Thirty years ago, my buddy had a bass boat and invited me to fish with him very often. He was a bit older than I and had amassed more equipment than I had. When we fished together, he had several Ambassadeurs on various rods rigged for worms, spinnerbaits and crankbaits. We were in his boat and he fished from the front, of course. As we approached a hole, he truly had an arsenal from which to choose. In the back, I'd feverishly change lures on my single rig. A Texas-rig would take me out of the fishing for what seemed like forever!

I wasn't long out of school, recently married, and didn't have the funds to buy another Ambassadeur. No other reel would do, so for right now, I'd have to fish with one Ambassadeur and learn to change baits faster.

Then, a serendipitous combination of events occurred. My wife expressed an interest in learning to fish. She wanted me to buy another reel! At the same time, the 5000D came onto the market. This reel had the quality of the Ambassadeur with a few less features and, accordingly, a lower price. I think I gave $19.99 for it. This was the deal of the century.

Soon we were fishing from our jonboat together. She learned quickly and outfished me most days. When my buddy invited me to go with him, I had two rigs – one for worming and one for everything else. I caught a lot of fish. Life was good.

Over the years I've acquired more reels. Other brands quit and are soon discarded. Ambassadeurs, I have learned, are built for keeps. My current reel arsenal consists of Ambassadeurs exclusively. In addition to bass, I now fish for salmon and sturgeon on the Columbia River. After 30 years and reasonable care, the green 5000D still serves me well. Life is better.

Thomas Shofner
Kalama, WA

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