Re: Wooden reels
Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2012 7:28 am
I'm rather surprised there haven't been more responses to this; it would seem that most of the wooden reels traded nowadays are destined for the book-case rather than the bank-side. This is a bit of a mystery, for a decent wooden reel, the "easy-going Nottingham" pattern that the Trent Otter recommended, looks good on on a cane rod, and is more pleasant to the touch in Winter, and still does the job it was made for - with limitations, it must be admitted; but as soon as we revert to traditional tackle, we accept some limitations.
The "investment" end of the market, I'll have to leave to others, both to advise on and to participate in; a big "name" appears to matter here, so it's Hardy, Slater, Allcock, Smith & Wall, Carter, Reuben Heaton, more or less in that order; but any reel by a maker who's bothered to stamp his name on it will be deemed more "desirable" than an identical reel, unbranded.
And this, to me, is where the fun lies - trying to sort out the good, anonymous "users" from the stuff best labelled "treen" and bought for making book-ends.
As Kevan has said, warping and excessive corrosion are signs to walk on by. Cracks needn't be a reel's death-knell; if the bearing is good enough and the wood sound, it may be worth just filling a stable crack and fishing on. Note that I'm talking about the £5-15 market here, not the reels one might hope to sell on!
Old screw holes show where a line guard has been removed or re-positioned; they may also show that the metal mounting of the back, be it star, spine, frog or whatever, has been moved. The latter should spur you into a very close search for a repair or warp. Both indicate that someone liked the reel enough to at least try to save it, and only you can judge whether their efforts were successful.
Size: A lot of small wooden reels were "boy's" reels; avoid. They are of little use, weren't made to last, and even a good one will be a pain to fish with. The smallest I'll use is a 3" Carter, and that hasn't been out for years. 3 1/2" to 3 3/4" seem to be the best sizes for coarse fishing. At 4", a bit of ambiguity creeps in; they are offered with a choice of tapered or bulbous handles. Until a couple of weeks ago, I thought that tapers were for freshwater reels, bulbous for sea. Then Luckyluca bought a 4 1/2" job with bulbous handles and was a bit surprised at the bulk of it; soon after, I bought a (presumed) Smith & Wall of the same diameter with tapered handles... it weighs 613g - nearly 1lb 6oz! So, be very careful buying 4" or above, unless you do a spot of trolling or sea fishing. Some 4" (and above) reels may be specifically designed for coarse fishing, rod in hand; these were almost certainly not ... though I do have a Gillette salmon fly reel weighing more, it had to balance fifteen feet of greenheart. They worked at their fishing, in those days!
Things to look for:
A quick release catch, Slater or otherwise, is a boon; modern lines will find their way round the back unless your line-management is perfect.
Handle receivers should fit absolutely flush on the face of the drum, or line will catch behind them.
If you find handle receivers that have recesses for the handles, so the line can't even get under those, then you've struck gold. Or, more likely, walnut.
I have but five decent wooden reels; the little Carter, a sweet 3 1/2" Sheffield-style job with a Slater-style latch but no check; another with a check and a non-Slater q.r. latch (my current favourite) and a nameless 4" no-check with an extended bush, but a knurled nut holding it together. And, of course, the Smith and Wall monster (I must take up deadbaiting)... in the order in which I love them, best first, I paid £13, 27, 15, 16 and 40, which illustrates the risky nature of ebay; and shows how far removed I am from the world of "signed" Slaters, Hardys and such. Hopefully someone with a larger hoard of revolving timber will chip in and put us all right!
The "investment" end of the market, I'll have to leave to others, both to advise on and to participate in; a big "name" appears to matter here, so it's Hardy, Slater, Allcock, Smith & Wall, Carter, Reuben Heaton, more or less in that order; but any reel by a maker who's bothered to stamp his name on it will be deemed more "desirable" than an identical reel, unbranded.
And this, to me, is where the fun lies - trying to sort out the good, anonymous "users" from the stuff best labelled "treen" and bought for making book-ends.
As Kevan has said, warping and excessive corrosion are signs to walk on by. Cracks needn't be a reel's death-knell; if the bearing is good enough and the wood sound, it may be worth just filling a stable crack and fishing on. Note that I'm talking about the £5-15 market here, not the reels one might hope to sell on!
Old screw holes show where a line guard has been removed or re-positioned; they may also show that the metal mounting of the back, be it star, spine, frog or whatever, has been moved. The latter should spur you into a very close search for a repair or warp. Both indicate that someone liked the reel enough to at least try to save it, and only you can judge whether their efforts were successful.
Size: A lot of small wooden reels were "boy's" reels; avoid. They are of little use, weren't made to last, and even a good one will be a pain to fish with. The smallest I'll use is a 3" Carter, and that hasn't been out for years. 3 1/2" to 3 3/4" seem to be the best sizes for coarse fishing. At 4", a bit of ambiguity creeps in; they are offered with a choice of tapered or bulbous handles. Until a couple of weeks ago, I thought that tapers were for freshwater reels, bulbous for sea. Then Luckyluca bought a 4 1/2" job with bulbous handles and was a bit surprised at the bulk of it; soon after, I bought a (presumed) Smith & Wall of the same diameter with tapered handles... it weighs 613g - nearly 1lb 6oz! So, be very careful buying 4" or above, unless you do a spot of trolling or sea fishing. Some 4" (and above) reels may be specifically designed for coarse fishing, rod in hand; these were almost certainly not ... though I do have a Gillette salmon fly reel weighing more, it had to balance fifteen feet of greenheart. They worked at their fishing, in those days!
Things to look for:
A quick release catch, Slater or otherwise, is a boon; modern lines will find their way round the back unless your line-management is perfect.
Handle receivers should fit absolutely flush on the face of the drum, or line will catch behind them.
If you find handle receivers that have recesses for the handles, so the line can't even get under those, then you've struck gold. Or, more likely, walnut.
I have but five decent wooden reels; the little Carter, a sweet 3 1/2" Sheffield-style job with a Slater-style latch but no check; another with a check and a non-Slater q.r. latch (my current favourite) and a nameless 4" no-check with an extended bush, but a knurled nut holding it together. And, of course, the Smith and Wall monster (I must take up deadbaiting)... in the order in which I love them, best first, I paid £13, 27, 15, 16 and 40, which illustrates the risky nature of ebay; and shows how far removed I am from the world of "signed" Slaters, Hardys and such. Hopefully someone with a larger hoard of revolving timber will chip in and put us all right!
