seems a bit royal on the we.






(you should see this rod with the green Condex)




(I can keep doing this...ok, two of these reels I sold, but not because they weren't great reels)

there's a thread on the TX kayak board, What Do You Wish You Knew When You Started?

Most of the posters in front of me had long lists, which often included unhappy tackle buying choices, perceived wasted time on the water with learning curves, etc.
OK, and some legitimate complaints about wind and bad paddle planning. Basically, post your regrets here so we can all learn from them.
My answer


My tackle rule has been simple - be patient and don't buy junk. For the collectibles I'm going to fish, don't buy anything you can't sell; don't pay more than you can re-sell it; (not counting new contemporary/conventional tackle, which, I don't buy much - I bought two salt reels over the past three years to upgrade 35-y-o reels) and even better, as often as possible snipe it for half what you think it's worth.

I have some curios in my tackle collection, too, though only a couple of fly reels that fit that description, and it's because they're too cool not to display.
c. 1895 Rochester Carlton

ok, there are 3 shelves in that cabinet, and one more fly reel shelf in another cabinet, but any time I needed to make a choice to buy something else, I could sell one of these.
Most of the time offering reels on the forums, they've sold in minutes - been pretty good about working on the demand side of the curve.

this shelf has thinned a bit, too since this photo
Where did all the other reels I've owned go? They're spread all over North America, Japan, Australia - but none of them were junk.

going to make me address Classic vs. Curiosity.

In 1917, Horton sold their steel rods side-by-side with their Meek reels (after moving the reel makers from Kentucky to Conn).
The rods and reels each cost $15-25 in 1917 money. A lot of money in 1917 (marketed to doctors and lawyers - Hemingway's dad).

I reserve classic for any item that holds its original purchase price in today's dollars. Since Hardy reels over time sold for an equivalent of $250 in today's money, they get to play, as do the Meeks, bringing $300 (some much more) in today's money.
For the Bristol steel rod, you'd be lucky to get $15 in today's money - not classic, a curiosity. Not a feely definition, but empirical.
(somebody with a big Bronson or Ocean City collection might not like this, but they'd also be lucky to have functioning reels in that collection.)

Colston,
Looks like a bad case of "shack nasties" your sun will shine and the temp will rise. However, I still use my Medalists, Youngs, Shakespeares, and a few others from the 60's - 70's. The only newer reels in my collection are some of my Saltwater reels and a Spey reel or two.
Bulldog, your reel pics are always something I really enjoy looking at.
Respectfully rvreclus

I remember as a kid,my grandapa going thru his change.this was the mid 60s.HE was looking for silver coins.HE told me a silver dime bought a loaf of bread during the depression.A silver dime at spot silver price still will today.I remember my dad winning a digital watch.Was the coolest thing ever with the glowing red numbers.A few later my dad gave me a similar one,he got it free with an oil change.My long winded point is a classic will hold its value,at least up or down in a range.I have never paid more than 50 for a fly reel ,some of my best finds much less.Most of this stuff stands on its own merit or is nostalgic.Martin is a great example of a good product that i am sure the proto type WAS a tin can .Or look what the Zero Hour Bomb Co did after the war.The british always excelled at fine metal working.What is truly cool is that most of this stuff was someones vague idea at some point in time.Just some guy fishing thinking about a better mouse trap.

I like the way this thread is going. Hope Colston does.
Martin actually got their start making really nice autowinds in 1898, putting Yale and Meisselbach out of the auto business.

1903 Thos. Chubb catalog, and if you can find a No. 3 in the red box, they're hugely collectible.
Collectors like big reels, and not many of these were sold.

But everything about Martin gets to be classic - look at today's market for their US-made reels. While the Brits took benchmaking reels to the extreme, Americans took manufacturing to the extreme, and in most cases, the quality went down over time (compare a benchmade Meek or even Meisselbach baitcaster to a Bronson - not counting JA Coxe - earlier Shakespeare to later, etc).

