Fly Reels
I Collect High-Grade, Vintage Reels, Small In Size And Big On Character. Here Are Some Of My Favorites
~ Click On Pictures To Enlarge ~
This Bronze And Hard Rubber Fly Reel Is Stamped William Mills & Son.
Identified As An “Intrinsic” Reel, Made By Clarence Gayle
Talbot’s “Ben Hur” Fly Reel. This Example Was Sold By Abercrombie & Fitch.
The Talbot “Ben Hur” Fly Reel Was Made In Two Sizes: The Model 100 (2-1/8″) And The Model 101 (2-1/2″). This Example Is A Model 100.
Maker Unknown? I Think So. While Many Attribute These Early William Mills & Son “Fairy” Reels To The Shop Of Julius vom Hofe, Others Disagree.
I Think The Earliest Mills “Fairy” Reels Were Made By William Slote, Of Brooklyn, NY
Early Nickel Silver Fly Reel By Unknown Maker. Note The Elaborately Figured Crank
A Narrow Spool Reel With A Constant Click And Clever Push Button Drag. The Reel Is 2.75″ In Diameter.
Beautifully Turned Pillars
The Redifor Model X is 2-1/4″ In Diameter And Is Aluminum With A German Silver “Handle Disc”
Redifor’s Patent 820,326 Is For A “Protected Handle On A Fly Reel”, Which Kept The Line From Fouling
This 4X Multiplier Was Marketed As “The First And Only Multiplying Fly Reel”
The “Crown” Fly Reel Was Made For William Mills & Son By William Slote Of Brooklyn, NY. The Reel Has A Frame Of Hard Rubber, The Spool And Revolving Plate Are Aluminum And All Other Parts Are German Silver.
Turned Pillars Are A Hallmark Of Slote Fly Reels
This Example Is A Model 543, Which Is Stamped On The Underside Of The Foot. The Reel Is A Bit Under 2.5″ In Diameter (Including The Pillars) And The Serial Number “24″ Is Stamped Between The Foot Pillars.
A 2.25″ Gayle Fly Reel Constructed Of Aluminum And Nickel Silver
George W. Gayle, A Silver Smith And Watch Maker, Apprenticed Under B. F. Meek. There Are Currently Only Eight Known Examples Of This Reel.
This Nickel Silver And Hard Rubber Reel Is Marked “A. B. Shipley & Son, Philadelphia” And Is 2.75″ In Diameter, Including The Pillars
Note The Weight Reducing Hole in the Foot
The Reel Has A Pinned Arbor And I Believe Was Made By William Slote[/caption[caption id="attachment_10608" align="aligncenter" width="300"]
This Tiny #4 Size Aluminum Fly Reel Is Just 2-1/8″ In Diameter, Including The Pillars
This Reel Was Made By William Slote And Sold By The Acme Reel Company of New York
This Nickle Silver And Hard Rubber Reel Is 2-1/8″ In Diameter
Note The Bearing Cap, Which I Have Not Seen Before. Bessie Was Born In Dallas In 1878 And Died In Los Angeles In 1955.
This Solid Nickle Silver Fly Reel Is 2.25″ In Diameter
The Maker Of This Reel Is Unknown. Note The Unusual Bearing Adjustment Screw.
This Nickel Silver Ball Handle Reel Is Just 1-7/8″ In Diameter And Is A Bit Different In Two Respects …First, It Has A Click, Activated By A Rim Switch And …
…It Has An Unusually Narrow Spool At Just 1″ Wide. Fishing Photographs From The Mid To Late 1800s Sometimes Show Tiny Ball Handle Reels Such As This One Mounted On Fly Rods.
The Maker Of This Reel Is Unknown.
This Bi-Metal (Aluminum And Bronze) Fly Reel Is 2.5″ In Diameter
The Maker Of This Reel Is John Kopf. Note The Fancy Click Switch.
This Tiny Irish Spike Foot Reel Is 1-3/4″ In Diameter
This 2.25″ Reel Was Made By Frederick Malleson …
…And Was Sold By Hawks & Ogilvy
This Philbrook & Paine Fly Reel is 2-5/8″ In Diameter, Including The Pillars
Philbrook & Payne’s Reel Making Shop Was Located In Bangor, Maine
Francis J. Philbrook Patented What Is Today Referred To As The Leonard “Bi-Metal Reel”. The Patent Number 191,813 Was Filed On May 10, 1877, And Issued On June 12, 1877. The Patent Covered Two New Ideas: The Use Of Raised Pillars And Recessing A Side Plate To House The Click Mechanism.
This Example Measures 2-5/8″ In Diameter, Including The Pillars And Is Cataloged As A 2-1/2″ Reel. In The Mid-1880s This Reel Cost $8.50 …Which Was Roughly Two Weeks Average Wages At The Time.
The Hardy “Perfect” Seen Here Is The Smallest Cataloged Size: 2.5″. This Example Has The 1905 Check.
Tackle Historians Hypothesize That Tiny Kentucky Reels, Such As This Narrow Spool Meek & Milam, Were Likely Used As Fly Reels By Some Anglers
This Meek 44 Fly Reel Looks Right At Home On This Payne Bamboo Rod
This Is The Third And Final Version Of The Meek 44
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This Bronze And Hard Rubber Fly Reel Is Stamped William Mills & Son.
