The Pflueger 'Medalist' Fly Reel by Bill Kiene
I sold and used the old
Pflueger 'Medalist' fly reels for over 40 years now. Actually we
don't sell them anymore but you can get very nice old ones on eBay,
fly fishing classifieds and at garage sales. At one time they were
the standard fly reel for most fly fishers in the USA.
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Here is a good history
on them courtesy of the
Fly Reels Online web site.
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Another good Medalist article: "
The Indelible Pflueger Medalist by Bill Thompson"
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These are the models I
am familiar with:
- 1492 = #2-3 line (click drag)
- 1492 1/2 = #3-4 line (click drag)
- 1494 = #4-5 line (adjustable disc drag from here down)
- 1494 1/2 = #5-6 line
- 1495 - #6-7 line (my favorite size)
- 1495 1/2 = #8-9 line
- 1496 = not many around
- 1496 ½ = fairly rare
- 1498 = #10-12 line
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The older ones had 6 rivets
holding the spool together. The later models after about 1960 had
3 rivets.
The first models were click drag only in the 1930s. Then in the
1940s they went to the adjustable disc drag.
The real old ones had a machined steel drag disc inside. Old ones
had metal drag knobs and metal caps on the center of the spool where
the latch was. The frame pillars were actually not removable on
the ones made before 1940.
The good ones were made in the USA from 1930 to 1980. The ones made
from 1940 to 1960 where best. Then in the 1980s they went to Japan,
Hong Kong and China. These are not much good for anything.
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For years I sold ($20.00) machined naval bronze reversible drag
disc that I bought from Herman Voss of Pompano Beach, Florida.
I have a one piece machined solid aluminum spool for a Pflueger
'Medalist' 1492 1/2 that was made by Herman Voss. I got it from
Chico Fernandez.
We also had Hardy nickel silver counter balances we installed in
the Medalist in the 70s and 80s so we could go for Steelhead and
Bonefish with them.
I sold a product called the 'One
Pfoot' which was an accessory for the Medalist that was a machined
aluminum foot assembly. The 'One Pfoot' company has many after market
parts for the Medalists.
In the '80s they went to metric screws. I called Shakespeare who bought the company and they said we did not need those SAE frame screws anymore. That really pissed me off.
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I have a collection of
old Medalists that are just for memories now.
My first good fly reel was a '1494' which I bought new in the 1960s
and used for many years on my Fenwick fiberglass trout rods. It
would hold a WF6F Cortland 'peach' 444 fly line and 50 yards of
20# Cortland Micron backing.
I have an old '1495 ½' that I bought used. It was built in the 1940s.
All metal parts with and round line guard and 6 rivets on the spool.
I landed a 40 pound Tarpon on an 8 weight rod at the Rio Chico lagoons
in Venezuela with it in 1985.
With the same reel I was 'spooled' (~150 yard of backing to the
end) wading at Christmas Island by a rather large Bonefish in 1986.
I caught big Steelhead with it on the Dean River in British Columbia
in 1983.
I caught big Rainbows in New Zealand with it in the late 1980s.
They used them at the Fenwick Fly Fishing schools in the 60s/70s
so many of them are still around. Mel Krieger and many of his friends
have them still. They called me years back for the Voss brass drag
disc and Hardy counter balances.
They made the Pflueger 'Supreme' anti-reverse big game models too
with a solid machined aluminum spool.
They are all but gone from the scene today. We only see a few every
season now.
Years ago I use to install dozens of screws in them every summer
for customers. They would vibrate out. We put head cement on the
screw heads to keep them from coming loose and falling out. Today
we would use Loctite to hold them in.
I am sure I could clean and lube mine up that are here on the shelf
and go catch anything on them.
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Bill
Archuleta has the number one fly reel parts and repair business
in the world. Call or email Bill for any help you need with any
older fly reels. Bill's specialty is old Hardy fly reels made in
England but I believe he will work on most anything.
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Feel free to email or
call me for any help as well.
Bill Kiene
billkiene@kiene.com
1-800-400-0359 USA toll
free
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