Martin is the best manufacturing example of making the largest possible range of quality reels from the fewest number of parts variations. Their multiplier has endured as the best ever made. Their unique helical spring click-pawl performs with the best. Their clutch and disc drag is perfect, and replacing the clutch is a simple task.
Though I'm not a fan of the caliper clicker (any caliper clicker) their M68 is stunning, especially with a One Pfoot. Luckily, the MM11 is almost as good-looking and with a great dual click-pawl.

even the original M72 is damn good-looking and a real workhorse.


Zebco is the next further step in manufacturing. Simplest possible design - they literally made a disposable fishing reel.
If you ever sent one in for repairs, they send you a new reel, no charge, no questions.
As far as the test, if you have an early model Zero Hour Bomb Co in box, you might be surprised how much you can get for it.

Speaking of those Martin clutches, now that Zebco owns Martin, they would send you that part gratis (had to tell them your reel is a current model). Too bad you can't get the pawls from the 70s/80s reels. One reason I've only kept the double click-pawl Martins, MM11, LM45, and Strada MZ34 - I'm covered on pawls forever. Also, every Martin I ever bought with the exception of one LL Bean were NIB reels - there were so many left in fly shop inventories from the 80s, and they discovered they could sell them on ebay.
Also worth note, there were many fly shops in the 80s that didn't stock Medalist, but did stock Martin. My second fly reel ever, bought at Austin Angler in '79, was an Orvis-badged 67N in a Green Mountain combo with a Fullflex A glass rod. I bought a spare Martin-boxed spool for it at Orvis of Houston. (not this one, which is a beauty 77W, and which Cameron now owns)

My Ocean City reels all work, still catching lingcod and salmon today. Of course, only 1 is a fly reel.

Edit: Meant to only quote the one line about the functioning reels.

I would prefer the Fin-Nor but the best part about using Penn or Ocean City reels for fishing in the salt is that it doesn't matter if it gets ruined because I can replace it cheap and easily (not that I don't clean my reels but sometimes things get damaged).

Never used the small bait casters but I'll take your word on the junk rating for the OC Nile.

You and the OP make it a good point. Any reel I buy I also plan to take fishing.

There's an interesting variety of enthusiasts on this forum. Some people who like high-end gear, others have a passion for what strikes their fancy which may be middle of the road. Some like custom gear finely made by craftsmen, others like a particular manufacturer. Some like to make their own, or the brand their Dad once used.

Each to their own, and I enjoy reading about all of them. I appreciate the fact that we can have different passions all in the same niche of hobby - and how important that is.

Great advise, but I learned about the distinction between Junk and Treasure through buying a lot of reel's.

Colston, I agree with the original sentiment a lot, other than I'm young enough and started fishing a bit later than some. I don't have those original reels in the bottom of my tackle box. I started with a Medalist 1494CJ and I still fish it. There are a lot of reels mentioned that are not the best reel for the money. It's interesting, there are a lot of inexpensive vintage reels that are really nice and I could use daily. There are others that are clunkers. All of them are not as capable as a Okuma SLV or Integrity reel that can be had for well under $100, or a used Benchmade reel from the 1990s.

However, it's fun to fish old stuff. And some of that old stuff is neat. Why do people drive old cars? A modern sports sedan is a far better car than any of the classics, but people refurbish, collect and drive some interesting old cars. I saw a Studebaker on the interstate near York PA last month (december). It was just neat to see someone driving it. It's not going to out accelerate a Honda Accord and is less reliable but it really is neat.

For most of us, fly reels are usually line holders, so you might as well have one you enjoy. And they are fun to collect. I have a bunch of reels for sale now that I've purchased because they were mentioned on the forum and for between $15 and $45 they got shipped to my door. I spin them, clean them and occasionally fish them. I'm cleaning the collection now so I can make room for more.

If I am seriously fishing and don't want to risk loosing a fish, I put on a good reel. Disk drag or exposed rim click and pawl that has a smooth click (I haven't learned how to use my pinky to add drag to the inside of the spool of full frame reel). But most of my fishing involves being outdoors, having fun, catching small fish.

I would like to pass on what I've learned about working with some of these clunkers.

