Vintage reels
A fishing reel is a device that is used with a fishing line using a spool attached to an axle. Most are used in conjunction with a fishing rod but in some cases there are special reels that can be mounted onto boat transoms or gunwales. The earliest drawing of a vintage fishing reel can be dated back to a Chinese painting from 1195 A.D. Fishing reels first appeared in England around 1650 A.D. By the 18th century London tackle shops were advertising many different kinds of fishing reels. Most of what we recognize about fishing reels today seems to have started in England in the 1700’s. At first the only purpose of a reel was to retrieve extra line that would have otherwise been wrapped by hand. Many early models that were made between the 18th and 19th century were direct-drive reels.
Vintage fishing reels are graded from 1 to 10 based on aesthetic value, so if the reel is in mint condition it would be A10. An ‘M’ before the number relates to the mechanical value of the vintage fishing reel. Rarity is definitely a factor when grading vintage fishing reels. The process of learning about vintage fishing reels usually involves purchasing large amounts of reels, only to realise later when you have more experience, that the reels you originally thought were in excellent were actually quite poor. So this is a great thing to know when buying vintage fishing reels for actual use. They are great to collect but they are not the most practical fishing reels out there. If you intend to use your vintage fishing reels for everyday use then you may want to consider buying a new fishing reel as too much wear on a vintage fishing reel may damage it.
Because most vintage fishing reels do not have the date of manufacture on them, it can be difficult to determine when a reel was made. Looking through the maker’s catalogue may help you to establish when the reel was made. Reel collectors tend to be very picky about vintage fishing reels. Being mechanical, reels get inspected very closely by collectors. Unlike lures, which are valued on their aesthetic mature, vintage fishing reel collector’s tend to value more highly the reels that are in great mechanical shape.
Antique Fishing Reels
Fishing historians have spent a long time trying to discover the history of the fishing reel. In 1651, literature reported a ‘wind’ at the bottom of the rod. This is most commonly recognised as the earliest known reference to the fishing reel. Until the 1800’s the fishing reel was only used to wind up excess fishing line. In the late 1800’s there was a swift progression of the multiplying fishing reel, which then allowed fishing reels to evolve into casting reels. Multiplying reels were invented in England, the fishing reels of George Snyder of Kentucky, became the most renowned of the 19th century multiplying fishing reels. Snyders antique fishing reels were made in the 1820’s and became the base of “Kentucky Reels,” made by Meek, Sage, Hardman, Milam and Gayle. A lot of these reel makers were jewellers and had a lot of experience building gears and lathe work. Due to mass production many copies of these handmade reels were produced. In the late 1800’s there were advancements in antique fishing reels used for big game fishing. Keen anglers from around the globe discovered the big game fish in Florida. Reels were produced as the demand for big game fishing grew.
The industrial revolution drastically affected the manufacturing of fishing reels, new companies opened to produce fishing reels of different qualities. In the early 1900’s the growth of reel production grew rapidly and saw the birth of some of the more common makers such as Shakespeare, Montague, Pflueger and Hendrix. These companies produced quite inexpensive yet high quality antique fishing reels.
The depression in the 1930’s saw the halt of a lot of reel making companies. But the end of WWII in 1945 brought a large number of newly established companies to the fishing reel business. A lot of these companies only managed to last a few years but their reels are now extremely collectable.
When buying antique fishing reels, be sure to ask yourself where you will be using your fishing reel and what kind of budget you have. If you want to fish in a river or stream then you will need a completely different reel to fish in the sea. If you are an inexperienced angler than buying something cheaper to practice with would be sensible. Then once you have a little experience under your belt then you can start to use antique fishing reels that are more advanced.
Famous Fishing Reel Makers
Hardy – William Hardy and his brother John James formed the company of the Hardy Bros Partnership, in 1873. Originally they dealt in firearms, but they soon changed direction. Both brothers loved to fish and their hobby became their business. And so the famous line of Hardy reels and rods were born.
Shakespeare – In 1896 William Shakespeare Jr, a keen angler, wanted to improve existing fishing reels so he decided to invent a device for winding fishing line back onto the spool evenly. He patented the level-wind fishing reel and his new design was beyond any other type of reel on the market. The result of this is now that this feature is commonplace on most fishing reels.
