The bargain 501, and maybe a bit of advice.

[Willsmodger]

Many years ago on the Tame Valley canal, my brother fell foul of the curse of sliding reel fittings when his 501 fell off and went in. Luckily he still had the line through the rod rings. Less luckily he had either not tied the line to the spool properly or it snapped as he just got the end of the line back when he pulled it. An hour of poking about with a landing net proved fruitless.

It's now January 2023. I saw a 501 for sale on the Cash Converters website. Prices can vary on the site but at £4.99 + £3 postage I was aware there might be an issue. Still, worth a punt.

As soon as it arrived I knew what the problem was, it was seized up, with approximately 250,000 yards of line wrapped around the inner of the bell housing. Ten minutes of scissor work later it was perfectly fine. I gave it to him shortly afterwards. He was delighted.

So....sometimes there's a very easy fix. Worth bearing in mind I think.

All the best.
Will.

[Wanderer]

They are without doubt very good reels and in the opinion of many, the 501 is the best of the classic 500 series.

You sound to have got yourself an absolute bargain, sir !

[Willsmodger]

Thanks Wanderer.

My brother was delighted. He loved that reel, especially for trotting. My dad also had one, which he used for everything. He never quite got the idea of the drag though. One time on a stretch of the Rushall canal called the mile pound he hooked something which headed to Walsall. The rods doubled over, I'm going "give it line!" But no. Broke him.

I wonder if fishing families are like mine? A Mitchell and Abu family, my bro loves the MM for river fishing, my other bro had a hand me down 506 from me. When he started work he got a couple of the 507 Gold Max from Ken Austin's.

I had the 506M. Then was lost to closed face reels when I saw a Leeds 5.5" centrepin in the Bennets catalogue.

All the best
Will.