Here is another unusual reel that I just picked up. I started doing some research to find out some information about this reel. It turned up an interesting story about the man who developed this reel, Dave Inks. He is one of the pioneers of modern day fly fishing. Dave Inks grew up in Montana fishing the state’s great rivers. He has organized and guided fishing travel trips all over the world starting in the late 1960’s to the 1990’s. He is credited with a couple of saltwater fly fishing world records. Dave Inks started Federation of Fly Fishermen, Umpqua Feather Merchants, and developed neoprene waders. He brought thousands of people into fly fishing by teaching at both Fenwick and Orvis Fly Fishing Schools for years, as well as owning a large fly fishing shop in California’s bay area.
About 1980 Dave contacted Bill Stutz, a design engineer, about an idea he had to make a different type of fly reel. Working together they came up with a prototype reel. It was milled from a solid block of aluminum. To improve on their prototype they found a then unknown machinist by the name of Steve Abel. Abel made the first production run for them. It could be said that this was the early beginning of Steve Abel’s, Abel Quality Products. A company well known today as a leader in the fly fishing industry.
The reel they produced was the Stutz Estuary. It would be marketed by Crystal Mark Inc. of Glendale, CA. They were possibly made in three different sizes. It was made for Orvis as the Featherweight SSS in the 7-8wt size only in 1982. This is the reel I have but it is the Stutz Estuary. It is very well made and very light at 7.8oz with WF8-F +backing compared to 8wt disc drag reels of its time. (like a Martin MG8 at 9oz or Orvis Green Mountain II at 10oz) It has an all aluminum frame, stainless steel metal parts, anti-reverse, strong reel seat, unique 6 position disc drag controlled by a hard rubber pad on the bottom of the reel, L or R hand wind, and large spool handle. This reel was definitely designed to be used in saltwater. It looks like it could handle strong running fish. I included two ADs for this reel from 1982. Note the price ($239.50) I think that would make it a pretty expensive reel for 1982? I think the Orvis reel was $252.00.
Reel=3 1/4in dia. Spool=2 7/8in x 1inW x 1inD 5.5oz no line & 7.8oz with line
Capacity= WF9-F +200yds of backing
There is a post on the forum from April 25, 2013 that has some great pictures of the inside parts of this reel and how it works.
(Orvis SSS Featherweight-how it works) definitely worth looking at!
If anyone has any additional info or corrections please add them.