History – 1921 to 1945
The 1920s through mid-1940s fishing reel design and manufacturing are characterized by:
- Growth of the saltwater reel market and big game fishing.
- Development of Philadelphia and the Midwest as the primary manufacturing areas for saltwater and freshwater reels, respectively
- Expansion of low- to mid-priced reel lines and contraction of luxury reel lines.
- Standardization of freshwater reel design
Two external phenomena impacted fishing reel sales: the increase in car travel and the Great Depression. In 1919, only about one in four American households owned cars. By 1929, this number had more than doubled to about 60% car ownership among American households, and by 1941, over 80% of households owned a car. The total mileage of paved roads and availability of affordable roadside lodging in America followed a parallel growth pattern.
The increase in availability and affordability of travel meant that more anglers had access to more fishing grounds, including saltwater, and saltwater reel production increased. Two successful companies focused on the mass production of saltwater multiplying reels formed: Ocean City Manufacturing Company in the early 1920s and Penn Reel Company in the early 1930s.
Two early Ocean City surf casting reels
The allure of catching behemoth saltwater fish continued to grow. While in the early 1900s, the goal of catching 100 lb. fish seemed almost unimaginable to most anglers, in the 1930s, some anglers were targeting 1,000+ lb. fish. In the mid-teens, the largest production model saltwater reels available were 6/0 size, by the mid-1930s, 15/0 reels were available. The cost of the gear and boats required to chase ocean giants largely limited this fishing to the most affluent anglers.
The Depression, a sudden and unexpected collapse of the American economy, struck in 1929 and lingered through the early 1940s. During the Great Depression, there was higher unemployment and lower working wages. Most historians calculate that average family income decreased by 30 to 40% during the Depression. Midwestern companies concentrating on affordable reels (such as Bronson, Shakespeare, South Bend, and Pflueger) were most successful. Some more expensive reels that had established strong reputations prior to the Depression (i.e., Pflueger Supreme and Shakespeare President) continued to sell reasonably well. But many elite reels that were introduced during the Depression (such as the Shakespeare Super Reel series and the Bronson Reel-O-Mine) did not fare well, and—as a result – are relatively scarce today.
During the Depression, low- to mid-priced reels (such as the Bronson Meteor, below right) continued to sell well, but many expensive new models (such as the Bronson Reel-O-Mine) were marketplace flops. By the mid-1930s, most freshwater casting reels were level-winds.
Large diameter, multi-armed, single-action, lightweight metal casting reels experienced a burst of regional popularity in the Midwest during the 1920s and 1930s. Called “Indiana reels,” after the state where they were first developed and many reels were manufactured, they became so popular that a few of the largest tackle companies (Shakespeare and Creek Chub) offered branded Indiana Reels during the 1920s.
Two Indiana reels: A Creek Chub Bait Company-branded Wawasee reel and a Kiest Aluminum Casting Reel in its original tin.
Non-level-winding freshwater multiplying reels—which were the most popular style in 1920—were nearly completely displaced by level-winding by 1940. Many casting and fly reels were partly to nearly entirely constructed of Bakelite, a sturdy plastic. It was lightweight, trendy, and affordable. While earlier periods are characterized by freshwater casting and fly reel innovations, the 1920s through mid-1940s is best characterized as a time of contraction and standardization of these reels.
1930s Meisselbach-Catucci casting reel has a Bakelite head cap, and South Bend fly reel is constructed almost entirely out of Bakelite.
History – 1946 to 1960
World War II had an indirect but significant impact on fishing reels. American soldiers who had been stationed in Europe returned to the States with a respect for spin fishing and a desire to use spinning tackle in the U.S. During the wear, the value and versatility of modern plastics used in military equipment and consumer goods became apparent, and after the war manufacturers were open for exploring new applications for these synthetic materials. The end of the war left many engineers, machine shops, and manufacturing firms that had built livelihoods on wartime products scrambling to find new adaptations for skills and equipment. Some of the engineers and firms opted to apply their skills to reel manufacturing. Reel manufacturers began sprouting all over the U.S.
American anglers wanted spinning reels, and the first American-made open-faced spinning reels were produced in 1946 and shortly thereafter Airex Equipment was selling a variety of American-designed and manufactured spinning. By the early 1950s, other American manufactures—many of them new companies—were producing open-faced spinning reels. But many of the highest quality and bestselling open-faced reels in the U.S. were manufactured in France, Switzerland, and England.
Airex Mastereel No. 3, circa 1953 and an unusual circa-1948 left-handed Mitchell open-faced spinning reel. Note that a plate from a right-handed Mitchell reel was installed upside down for the left-handed reel.
Closed-faced spinning reels are truly an American invention. Although the first one had been patented and produced in the late 1800, it was not a market success (no known example has been identified in collections or museums). Following World War II, closed-faced spinning reels had a much more successful reentry in the fishing world. Between 1947 and 1950, at least six different American companies—all of them new to the fishing tackle business—were selling closed-faced spinning reels. One of them, Zebco, would become the most prolific American fishing reel manufacturers for many years.
