HJ Frost Fishing Tackle Catalog This HJ Frost Fishing Tackle Catalog is a real gem. H.J Frost was a New York fishing tackle jobber or wholesaler as many refer to it as for the first quarter of the 20th century. As with many jobbers, Frost sold fishing tackle and wares under different names, many collectors […]
Category Archives: Antique Reels
Antique Lures, Antique Reels, Collectible Fishing Empherma (Books, Catalogs, Photos, Etc), Line Spools
HH Kiffe Fishing Tackle Catalog
Kiffe Fishing Tackle Catalog This HH Kiffe Fishing Tackle Catalog is a great example of a company that has been in the sporting goods business since the late 1800’s. Being able to look into the window or through the door back into 1925 we get to sample what the antique fishing tackle industry looked like. […]
Antique Reels, Collectible Fishing Empherma (Books, Catalogs, Photos, Etc), Heddon Lures
Heddon Trade Catalog 1927 Antique Lures Reels Rods
Heddon Trade Catalog 1927 In this Heddon Trade Catalog 1927 is a great example of an early Heddon Catalog, At almost 100 years old we get a glimpse into the world of James Heddon of Dowagiac Michigan. 1927 Heddon Trade Catalog
Antique Reels, Collectible Fishing Empherma (Books, Catalogs, Photos, Etc)
Ashaway Boatmen’s Cuttyhunk Fine Braided Fishing Line
Ashaway Boatmen’s Cuttyhunk Fine Braided Fishing Line This is a Classic, Vintage, Original, Boatman’s Cuttyhunk, Fine Braided Fishing Line New on Card. This fine quality wonderful piece is new old stock, and dates back about 80 years. This version of the special BOATMEN’S Cuttyhunk brand hand laid twisted linen fishing line coiled on a card […]
19th Century Fishing Lures, Antique Lure and Reel Ads, Antique Reels
Fowler Reel Ad Abbey Imbrie 1884
Fowler Reel Ad Abbey Imbrie 1884 This Fowler Reel Ad comes to us from a Abbey Imbrie antique fishing tackle catalog. The antique lure and reel catalog was published in 1884 and provides for us this great ad. Enough cant be said about vintage or antique advertising giving us glimpses into the past from which the […]
Bronson 2200N Green Hornet The Bronson No.2200 “Green Hornet” antique fishing reel first appeared in the 1950 catalog, to meet the growing demand for lightweight tackle. The spinning craze was taking ahold after WWII. Made of green anodized aluminum, with Duo-pawl level-wind, Lashless-style spool A-B-L tension knob on the tail plate and a pillared foot. […]
Heddon Dowagiac Pal P41 Reel The Heddon Dowagiac Pal P41 Reel is almost 70 years old. Its hard to believe when you find examples as clean as this. This antique reel mad by Heddon of Dowagiac Michigan was first introduced in 1947. I was really surprised to read that Bronson made this reel for Heddon, […]
ORCA Old Reel Collectors Association The ORCA Old Reel Collectors Association is a wonderful group of guys and gals focused on and promoting the History of Sport Fishing Reels. If your not a member, you should be. For the membership fees you are given access to more information, history and research capabilities then one could […]
VIM Insured Antique Fishing Line Spool From the John Etchieson Collection: Starting in the late 1920s the VIM company (est 1896) of Chicago Illinois, doing business as the United States Athletic Company, began selling their VIM brand “insured silk line” that was guaranteed to be replaced if it failed within a year of purchase. These […]
Vintage Mermaid Brand Antique Fishing Line Spool From the John Etchieson Collection: The MERMAID BRAND braided fishing lines, introduced about 100 years ago, were manufactured by the Newton Line Company of Homer New York (est. 1909) who advertised these high grade silk casting lines with the simple marketing slogan – “Mermaid bought – big ones […]
Good All Universal Fishing Reel The history behind the Good All Universal Fishing Reel dates from 1950 to 1955. This Ogallala, Nebraska Company has a motto that was as corny as the corn huskier state itself. “Good -All’s goods are all-ways good—for 30 years) and that is stamped on the side of the reel itself.(see […]
Heddon No. 45 German Silver Reel Antique Fishing Reel This is a Vintage Heddon No. 45 German Silver Reel Antique Fishing Reel . 1917, designed by Jack Welch and William Carter for Heddon, marked “Made By James Heddon’s Sons Dowagiac Mich. No.45” on the front and “Carter’s Pat. Jul 5. 04 Nov 28. 05” on […]
Pflueger Buckeye Bait Casting Reel This Pflueger Buckeye Bait Casting Reel is more than 100 year old, dating to the mid teens, 1916 I believe. This antique fishing reel is a great example, and is made of a polished nickle or “Silveroid” with smooth jeweled end caps. This vintage reel was made by the Pflueger […]
