Hi all,
Newbie here. I have been spending an inordinate amount of time on this great site for the past three weeks. Lots of great information and many, many reels that i wasn't aware of. So far, I've drawn two conclusions in regards to old reels 1) right hand wind seems to have been the status quo and 2) #5 /#6 /#7 the most prevalent class. So i wanted to find something like an old Hardy Perfect in #3/#4 and LHW, it would be next to impossible or disproportionally expensive. I am wrong on this?
If that is correct, when did reel manufacturers such as Hardy start to offer LHW? How about lighter line weights?
By the way, thanks to all who unselfishly share their expertise and pics. This is an awesome resource.

1960s are when most reels became reversible.
If you go back to the '40s, Pfluegered offered 159x Medalists that were factory LHW.
1958 is when JW Young first offered reversible reels.
I would say it was into the 1980s before virtually all new reels were made reversible and they were delivered set up for LHW.

Welcome to the forum!

The change from predominantly RHW to LHW seems to correspond with fishermen changing from bait casting to spinning tackle. By the late 60s and 70s more and more fisherman expected fly reels to handle like spinning reels. Around the same time the 'standard' fly reel went from holding an HDH or HCH line with some backing to a variety of more specialized sizes suitable for lines from 3/4 weight to 10 weight (for instance the original Hardy built Scientific Anglers System reels).


Hardy has long made a variety of reels, including small sizes, LHW, and always with fine workmanship. Unicorns like the small, vintage Hardy Perfect in LHW exist, but are very collectible. Fortunately for Hardy collectors there excellent books outlining which reels were made when. This is unfortunate for the fisherman who would prefer a fine used reel for small money. When an item is desirable for fishing, and desirable for collecting, AND only available in limited numbers, the price will be exorbitant. Swim these waters at your own risk.

On this forum you will discover a school of thought similar to baseball's moneyball. Does the market undervalue vintage tackle that still catches fish as well as the most modern gear? If so, how can we obtain really fun tackle at a nice price? An example would be those SA System reels, which can be found for less than the equivalent Hardy marked Marquis.


Tom

Or as my brother would say, when right handed fly fishermen decided to stop acting silly.

No offense to anyone intended...but I always appreciated his wit.

RIP, brother!

If I remember correctly, as a kid, in the late 1950s, I had an old Pflueger Sal-trout that could work either way, but I determined that since you hold the rod in your right hand, LHW made a lot of sense. Then, in about 1965, or thereabouts, I was given a new, medalist reel that was RHW, and I had to switch over to my right hand, or rig the reel backwards. That I refused to do because it just looked wrong. So, I figured I had better use it right-handed like the adults do.

then, in the 2000s, I read here about the great LHW-RHW debate, and how everybody wished the reels were set from the factory for LHW. Somebody must have been reading us, because when I bought a new Orvis reel for salmon fishing in 2008 the thing came from them rigged Left-hand. Fortunately, they had explicit directions how to change it back. Now everything is rigged LHW.

I will probably change to LHW one of these days.

thanks for all the info. Much appreciate it!

When I began fly fishing in the early 70s I bought a Fenwick and a Ambassador 156 reel. It is a disk drag that makes clicking noises that was a RHW and I never gave it any thought. I learned to switch the rod to my left hand to retrieve or fight the fish. A few years later I added a Pflueger Medalist 1495, same thing. When I found the SA System 6 (a Hardy Marquis) it was also set for RHW, so I continued.
To be honest I have tried to switch, but it just doesn't feel right.