Sylvaneous
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2006
- Messages
- 1,034
Something triggered in my brain to remember some fly reel companies that have disappeared.
Maybe they still exist or maybe they don't. I didn't do any kind of an exhaustive search.
Marryat. They were a big deal in the history of fly reels. A top notch brand that vanished in the 'modern' era.
Of course, the original Pflueger, Medalist, but how was the same, identical reel going to maintain itself.
Tetons were beautiful reels. Reels that I aspired to when I was a developing fly fisherman. Rod had them zip-tied onto a display board in his shop on the Little Lehigh. They had oval cut outs and 2 color anodizing. THen they had a lower-cost reel that lasted longer in production. Super nice.
J. Ryall. I learned about them later. THey looked like and sounded like great reels. Nicely classic. So unlike the skeleltonized reels today. The reel handle was counter balanced by a weight on the rim with the company name J. Ryall. I bet they were great but I have no experience.
Lamson was an older- but not 'old' school reel company. They emerged with Sage. maybe there was some interaction between them. But they went teats-up when they could no longer compete when Ross took off. They are completely different now, owned by Waterworks, and a much better company. I have several Lamsons. Most of my reels are Lamsons.
Ross got remade. I think they were sold and of course, the bottom-feeding acquireres ruined it. It has come back, but it charges too much for the original reel that made them great, the gunnison. NO way should you pay $400 for that reel. So many are as good for much less.
Nice to see the Bauer is still kind of relevant. The high-end reel market is really crowded. They were one of the innovators that the new crowd that entered flyfishing after "the movie" encountered. They were beautiful reels with that screw-down star drag. The new reels aren't as beautiful. My buddies that worked at Bob Jacklyn's got one to re-string and they oogled over it.
Galvan emerged late. They were 'expensive' at the time, being more so than a Ross Gunnison, but were great, innovative reels. I first saw them at The Evening Rise in WhiteHaven. They have hung on and are still relavent, yet are just a higher-end reel, not super expensive.
Able is still able. Hunting deer with a 375 H&H magnum. Go for it.
Cheap Chinese reels are so good and the 'good' reels are so astronomically expensive. (hey, spend all the long green you're making. Better than sending it out of the country.)
Maybe they still exist or maybe they don't. I didn't do any kind of an exhaustive search.
Marryat. They were a big deal in the history of fly reels. A top notch brand that vanished in the 'modern' era.
Of course, the original Pflueger, Medalist, but how was the same, identical reel going to maintain itself.
Tetons were beautiful reels. Reels that I aspired to when I was a developing fly fisherman. Rod had them zip-tied onto a display board in his shop on the Little Lehigh. They had oval cut outs and 2 color anodizing. THen they had a lower-cost reel that lasted longer in production. Super nice.
J. Ryall. I learned about them later. THey looked like and sounded like great reels. Nicely classic. So unlike the skeleltonized reels today. The reel handle was counter balanced by a weight on the rim with the company name J. Ryall. I bet they were great but I have no experience.
Lamson was an older- but not 'old' school reel company. They emerged with Sage. maybe there was some interaction between them. But they went teats-up when they could no longer compete when Ross took off. They are completely different now, owned by Waterworks, and a much better company. I have several Lamsons. Most of my reels are Lamsons.
Ross got remade. I think they were sold and of course, the bottom-feeding acquireres ruined it. It has come back, but it charges too much for the original reel that made them great, the gunnison. NO way should you pay $400 for that reel. So many are as good for much less.
Nice to see the Bauer is still kind of relevant. The high-end reel market is really crowded. They were one of the innovators that the new crowd that entered flyfishing after "the movie" encountered. They were beautiful reels with that screw-down star drag. The new reels aren't as beautiful. My buddies that worked at Bob Jacklyn's got one to re-string and they oogled over it.
Galvan emerged late. They were 'expensive' at the time, being more so than a Ross Gunnison, but were great, innovative reels. I first saw them at The Evening Rise in WhiteHaven. They have hung on and are still relavent, yet are just a higher-end reel, not super expensive.
Able is still able. Hunting deer with a 375 H&H magnum. Go for it.
Cheap Chinese reels are so good and the 'good' reels are so astronomically expensive. (hey, spend all the long green you're making. Better than sending it out of the country.)
