The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

My first fixed-spool reel was one of these:

After struggling with a rather nasty "Canute" 3" centre-pin, it was a revelation: I could cast!
Two features I came to love were the little metal dog's-bone pick-up, which never grooved, and the level-windsystem.
By the way, this is missing the black rubber cover for the end of the axle that hasn't got the handle on.

Many years later, I bought this one for old times' sake, but it was horribly clunky and wobbly. Eventually I stripped and greased it, and the photos show the Camatic level-wind system - the double tracked groove in the drive gear, tracked by the crescent-shaped cam on the spindle - and the general innards.

That looks like a fun project. Some ebay sellers could learn a lot from the clarity of your images!

I just bought one too Vole, the first 'proper' reel I owned. Trying to get some of the stuff I had in the past together.

Looks like it must be an early model. The body, its gearing etc. is exactly the same as mine, like a scaled down Elite, but the rotor cup and spool are completely different in almost every detail. It looks a lot like the Envoy, but from the bail arm it looks like a missing link from the Continental.

Really sweet reel the Regent - I have a couple and I'm more fond of them than I am of my my Elites though they are a little less versatile perhaps this being due only to size. For me the Regent is the most comfortable with itself of the two.

For the record - Camatic wind - Elite/Yes, Regent/Yes

- 3 position ratchet with tru-play Elite/Yes, Regent/No

The Regent is basically a super-deluxe Envoy and resembles it closely (as has already been said above) and sits at the top table with the Elite in terms of quality and features. The Regent should not be linked overly with the similarly named Prince Regent (the name often leads folk to that) which is one of the first of the new Intrepids and bears more in common with the smaller Black Prince.