Classic Tackles - D.A.M. rod & SLS1 Spinning Reel

Recently I got my hands on an old classic fishing tackle from my father. This outfit was bought in the 1970s and is fully functional. The rod is a D.A.M. 7 feet, fibre glass 2 piece rod paired with a D.A.M. SLS1 spinning reel. The rod has only 5 guides compared to most modern 2 piece rods has at least 7 guides. Although the rod handles are made from cork, being slightly worn out, it still gives enough grip that you can fight a whopper with confidence it will not slip.

D.A.M. This is a German tackle company that was already in the business since the 1870s. They survived 2 world wars and is still going strong to this day. They are comparable to Abu Garcia as both share similar beginnings and of European heritage.

The outfit had been used mostly for Tilapia and Catfish coarse fishing. Being a fibreglass rod, it is rather heavy, a little too limp but almost indestructible. Look at the guides, it is shaped from hard stainless steel cable. Nothing like our modern ceramic rings. Limited to only 5 guides, we can assume casting will not be accurate but suffice to say, it's stainless steel cable construction was able to cast quite a distance away, albeit sacrificing some accuracy.

I have used this outfit in recent years, prior to it, the rod was placed into storage and hasn't seen action for a great number of years. When it comes to fibreglass rods, you can be assured such rods can take a beating and will not break even under immense pressure. The only con to it is the weight. Rods of this kind are only suitable for coarse angling or bait fishing, it would be too heavy & impractical for casting. While the rod is definitely outdated in design as well as the materials used to construct it, the reel, a D.A.M. SLS1 spinning machine is still relevant to modern designs.

The D.A.M. SLS1 in terms of size is equivalent to modern size 2000 spinning reels. It's spool is rather old school design in that it is very deep & narrow. It has the capacity to hold about 220m of 0.20mm thick lines. Being almost 90% constructed from stainless steal material. You can be assured this is meant for rough use. The only con to it is the weight. It is heavy. This reel is most suitable for coarse fishing application.




Having only 1 ball bearing doesn't really feel too cranky. Considering the age of the reel, it still reel in smoothly albeit with some mechanical noise & minor vibrations with a ratio of 5.0:1. The drag on this old reel is not like what you would expect. It only has 1 washer compared to modern reels having at least 3 to 6. The drag is jerky & I would not want to use it for fighting big fishes. This reel will do well for fighting fishes up to 4kg freshwater & probably 3kg for saltwater. Fighting anything larger than 5kg would need to use very strong, tough lines to compensate for the jerky drag. Anyhow, old reels like these were designed for monofilament lines which is flexible and not an issue with jerky drags.

Out of curiosity, I spooled it with Tomman 30lb braid to see how it fits onto the spool. Surprisingly, the line went in quite well given the fact that the spool is of old design, being deep rather than long shaped. I wouldn't know how well it would cast until I test it out at nearby waters but suffice to say, it will not win awards for distance. To minimize birds nest, I spooled it to 4mm behind the spool lips.

This outfit will serve well for it's intended use. Coarse fishing at lakes, ponds & some light pier fishing by the beach. Being heavy & sturdy, I don't have to worry about damaging it. This is meant for rough use. Definitely a collector's item for those who enjoys collecting classic fishing tackles.

NOTE: If anyone is interested to trade for this outfit, I am willing to let go for a price. Drop me an email to discuss, thank you.

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