• Read the "cleaning old reels" thread that Ron posted. (then reread it with a reel in hand).
• Don't practice on a reel that is more expensive than you are willing to loose.
• Start simple, clean and lube an old garage sale/ebay find.
• Play with tweaking and adjusting the drag. Yes you will mess it up, but retweak, a little goes a long way.

Sometimes some of these old "clunkers" just need maintenance and some adjustment. Other times then need to be relegated to the display case or junk drawer.

Carl

As I mentioned above, my 2nd fly reel ever was a Martin, so the brand was always in my back pocket.
The reason I started doing this was feeling insulated from the fishing by graphite and disc drags, and wondering why I was harassing the fish while feeling totally jaded.
Some people reach this point, cut the hooks from their dry flies and begin counting coup.
For me, it all changed with my first 20" rainbow in fast water on cane and vintage click-pawl - oh, crap, what am I going to do now? - this is why we do this.

I began buying vintage reels to balance cane rods, and my first purchase was a Very Fine Dingley uniqua, with an even cooler merchant mark, Graham and Sons of Cockermouth - $100 from Tim Zietak. Second was an Allcocks Ousel (even less), which at that time nobody knew or was brave enough to state was a Young-made reel. Third was a near perfect (pattern 8 ) marked MC Thornburn Maker Edinborough. The fourth from Australia lit the fire - a pattern 8 marked JW Young & Sons Redditch Fishing Reel Specialists.

The fire was lit for me to learn everything I could about JW Young and Sons between the wars, all the reels they marked for merchants, and I began correspondence with Rupe Atwood.

It was later that I began exploring vintage glass - really intexpensive then, guys - and the reels were, too, because most people wanted vintage Hardy and no one had yet written a book about the others (reel prices tripled when books were published). I bought the first Heddon Pal Pro Weight we discussed on the forum for $15.
I paid $57 for my first Pattern 15a

With glass, added postwar Youngs, more Martins, Meeks, Heddon Imperial, Holmes, Stuart. Working on reels for me and OPs, and also buying up every postwar Young I could get my hands on to convert to LHW and sell on the forums. I got really good at sniping them for a price that would let me recoup my labor for the LHW conversion, and this funded tackle buying for me. Can't tell you how many reels have passed through my hands, but excepting just a few reels I really wanted, bought them all at wholesale prices.

Hardy? Well, I've worked on them, but the only Hardy's I've ever really lusted after were the 1917 St. George (so what do you think I'm going to do when one shows up with an unopposed bid on ebay for half price - rhetorical question). And the beautiful 1936 C-spring Lightweight will almost certainly remain forever elusive.

What defines junk? Whether or not you can repair it to fish through the next generation - all the way through. Most of the time it means did the maker think about that, as well.
If you fish your reel hard, you're going to find out - the hard way. Most things you can tell by feel, and sometimes photos are enough to make the choice.
My first reel was a Berkley Japan OC clone that I never liked then, could afford, never quite did what I expect of a fly reel, and doesn't work now (but yes, I have it stashed away, it was my first fly reel - and I do my best never to badmouth these when somebody on the forum praises them).

If there's one theme I've been trying to get through on this thread, is that it's possible to do this without regrets - even selling a reel you absolutely adore because it's burning a hole in your pocket and you need the funds for a different project - a kayak to tandem your young daughter - or later buy bike parts so she can build her trick bike (last year I bought back one of the rods I sold for this project).


and I have to disagree with so-and-so likes such-and-such. Better to ask one what they think.
no, so and so is smart enough to know what is a good move to buy at this price and what may not be wise to buy at any price.
The proof of denial is saying he's a collector, but I'm a fisherman (see my first post on this thread).

for me, I spent years setting up 10 snipes/week on ebay and winning one each month - at half the value of the item, or less.
I was so caught up on my ebay search algorithms, I could check everything newly listed that might interest me in a half-hour over coffee.
When I was caught up, I also had friends who regularly consulted me about where to set their snipes and invested a lot more money than I did (appgap has an incredible collection of reels that he bought for dirt, and he hasn't sold anything) - and no, we didn't snipe against each other.

Same here. Keep 'em coming!