Vintage German Silver Coxe Model 25-3 Reel This Vintage German Silver Coxe Model 25-3 is a treasure to hold. This antique casting Reel is in the correct marked brown stitched Leather Case. These reels were Never Cataloged making some of the details obscure. Virtually the same as the No.25-2, but with a re-designed free spool […]
Heddon Dowagiac P51 Antique Reel The Heddon Dowagiac P51 Antique Reel was first introduced in 1952. The beautiful reel expounded on the Heddon Pal line up and was the brother to the P-41. While not nearly as popular this vintage bait casting reel was only made for 2 short years, and gone from Heddon Catalogs […]
Shakespeare 1740 HE Tournament Casting Reel This is a Shakespeare Model 1740 HE Tournament Casting Reel. This reel is probably one of the nicest smooth spinning reels I’ve had the pleasure of holding and selling. The reel dates to the mid 1920’s, has whats referred to as a narrow free spinning . The end caps […]
Vintage Langley Target Model 340 Bait Casting Antique Reel This is a Vintage Langley Target Model 340 Bait Casting Antique Reel Box Papers & Bag. This narrow spool tournament caster was introduced in 1946 and had a very short production history. The Model 340 Target has two notable mechanical differences, unique to the Langley line […]
Ultra Casting Lines Lures & Reels Ultra Casting Lines Lures & Reels; The fancy cursive script font of the ULTRA CASTING brand is from the first quarter of the 20th century and is both distinctive and a highly sought after brand name by collectors of antique fishing tackle. The ULTRA CASTING brand was introduced about […]
Heddon Waltonian No31 AB Reel The Heddon Waltonian No31 AB Reel was first introduced around 1927. Made in Dowagiac Michigan by James Heddons Sons, the Heddon NO.31 AB “WALTONIAN” Casting reel was produced. The level wind reel themselves made are of lightweight aluminum. The casting reels were first introduced by James Heddon’s Sons in their […]
Mr. Shakespeare Goes to Washington Mr. Shakespeare Goes to Washington; When your name is William Shakespeare, you are definitely in for a lot of grief. Certainly this was true for William Shakespeare Jr. of Kalamazoo, Michigan—if he had a nickel for every time someone made a pun using his name, it is certain he would […]
Bronson Comet 2400 Fishing Reel This Bronson Comet 2400 Fishing Reel is an earlier model of Comet as it exhibits the “Sea Green” handles instead of white. The reel is in very nice and unlikely to be upgraded condition. The box is period correct and strong and dates to roughly 1941. Bronson trade reels that […]
Pflueger Pelican 1020 Vintage Spinning Reel This pristine Pflueger Pelican 1020 Vintage Spinning Reel beauty can be displayed in the box with the insert. The satin chrome finish to the reel makes it a real nice display reel. Unique to this Pflueger Pelican is that the “foot” or cross plate mount is a separate cast […]
The Ocean City Model 350 Antique Fishing Reel; Fully functional, no rust version of one of Ocean City’s American made spinning reels. These have become a very “tough find” especially with out rust or a broken internal retrieval arm/blade spring. Although quirky looking, it is quite simple in concept and subsequent design and with the […]
Coxe 94-C Narrow Spool Bait Casting Antique Reel This is a Vintage Bronson Coxe Model 94-C Narrow Spool Bait Casting Antique Reel. Reel is in used but very nice condition. Introduced in 1949, the No.94-C was the narrow spool version of the No.95-C economy model. These were only available in catalogs through 1951 (although some […]
Early Shakespeare Antique Lure & Reel Rod Catalogs Here is a great little glimpse back in time to the earliest Shakespeare Lure, Rod & Reel catalogs. This not only gives us an idea of the items but what the company was focused on in the early days. These are rare to find, so enjoy being […]
Heddon 3-35 Level Wind Antique Bait Casting Reel This auction is for a Heddon 3-35 Level Wind Bait Casting Reel. This Jack Welch made 3-35 was a German Silver Bait caster that had a shelf life of around 4 years, 1922-26. The Patina on this reel is wonderful, as the reel is close to 100 […]
ABOUT THIS ISSUE The August issue of Angling Echoes focusses on the fishing reel. I have been fascinated by fishing reels since my childhood days when I would disassemble my father’s Mitchell 308 on the dining room table at our cabin, and then struggle mightily trying to put it back together before he found me […]
Langley Deluxe Lakecast Model 370 Antique Reel This is a Vintage Langley Deluxe Lakecast Model 370 in Green Label Box with Papers . The Deluxe Lakecast 370 was touted as the standard size casting reel in the medium price field, and sold for $10.50 originally. It has a chrome housing assembly and black anodized end […]