Identified As An “Intrinsic” Reel, Made By Clarence Gayle
Talbot’s “Ben Hur” Fly Reel. This Example Was Sold By Abercrombie & Fitch.
The Talbot “Ben Hur” Fly Reel Was Made In Two Sizes: The Model 100 (2-1/8″) And The Model 101 (2-1/2″). This Example Is A Model 100.
Maker Unknown? I Think So. While Many Attribute These Early William Mills & Son “Fairy” Reels To The Shop Of Julius vom Hofe, Others Disagree.
I Think The Earliest Mills “Fairy” Reels Were Made By William Slote, Of Brooklyn, NY
Early Nickel Silver Fly Reel By Unknown Maker. Note The Elaborately Figured Crank
A Narrow Spool Reel With A Constant Click And Clever Push Button Drag. The Reel Is 2.75″ In Diameter.
Beautifully Turned Pillars
The Redifor Model X is 2-1/4″ In Diameter And Is Aluminum With A German Silver “Handle Disc”
Redifor’s Patent 820,326 Is For A “Protected Handle On A Fly Reel”, Which Kept The Line From Fouling
This 4X Multiplier Was Marketed As “The First And Only Multiplying Fly Reel”
The “Crown” Fly Reel Was Made For William Mills & Son By William Slote Of Brooklyn, NY. The Reel Has A Frame Of Hard Rubber, The Spool And Revolving Plate Are Aluminum And All Other Parts Are German Silver.
Turned Pillars Are A Hallmark Of Slote Fly Reels
This Example Is A Model 543, Which Is Stamped On The Underside Of The Foot. The Reel Is A Bit Under 2.5″ In Diameter (Including The Pillars) And The Serial Number “24″ Is Stamped Between The Foot Pillars.
A 2.25″ Gayle Fly Reel Constructed Of Aluminum And Nickel Silver
George W. Gayle, A Silver Smith And Watch Maker, Apprenticed Under B. F. Meek. There Are Currently Only Eight Known Examples Of This Reel.
This Nickel Silver And Hard Rubber Reel Is Marked “A. B. Shipley & Son, Philadelphia” And Is 2.75″ In Diameter, Including The Pillars
Note The Weight Reducing Hole in the Foot
The Reel Has A Pinned Arbor And I Believe Was Made By William Slote[/caption[caption id="attachment_10608" align="aligncenter" width="300"]
This Tiny #4 Size Aluminum Fly Reel Is Just 2-1/8″ In Diameter, Including The Pillars
This Reel Was Made By William Slote And Sold By The Acme Reel Company of New York
This Nickle Silver And Hard Rubber Reel Is 2-1/8″ In Diameter
Note The Bearing Cap, Which I Have Not Seen Before. Bessie Was Born In Dallas In 1878 And Died In Los Angeles In 1955.
This Solid Nickle Silver Fly Reel Is 2.25″ In Diameter
The Maker Of This Reel Is Unknown. Note The Unusual Bearing Adjustment Screw.
This Nickel Silver Ball Handle Reel Is Just 1-7/8″ In Diameter And Is A Bit Different In Two Respects …First, It Has A Click, Activated By A Rim Switch And …
…It Has An Unusually Narrow Spool At Just 1″ Wide. Fishing Photographs From The Mid To Late 1800s Sometimes Show Tiny Ball Handle Reels Such As This One Mounted On Fly Rods.
The Maker Of This Reel Is Unknown.
This Bi-Metal (Aluminum And Bronze) Fly Reel Is 2.5″ In Diameter
The Maker Of This Reel Is John Kopf. Note The Fancy Click Switch.
This Tiny Irish Spike Foot Reel Is 1-3/4″ In Diameter
This 2.25″ Reel Was Made By Frederick Malleson …
…And Was Sold By Hawks & Ogilvy
This Philbrook & Paine Fly Reel is 2-5/8″ In Diameter, Including The Pillars
Philbrook & Payne’s Reel Making Shop Was Located In Bangor, Maine
Francis J. Philbrook Patented What Is Today Referred To As The Leonard “Bi-Metal Reel”. The Patent Number 191,813 Was Filed On May 10, 1877, And Issued On June 12, 1877. The Patent Covered Two New Ideas: The Use Of Raised Pillars And Recessing A Side Plate To House The Click Mechanism.
This Example Measures 2-5/8″ In Diameter, Including The Pillars And Is Cataloged As A 2-1/2″ Reel. In The Mid-1880s This Reel Cost $8.50 …Which Was Roughly Two Weeks Average Wages At The Time.
The Hardy “Perfect” Seen Here Is The Smallest Cataloged Size: 2.5″. This Example Has The 1905 Check.
Tackle Historians Hypothesize That Tiny Kentucky Reels, Such As This Narrow Spool Meek & Milam, Were Likely Used As Fly Reels By Some Anglers
This Meek 44 Fly Reel Looks Right At Home On This Payne Bamboo Rod
This Is The Third And Final Version Of The Meek 44
