Whats with old reels?

[bcar08]

So, I've got the spey game figured out (to an extent). Even starting to splice and weld some of my own lines. However, what is the fad with $900 "pre war" reels such as the old Hardy's? Now I get the whole nostalgia, thing, I guess. So where did this fad start and why is it so popular today? Or is it kind of like owning that 69 Z-28, while all us younger kids have the BMW's and imports? I mean I have a Lamson Guru 4 that is an absolutely awesome reel for a great price. Its new, looks great, and works like a charm. There is one thing I get with the old reels, that awesome sound! I think people could hear that on the Clearwater if you were hooked up on the Ronde. What do YOU like about the old reels?

[Speyducer]

Mojo

Part of history

British made

Simple mechanism & functional for 100+ years

Classic good looks

Investment value



& not necessarily in that order


Mike

[chumbum]

they don't look like Lamsons...

[ERIK HELM]

1. The old reels were built by hand. They have craftmanship and pride. Many of these reels had little variations that make them almost bespoke.

2. These reels have been in service for 30, 40, 50, even a hundred years. After we finish with them, they can be handed down, and will be good for another fifty years, while all the new reels with composite drag systems have decomposed.

3. The old reels have class. Like an MG or a fine Mauser. Newer reels all seem to look like an engineers college project or ghetto-spinners. The better ones look like hubcaps on a Ford Fairlane.

Just my opinion since you asked. However, all reels are functional. So if you like Bauers, Nautilus, Tibor, Ross, etc. Fish what you like. They all work!

[RustE]

It's sort of like the USA made Penn reels I use for surf: beat them to death, repair and refinish, repeat. However at some point this plays into a classical supply-demand scenario. No new reels being made and increasing demand from anglers allows/forces the prices well above that of modern reels.

I disagree that all modern reels look bad. I do agree I want my reel made in the USA or EU and not some generic factory in Asia.

But my next spey reel will probably be something gear and pawl. Maybe the new Abel offering or a SpeyCo. It's more of a "why not" have something different.

[speyman]

One thing I think of when fishing my old reels is who might have fished it before me. Some of the really old stuff I have may easily been fished by some of the legends of the sport at one time or another. For it to get used now by the current 'legends' it just keeps the history going. These reels are made well and are meant to be fished, not collected. The trick is not to pay 900 for one

Then when I pick up one of Tim's SPEYCO reels I appreciate it even more

I do have a McNeese and an Islander on the modern side of things. The McNeese is a bit of history too.

[brent_e]

There is something about an old used reel. It has mojo. The golden prince that I bought came with a note from the previous owner about the Atlantic that he caught with it and the wear on the other reels are stories from the distant past. I'll add my own stories to these reels and they will hopefully keep being used when I'm done with them (aka dead). They're simple and they work and I think they're gorgeous! How many modern (not boutique) reels have the individual builders name stamped on the frame and spool? It means something to me to own a reel made by hand.

The old reels are out there and I see no reason for them to sit on a shelf, except to dry the line out.



Brent

[TheWhiteman]

I've got a 1920 3 1/2" Perfect and a 1912 4" Perfect and the aura that comes with them is unlike any feeling you can describe. I almost feel like I'm linked with fisherman from years past. They are an obsession, once you get one....it's game over

[fish0n4evr]

Have you ever checked out a pre-war Hardy Perfect? I mean in your hands. These were made to such close tolerance, as tight as any modern day reel, without the use of modern day tech and tools! I could post pics of a few of mine, but it's not so much about the looks of the reels with me. It's about the simple design and craftsmanship, not to mention that The Perfect was built to last.

Compare for example your Lamson Guru, and my 3 3/4 WD MK II: I've owned several Lamson reels (two ULAs, an LS, & a Guru(and they are fine pieces,)) but with all those rubber seals to keep the drag components dry and clean they are not going to last for ever without having to repair or replace some of these parts at one point or another. Just wondering: Does your reel still have that clicker intact? Lamson/Waterworks goes as far as stating than you should not dismount the spool river-side so as to keep all water and contamination out of the drag cylinder. The better two of my Lamson reels had to go back to Boise for repairs/replacements within just two years of regular use.