Langley PlugCast 360 Casting Reel This is a Vintage Langley PlugCast Model 360 antique fishing reel. This is the Narrow Spool version of the Deluxe Lakecast. The desirable and tough to find Model 360 Casting Reel is in its original and correctly marked Green Script Box. Reel is in nice condition as shown. As stated […]
James Van Uxem Antique Bait Casting Fishing Reel This is a Vintage James Van Uxem Antique Bait Casting Fishing Reel. James L. Van Uxem was a resident of Chicago, Illinois where he had a retail sporting goods shop from about 1870 until 1905. His business was located at 101 Randolph Street. He sold firearms mostly but […]
Vintage Marquette MAR-100 Precision Built Antique Bait Casting Reel This is a Vintage Marquette MAR-100 Precision Built Antique Bait Casting Reel. PRECISIONBILT, a reel maker in Hollydale, CA they made 5 different reels, some having the see-thru-plastic side plates in the 1950s, The Mosquito and the Silver Moth were both fly reels, the Marquette Mod. […]
Abu Garcia 3000 Antique Fishing Reel This is a Vintage Garcia Abu 3000 Reeel. This classic made in Sweden Reel is a tougher to find model 3000. This ABU 3000, sold in Europe, was designed with special “plastic” sideplates to make it more resistant to salt water. Its cousin the ABU 4000 had red sideplates […]
Antique Reels, Fishing For History, Fly Fishing
Alonzo H Fowler Forgotten Pioneer of the Bamboo Fly Rod Part II
Alonzo H. Fowler: Forgotten Pioneer of the Bamboo Fly Rod, Part II Alonzo H. Fowler:Forgotten Pioneer of the Bamboo Fly Rod, Part IIBy Dr. Todd E.A. LarsonCopyright 2019, all rights reserved.As tournament casting was the premier way to advertise a fine bamboo fly rod in the 1870s, the 1876 tournament was shaping up to be […]
Alonzo H. Fowler Forgotten Pioneer of the Bamboo Fly Rod Part I Today and tomorrow, I am happy to share with everyone an article I have been working on in bits and pieces for the past seven years. It deals with a forgotten pioneer of the split bamboo fly rod, and will hopefully be the […]
Tight Lines Tuesday Fred Arbogast Tight Lines Tuesday by John Etchieson – Fred Arbogast made fishing line too – Among the collectors of antique and collectible fishing tackle the name Fred Arbogast is well known. Fred Arbogast was one of the true pioneers of the fishing lure industry. As with so many who enter the […]
Antique Reels, Fishing For History, Voices from the Past
Voices from the Past The History of the Nottingham Wooden Winch
The following article came from the London Fishing Gazette, 07 September 1895. It details the background history of the famed Nottingham Wooden Winch. History of the Nottingham Wooden Winch Anglers throughout the country are by this time familiar with the qualities of the Nottingham wooden winch, and a few facts in connection with its invention […]
Antique Lures, Antique Reels, Collectible Fishing Empherma (Books, Catalogs, Photos, Etc), Fishing For History, Fly Fishing, Voices from the Past
Voices from the Past: A Tour of Abbey & Imbrie’s Fly Factory
A Tour of Abbey & Imbrie’s Fly Factory A Tour of Abbey & Imbrie’s Fly Factory; The following description was published in the June 12, 1897 issue of Forest & Stream magazine, and describes as well as anything to date a trip through a fly tying factory in Brooklyn. The fly tying factory was that […]
Antique Lures, Antique Reels, Collectible Fishing Empherma (Books, Catalogs, Photos, Etc), Fishing For History, The Friday Fun House
Friday Fun House February 22nd Edition
Good Reads The American Angler’s Book: Embracing the Natural History of Sporting Fish, and the Art of Taking Them Over one and a half centuries after its original publication, Thaddeus Norris’s The American Angler’s Book remains a classic heavily sought after by fishing enthusiasts and collectors. Considered father of American fly fishing, Norris’s encyclopedic compilation of nineteenth-century […]
Antique Lures, Antique Reels, Collectible Fishing Empherma (Books, Catalogs, Photos, Etc)
Angling Marketplace March STA Times
March 8-18, 2019 Seller Timed Auction This timed auction catalog will go live and bidding will commence Friday, March 8 at 7:00pm. After 10 days of bidding, on Monday, March 18, if any lot receives a bid during the last 10 minutes of the auction (6:50-7:00pm), an extension timer will start on that lot for […]
19th Century Fishing Lures, Antique Lures, Antique Reels, Collectible Fishing Empherma (Books, Catalogs, Photos, Etc), Fishing For History, Voices from the Past
Voices from the Past James Grant
