Waiting for: less rain, continued mild temps -- let's go fishing

Fairy and Fatty

Up to now I had been using the Fairy reel mainly on smaller trout habitats in the feeder streams in both NW Connecticut and the Catskills. Last week I tried a 3 weight outfit on the Housatonic during an evening fall of light Cahills. Fishing white flies in the early summer dark is thrilling. Presenting the fly to a rising fish about 25 feet out got me hooked to a nice 13" Rainbow that took a bit of patience to land in the swift current. The photo was taken on my cell phone, and the reel was only a dull flash in the corner, so I had to paint it in a bit.

CHECK "OLDER POSTS" FOR DETAILS ON RECENT PRICE INCREASE.

Overheard: Tourists Discussing Fairy Fly Reel

Einstein and Napoleon at the Taj Mahal

link: http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/8265878

First Shipment of Fairy Reels

Going out to collectors who seek low serial numbers, reels numbered 001 - 006 are shown prior to shipment.
The traditional Leonard-Mills reels were all right hand wind, but the simple pawl and spring assembly lets each reel be tuned for either left or right hand wind.

Hooking into a Grayhound

This will link you to a video of a 40 mph stress test of the fairy reel:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XY1cO4c9ttA

Here it is at last.

After about nearly a year of development, I am thrilled to show this Fairy reel, which is our best effort to hand make a reel that embodies all the quality and simple elegance of the vintage 

HL Leonard version.

In a few instances, we have felt it necessary to upgrade some of the Leonard details:  the old reel had a slightly mis-aligned rear bushing that, due to the resulting uneven wear, caused the spool to run less smoothly than it should.

  

The early pawl gear was also a bit worn and so our new reel has has a stainless spur gear. Also, the holes in the "ears" of our ebonitesideplates are more accurately centered and counterbored.

The teardrop shape of the winding arm was designed as a reference to the legendary early Philbrook and Payne raised pillar reel.

The diameter is 2 3/8", the width 5/8", the weight 2.5 ounces, as in the original.


Because modern fly lines are thicker than the old silk lines, our reel holds about 
half of a 3 wgt line, with a few yards of backing.

Price is $1100 on reels from this first edition of 14, numbered sequentially.  

Comments and evaluations of the reel have been encouraging; here are a few:

"I have seen and held this reel and it is spectacular"

"It is gorgeous, it has a most pleasant tone when drawing line from it. ...a magnificent piece. Great job!"

"I saw and handled the reel  and agree it is beautiful. I'll have one in my collection. Very nicely done, NO shortcuts, nickel silver screws, reel foot, hard rubber side plates. It really is a work of art."

"...such a finely made reel"

"Being functional does not detract from its value as sculpture"

"The integrity junkies's dream reel"

REMEMBERING TED BINGHAM

Remembering Ted Bingham

Blue water angler, fishing tackle historian and author Ted Bingham died unexpectedly on September 8, 2010.

Tall and sturdy, Ted towered over others in a height that reflected his stature as the unchallenged authority on the legendary tackle maker, Edward vom Hofe.  Published in 2007, his book, The Celebrated Reels of Edward vom Hofe, instantly became the standard reference on the subject. http://www.edwardvomhofe.com/

In The Celebrated Reels of Edward vom Hofe, Ted Bingham's unswerving reliance on facts rather

than assumptions, on direct research over hearsay, on pithy declarative sentences over pretentious

platitudes, raises the bar for future writers on sportfishing history.  His conclusion and analyses

are the result of intellectual rigor over years of primary research, field work and scrupulous

fact checking.

Ted is survived by his wife (and editor) Laurie, whose reputation, as an authority on early  New York

fishing reels and historical fishing related patents, surely must have inspired him.

Both Ted and Laurie have shown great generosity as coaches, confidantes, enablers and guides

to others in the historical fishing tackle community, and have been influential in my own

modest reel making efforts. After years frustration and marginal success, I completed my

first stand alone fly reel on the day he died.