Now, my Hardy Perfect, St. John and St. George are pre-war models. There is noting in these reels that requires regular replacement other than a regular dab of grease. Except for a handle-assembly(just recently)every part is original to the reels. How many previous owners, I wonder, have these gone through?

I'm not saying a modern reel will need repair or wont last, but chances are that something will go bad simply because they are not built to last. They are built to be replaced by they new, up-dated model the company has planned to release in a few years, making everything prior obsolete.

So you've recently come along into the "spey-game" as you call it, but folks have been collecting vintage tackle for decades. This is not a new fad, and just like any other collection of vintage "anything."

[fly_flicker]

I like the english-made Hardy reels because it is what my father & grandfather used. But I do not them just for the link to my angling heritage, but because they are very durable reels. While my friends are complaining about the ice-up jam in their reels or when I see them "baby" their reels. I know that simpler is better. I have never had a complaint or a reason to "upgrade" to a modern reel.
Will my grandchildren be able to use my Hardys'? If they wish.

[voodoofly]

Originally Posted by bcar08

So where did this fad start?

That is pretty funny.....
btw, some of the newer reels are pretty cool too....

[DLD]

I think often of the maker and previous owners of my old reels when using them so link to past is part of it. Part of it is they still work after 70-100 years and work well.Not much you buy today will still work well in 70 months let alone years.They were made by craftsmen that took pride in their work and each was hand made. You can sell them for what you paid or even at a profit. People on other side of river know when you catch a fish,even in dark
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/i...k22_resize.jpg
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/i...mdingleys2.jpg
some caged spool Dingleys and a Cemm. Daryl

[max.garth]

I actually went in the other direction. "Old" as far as I am concerned said, "what did they use when", and I ran up against Bogdan and Seamaster and funnily enough these marvellous specimens of "FLY REEELS" from history, were, and still are multipliers.
If it was good enough for the gurus of past times to used multiplying reels, why can't I do it. And again funnily enough I found out I could, LEGALLY, because
1... there are mutiplying reels available on the market,
2... Provided they are made by fly reel manufacturers, they are IGFA legal.

And that said to me, multiplyers are OK for anyone to use and that means me.
And it also said, those people who protest and carry on about the things are
living in another world of so called tradition, but their tradition also covers the early multiplying reels. Which must upset their apple cart.
So I got hold of a pseudo fly reel, namely a Penn 49L Mariner to find out how
these mutipliers will work in today's fly world.
And they happen to be marvellous, leave DD and other single action reels for dead, the mariner is 50 years old, and cost 250 buks and it makes muck of DD reels in nothing flat, and the only thing that stops it being a 100% fly reel is the reverse action spool, a result of the 2 gear drive. Everything else works, and the reel is even smaller than 5" DD types.
What it said to me, in action, on my FLY RODS, was very simple.
"Thats a dinkum fly reel, and your bloody nuts, where have been you been for years."
So now after getting Terry Hayden, a legitimate reel manufacturer, to produce a 5" multiplying fly reel, with a 3:1 gear train and a retrieve rate of 45" per handle rev, a Hayden Maxum, that fits onto ALL of my DH rods without any balance or weight problems, it seems to me that Fly Guys etc, are on the wrong traffic lane.
To see what the options are, and what the technology relating to multipliers is at this time, I suggest you look at the geared reels available to OTHER anglers and start bleeding at the lips.
You are behind the times, left for dead because you have missed the boat absolutely.
And the facts are quite simply. Multiplying fly reels are LEGAL, currently available on the FLY REEL market and there isn't a darn thing anyone can do about that. You can use them, if you want. And its been that way for about 50 years.
But if you want, if your act does not include recording, then I suggest you get a good old Penn Mariner and start living the real fly world.

MaxG

[Marty]

A number of my old reels were new when I purchased them. Thanks for reminding me.

[dave masters]

https://plus.google.com/photos/11826...uwE&banner=pwa