, pole or lure we are able to re-live a great battle. Or maybe it's that we believe we might actually use them again. I'm not exactly sure, but I sure do hate throwing out old fishing stuff.

I buy a new reel or two practically every year, whether I actually need to or not. I chuckle to myself when I hear others say that if you properly take care of your reel it will last for years. They're probably right. But who really keeps using the same reel for years? I know I don't. Fishing reels, for the most part, are affordable. And so why use an old one, an even reliable old one, when you can have a new one? There's something good about the feel of a new reel on your rod. Kind of like putting your hands on the steering wheel of a new car.

As I dug through the box I eventually found what I had hoped to find; a little, reddish-colored, Shakespeare. I still remember the day as a kid when I filled it with six-pound line and then rowed across the lake to try it out. After just a couple of casts I caught a seven-pound bass. At the time I proudly thought I had introduced the word "sport" in sportfishing. I was taught that sport fishing was based on the premise that the fish had a chance to get off while the fight was on. No chance. No sport. I soon discovered the other side of success. The next weekend my little old Shakespeare was no match for a 20-pound tarpon I targeted in front of the Weedon Island Power Plant's hot-water runoff. My dream of being the next Curt Gowdy was shattered.

Then there were the three Mitchell 300's I found in that old box. Anybody who was somebody in the Florida fishing scene of the early 1970's owned a Mitchell 300. It was THE reel to have. I looked over the best one of the lot and determined that with a little work it probably could still catch a snook next spring. I placed that one up on the shelf, away from the others.

I also found a very shiny Daiwa 1300c. It had the word "graphite" on it. That must have been the reason I bought it. Graphite was just starting to come into its own in those days. I remember that reel, though. I had it connected to an all yellow, Eckerd Super Rod (on sale for $5 at the Rod Riot rack!). I caught a 26-lb snook with that outfit. I've always figured that maybe someday I'd get a 26-lb snook replica mounted and display the reel with it. Tacky? Probably. I'd have to hang it in the garage, though. My wife is funny about those kinds of things.

An Eagle Claw 2000 caught my eye, too. I couldn't remember ever having caught anything with that reel. But I must have. It had a very attractive handle. And it looked as though it meant business. No matter how hard I tried, though, I just couldn't remember ever catching anything with it. Nice handle, but no fish.

But in the end I piled twenty of the reels back in the box, minus the Mitchell 300 up on the shelf. I placed the box back in its proper place in the closet and then looked around the garage and counted 28 rods and reels ready to be used. Some hadn't been used in over a decade, I suppose, but they looked kind of good hanging all over the place. My wife hasn't complained. There are lots of stories with all those combo's, but that would have to wait for another time. First, I've got to get that Mitchell dusted off and ready for next spring.