Voices from the Past James Grant There is nothing more delightful than coming across a reference to a fishing tackle maker in an unexpected place. In my “other job” as a history professor I try to keep up on recent research. A fairly recent book I picked up called Gwen Raverat: Friends, Family and Affections […]
Antique Lures, Antique Reels, Fishing For History, The Friday Fun House
Friday Fun House February 15th Edition
Dr. Todds Friday Fun House Video of the week Sites & Social Media www.facebook.com/groups/NAVTC/ If your on Facebok, you need to drop by and say hello to the folks @ National Antique & Vintage Tackle Collectors Cody, Chris, Rick, Clay & Cindy moderate a large and continually growing FB Hangout. With over 580 active members, […]
Antique Lures, Antique Reels, Fishing For History, Trade House Tackle
52 Trade Houses in 52 Weeks Part 11 Henry C. Lytton’s The Hub of Chicago
52 Trade Houses in 52 Weeks Part 11 Henry C. Lytton’s The Hub of Chicago Trade House Tackle, Part 11:Henry C. Lytton’s “The Hub” and its Fishing Tackle This week we get a fun little history of a venerable Chicago iconic institution–Henry C. Lytton’s “The Hub” stores and their foray into fishing tackle. Henry C. Lytton […]
Antique Lures, Antique Reels, Collectible Fishing Empherma (Books, Catalogs, Photos, Etc), Fly Fishing, The Friday Fun House
Friday Fun House February 8th Edition
Dr. Todds Friday Fun House Good Reads ABOUT THE BOOK Back after constant demand, and fully revised and expanded! It’s Don Wheeler’s Frog Lure Collector’s Guide, and it has been expanded by a full 30% (now coming in at a loaded 352 pages. It’s the largest color book we’ve ever done, or will ever likely […]
Antique Lures, Antique Reels, Fishing For History, Trade House Tackle
52 Trade Houses in 52 Weeks Part 10 Van Camp Hardware of Indianapolis
52 Trade Houses in 52 Weeks Part 10 Van Camp Hardware of Indianapolis Trade House Tackle, Part 10:From Blacksmith Tools to Tackle:–Van Camp Hardware of Indianapolis Van Camp hardware is one of the legendary names in the wholesale hardware field. Founded in the nineteenth century in America’s heartland, it served the middle west for over […]
Antique Lures, Antique Reels, Collectible Fishing Empherma (Books, Catalogs, Photos, Etc), Friends & Clubs
Angling Marketplace January STA Ending Tonight
Angling Marketplace January STA Ending Tonight Starting at 7:00pm EST, if any lot receives a bid during the last 10 minutes of the auction (6:50-7:00pm), an extension timer will start on that lot for 10 minutes. Each time another bid is placed, the 10 minute timer resets, until no further bidding occurs, then each lot […]
Antique Lures, Antique Reels, Fishing For History, The Friday Fun House
Friday Fun House February 1st Edition
Dr. Todds Friday Fun House Were testing out a few new columns in the fishing for history magazine so I thought I would add a few samples to the Friday Funhouse News & Noteworthy ORCA announced the Dates of its National Convention in Oklahoma in concert with the folks from Zebco for their 75th anniversary. […]
Antique Lures, Antique Reels, Fishing For History, Trade House Tackle
52 Trade Houses in 52 Weeks Part 9 Bostwick-Braun Company
52 Trade Houses in 52 Weeks Part 9 Bostwick-Braun Company Trade House Tackle, Part IX: The Bostwick-Braun Company of Toledo, Ohio The Bostwick-Braun Company is one of the oldest surviving corporations in the state of Ohio. Founded in 1855 by a pair of brothers–William and Charles B. Roff–from Racine, Wisconsin, it has served the Ohio […]
Antique Lures, Antique Reels, Fishing For History, Friends & Clubs
The Angling Marketplace January STA
The Angling Marketplace January STA The timed auction catalog will go live and bidding will commence this Friday, January 25 at 7:00pm. After 10 days of bidding, on Monday, February 4, if any lot receives a bid during the last 10 minutes of the auction (6:50-7:00pm), an extension timer will start on that lot for […]
Antique Lures, Antique Reels, Collectible Fishing Empherma (Books, Catalogs, Photos, Etc), Fishing For History, The Friday Fun House
Friday Fun House January 25th Edition
Dr. Todds Friday Fun House Video of the Week X 2 Double Feature, Grab a reel, a refill and get comfortable…. 12 Things I would buy if I could afford them. Heddon Ice Spook Decoy Hardy St George Fly Reel Heddon #14 Bamboo Rod Langley Blue 310 Streamlite Fishing Reel in Box HEDDON […]
Antique Lures, Antique Reels, Fishing For History, Trade House Tackle
52 Trade Houses in 52 Weeks Part 8 A.C. McClurg
52 Trade Houses in 52 Weeks Part 8 A.C. McClurg Trade House Tackle, Part VIII The Bookseller’s Fishing Tackle, A.C. McClurg & Co. of Chicago One of the most surprising fishing tackle wholesalers has to be the Chicago firm of A.C. McClurg & Co., a name far more famous in book circles than in fishing ones. […]