Circa-1947 Humphreys Model 3A and circa-1954 Zebco Model 33 closed-face spinning reels.
Both open- and closed-faced spinning reels, which were well adapted for monofilament lines and downsized fishing lures, continued to grow in popularity throughout the 1950s.
Multiplying casting reels developed after World War II were generally lighter and offered more features than their pre-war ancestors. The most innovative new casting reel offered in the U.S., the Ambassadeur was produced by Abu-Record in Sweden.
Innovative, late 1940s American casting reels: lightweight Langley (California) Lurecast has an anti-inertia spool; aluminum-bodied Kilian (New York State) Neo Caster has free spool, a star drag, and an open frame, lacking a tail plate.
Similar to the U.S., new and innovative reel manufacturers were popping up all over Europe and Japan. The most innovative new casting reel offered in the U.S., the Ambassadeur was produced by Abu-Record in Sweden. During the late 1950s, the European fishing reels being sold in the U.S. were typically marketing their superior quality and engineering, and the newly-introduced Japanese reels were marketing their low cost and superior value. This would set the stage for important reel manufacturing trends in the subsequent decades.
During the mid to late 1950s, fishing tackle manufacturers from Sweden and Japan introduced commercially successful new reels in the U.S. but had very different marketing strategies. The circa-1955 Record Ambassadeur cost more than almost all American-made casting reels but offered features and quality not otherwise available. The circa-1958 made-in-Japan Jorgensen 58 copied a popular American-made reel but sold for about half of the price.
History – 1961 to 1980
The types of reels that fishermen were using and where those reels were being made were changing. Open- and closed-faced spinning reels, easier to learn to use than traditional rotating spool casting reels, became favored by the vast majority of anglers. Increasingly, these reels were being produced overseas. During the 1960s and early 1970s, some of the highest quality reels were produced in Sweden, and many of the entry-level and mid-priced reels were produced in Japan. However, by the late 1970s, Japanese firms were also manufacturing some of the most successful upper-end spinning reels.
During the 1960s and 70s, Swedish manufacturers produced a variety of high-quality closed- and open-faced spinning reels, such as the South Bend Norseman (produced by Victory Pruduckter) and the Zebco Cardinal series (produced by ABU).
By the early 1970s, most entry-level and mid-priced fishing reels being sold in the U.S.—even those being sold by American companies—were being produced in Japan, such as this South Bend Spin Cast reel.
Some experienced and skilled anglers, especially those competing in newly developed bass fishing tournaments, continued to use the highest quality traditional casting reels – especially the Swedish-made Ambassadeur. In response to this success, many companies introduced expensive new models of casting reels as competition. By 1973, American companies looking to capture this market were faltering, while a German company (D.A.M.) and a Japanese company (Daiwa) were enjoying some success. In 1973, Lew Childre, an American fishing tackle importer and designer, introduced a low profile, teardrop-shaped casting reel, Lew’s Speed Spool, that developed a cult-like following among bass tournament anglers.
For saltwater trolling, lever-drag reels – which facilitate easier drag adjustment while fighting a fish – became more accessible and affordable to anglers, with American, European, and Asian manufacturers adding models to their lineups.
History –1981 to Present
Since 1981, reel manufacturing in Asia has continued to expand. In the 1980s and 90s, Taiwan and Korea grew as reel-manufacturing strongholds, and since the early 2000s, many reel companies have moved manufacturing operations to China.
In the 1980s, low profile casting reels became more popular than the traditional round reels, and the company that produced the first low-profile reel for Childre, Shimano, would go on to produce a series of their own low-profile reels that displaced the Ambassadeur as the most popular brand of freshwater casting reel. Lower profile, streamline designs of closed-faced spinning reels also increased in popularity during the 1980s and 90s.
In the early 1980s, some reels began incorporating tiny computers that calculated and displayed line retrieval rate, length of released line, and drag tension. By the late 1980s, anti-backlash adjustments were controlled by micro-computers in some reels.
Skirted-spool, open-faced spinning reels, which began a resurgence in popularity during the 1970s, became the standard design during the 1980s, and by the early 2000s, most manufacturers offered only skirted-spool models.
In the early 1990s, fishing reels with instant anti-reverse, utilizing one-way roller, were introduced, eliminating backward play of the handle and facilitating better hook sets. In 1992, Van Staal introduced a spinning reel with instant anti-reverse.
Ultra-fine diameter, braided, “super” fishing lines were introduced in the mid-1990s and quickly gained popularity. In response, reels utilized harder material for line pickup devices (i.e., level winds, rollers, and pickup pins) to resist grooving from the hard lines. Many offered stouter drags to accommodate heavier, thin line. With smaller spools than comparable technique earlier reels, many reels designed for super lines incorporate higher gear ratios than their predecessors, so that comparable line retrieval rates can be achieved. With these features, relatively small and light reels became suitable for fishing for large species like muskies and tarpon.
