"A competition? Ha!" Mike, like a bull whose fighting spirit had been ignited, snorted with pride, "I just think using my gear, filled with soul and stories, against these brand new 'gold-plated weapons' is a bit unfair."
Despite his words, his body was honest. He turned and walked into the cabin, soon coming out with a weathered canvas rod bag.
He carefully pulled out a fishing rod from the bag, a custom-made handcrafted rod that looked quite aged. The deep blue rod was wrapped with handmade gold guide lines, and the cork handle had a warm luster from years of use.
Paired with it was a classic silver Penn International 30TW reel, its body full of tiny scratches left by time, like medals on an old soldier.
"See this?" Mike caressed his beloved reel almost like stroking a lover, "This is true legendary gear. This rod was handcrafted by a nearly retired master in the Outer Banks Islands of North Carolina."
