Fishing Gear....the Marvelous Machines of Dreams

I love old fishing reels. They feel of precision and quality.

Posted by: @jkuvakas

I love old fishing reels. They feel of precision and quality.

fine machinery,water,fire........maybe a puppy if they`re tolerable 😥 

These are really nice JB....such quality.

I collect Ultralight spinning reels

Posted by: @dan-vincent

I collect Ultralight spinning reels

 

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh.....nothing more elegant than a spinning reel.......I think a guy could build a pretty good collection on Garcia Mitchells alone

Posted by: @jack-dodds

These are really nice JB....such quality.

have a look at these jack....Agate lined,engraved line guides....also,the shocking concept of steel fishing rods

Very nice!  I don't recall ever seeing such gear.  How old would these ones be?

The paint stripped and polished one is a Horton (Horton Rod Co,Bristol CT)....one could probably determine an exact production date.......but you`d have to wade through a ton of fish stories before you could begin to cull the truth Jack....maybe sometime in the mid 20`s?....that would be my guess........the green rod is an Alliance....the fittings on the handle suggest a lower quality production but those wide barrels are pretty cool....here area few more images from my pile,along with a bit on the Horton Co and a better shot of the Alliance pole sections.....stripping polishing and soldering as necessary

"Horton established the Horton Manufacturing Co. and moved into a three-story brick building on North Main Street. By 1907, the company employed 100 workmen year-round making the famous Bristol steel rods.

Fishing enthusiasts condemn them as horrible things, heavy and inflexible, but they were cheap and popular.  By the turn of the century they were the most popular rod in the United States. They sold well into the 1930s, when the company was making a range of household items.

Long before that, Horton had sold his interest in the company.   The rods can still be found on eBay and at flea markets. The company’s advertisements – created by such well-known illustrators as N.C. Wyeth – were printed as art prints. They are prized by collectors today."

Very cool.  I love the engraving and etching.  Like vintage cars, the extra care given to trim and finish makes all the difference.

Very special stuff: real pieces of engineering and mechanicals: green - I guess to disguise the rod from watchful eyes - and nice decorative details to add a personal touch to one's day at the riverside. Thanks for showcasing this world.

I have a book of wonderful colour photographs financed by the Roosevelt era's Farm Security Administration among which, my undoubted favourite is the present piece by Marion Post Walcott taken at Shriever, Louisiana.  Not quite so high-tech: at least not the fishing gear.

Posted by: @charles-rockett

I have a book of wonderful colour photographs financed by the Roosevelt era's Farm Security Administration among which, my undoubted favourite is the present piece by Marion Post Walcott taken at Shriever, Louisiana.  Not quite so high-tech: at least not the fishing gear.

 

Thanks for dropping a line in here Charles.....a wonderful print....every boyhood can find a place in that scene where they "remember" being there

Posted by: @jack-dodds

Very cool.  I love the engraving and etching.  Like vintage cars, the extra care given to trim and finish makes all the difference.

It does Jack......getting inside of the old reel bodies is also immensely satisfying......there are stories of origin that often mention European Immigrants who brought their milling and delicate gear work experience here to produce (sometimes) one-of-kind mechanisms......so many reels and so many different approaches to the same end

here`s a look inside the reel at the top of this post

.....the mechanically experienced will recognized the methodology here