Hendrix – As an enthusiastic fisherman A.B Hendry became involved in producing fishing reels. By 1886 he was granted the first of eleven patents he received for fishing reel design. These fishing reels first appeared on the market on 1887 and they remained one of the larger producers of fishing reels in the US. But in 1919 the company was sold to the Winchester Repeating Arms Co, which makes Hendrix fishing reels very collectable.
Pflueger – In 1881, Ernest Pflueger founded the Enterprise Manufacturing Company and bagn making fishing hooks. Enterprise Manufacturing Company became the E.A. Pflueger Company in 1916 when Pflueger expanded the business to make more types of fishing equipment. Pflueger is renowned for making the finest fishing reels.
Penn – Otto Henze abandoned his job with Ocean City Reels in 1932 and founded the Penn Fishing Tackle Manufacturing Company in Philadelphia, USA.
Meisselbach – Meisselbach & Bro. began producing fishing reels in 1886, and by 1910 they were one of the biggest fishing reel producers in the world. After the retirement of Meisselbach the company was sold but carried on making reels until 1945.
Orvis – Charles F. Orvis founded a fishing tackle shop in Manchester, Vermont, USA in 1856. His 1874 fly reel was described as, “the benchmark of American reel design.” He had a fishing tackle catalog that was distributed to his devoted customers in the late 1800’s
Some other popular reel makers include South Bend, Heddon, Zebco, Ocean City, Langley, Bronson and Coxe.
Different types of reel
There are several different types of reel to use. You should know you reels properly so that you can use the appropriate reel while fishing and to be able to purchase great antique fishing reels.
Fly Reels – These reels are usually quite narrow. Most commonly they are single action. There are low ratio multipliers and automatic reels. Most antique reels mount horizontally, but the more common are vertical to the fishing rod. The end plates and spools may possibly be ventilated or solid.
Casting Reels – these reels are usually level winding. They are geared to multiply the reel rotations which is used for quick line retrieval. Typically these types of reel are from 60 – 100 yards. Bigger models were normally used for saltwater casting or trolling.
Salt Water Reels – these are typically non-level winding reels. They can vary in sizes from 150 yards up to 200 Big Game reels. The bigger the size of the reel, the more costly. Most commonly this type of reel was made in the USA.
Trolling Reels – Most trolling reels are just considered as large multipliers. These reels are typically 4” in breadth or bigger and are not usually geared. These reels tend to be more favored with trollers. Modern versions are currently being produced. The reels were both made in vertical and horizontal versions. These reels tend not to be that widely accepted by collectors as of yet, so there are bargains to be found in this reel category.
Spinning Reels – There are 2 different kinds of spinning reels – closed face, and open face. This type of reel is becoming quite collectable as more anglers are starting to collect the kind of reel that they used when they were children. The atypical spinning reels are now beginning to be more expensive on the market. Most of these reels were made in Europe and brought into the UK in the 1950′s.
Buying Guide
The easiest way to check prices of fishing reels that you may want to buy is by checking auction sites like eBay. With eBay you can check the completed listings of fishing reels that have sold and then you can get a rough estimate of how much certain reels are selling for. Most reels will be graded to give you some idea on what condition the reel is in both mechanically and aesthetically.
But nowadays, there a lot of different types of fishing reels available. Imagine the amount of time you might spend finding the right Fishing Reel. But you can narrow down your choices by finding out what components you want in your reel. This way, you will be able to compare reels. You must also consider your angling experience, where you may be fishing, and what type of fish you want to catch.
Choose your preferred type of reel. There are the three basic types of Fishing Reels- spin casting reel, spinning reel, and bait casting reel.
Be sure to check the gear ratio of the reel. This means the number of revolutions that are made by the spool for each complete turn of the reel handle. Reels with higher gear ratios work best when you need to retrieve line quickly. Fishing gears with lower ratios are better for trolling.
With spinning reels if you turn the handle back it should run smoothly. If there is a slight wobble then there may be a balance problem. Better quality spinning reels have counter-balanced handles which are easier to use.
With bait casting reels and bigger spinning reels make sure you take not of the level wind mechanism. This particular feature assures you that when you pull back the line it is distributed evenly on the spool.
There are many online forums that are dedicated to angling and are a great place to meet new people and get tips and advice for beginners. This is a great way to get to know the angling community whether it be in your country or somewhere else. Also people sometimes sell their excess reels and rods privately so it can be a good way to pick up some great beginner angling equipment.