REELS AND REELMAKERS
Augustus D. Hendrick and the Star Reel Works: the Connecticut Connection
Originally published in Fishing Collectibles Magazine, Vol. 4, No. 2, Fall, 1992, pp. 4-13
Augustus D. Hendrick produced fishing reels for almost two decades, either as an employee or as owner of several firms in New Haven and Birmingham, Connecticut. His reels were relatively inexpensive, but their sales through such outlets as the Sears, Roebuck catalog suggest that his products must have provided some competition for his better-known neighbor, Andrew B. Hendryx.
Check out some photos of Hendrick reels on my other site.
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Elmer J. Sellers and His Fishing Reel
Originally published in Fishing Collectibles Magazine, Vol. 4, No. 3, Winter, 1993, pp. 4-7
Elmer Sellers, a Pennsylvania pharmacist, patented a side-mounted fly reel in 1934 that was a modern version of the 1859 Billinghurst reel.
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Who's Yer Reelmaker?
Originally published in Fishing Collectibles Magazine, Vol. 1, No. 1, Summer, 1989, pp. 4-8
The American Reel Co. was founded in Indianapolis, Indiana, to produce a 10X-multiplying casting reel patented in 1882. The remarkable reel was actually manufactured by the Terry Clock Co. An addendum updates the article.
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Assailed in Two Cities: John Kopf, Reelmaker
Originally published in The Reel News, Vol. XVI, No. 1, January, 2006, pp. 4-14
John Kopf made reels in Brooklyn and Long Island over a two-decade period. Although some of his cheaper reels are easily and widely recognized, he also manufactured high-quality reels that were among New York's finest.
Check out some photos of Kopf reels on my other site.
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The Terry Clock Company's Fishing Reels
Originally published in Bulletin of the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, Inc., Vol. 34/6, No. 281, December, 1992, pp. 713-716. A revision was published in Fishing Collectibles Magazine, Vol. 5, No. 3, Winter, 1994, pp. 12-15. This is a further revision.
The Terry Clock Company made fishing reels for about two decades in Waterbury, Conn., and Pittsfield, Mass., beginning with Silas B. Terry's reel patented in 1871.
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Fredrick
Wilkie's Clutch Hit
Originally published in The Reel News, Vol. XXII, No. 6, November-December, 2012, pp. 4-6
Wilkie's simple freespool clutch was included in a surprisingly wide variety of reels.
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The Clark Brothers and Their Slote Machines
Originally published in The Reel News, Vol. XXV, No. 2, March, 2015, pp. 4-9
William Slote was an important reelmaker in New York City who began by making them for D.W. & J.D. Clark.
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Kopfing Up More Reels
Originally published in The Reel News, Vol. XXV, No. 6, November, 2015, pg. 18
A reel advertised by Henry Squires and Thomas Chubb was made by John Kopf.
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Cranking Out Smith Reels
Originally published in The Reel News, Vol. XXVI, No. 4, July, 2016, pp. 4-6
Harry J. Smith manufactured wooden reels in New York City, some with extendable cranks.
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The "Thunderbird Keahoni" Reel
Originally published in The Reel News, Vol. XIII, No. 2, March, 2003, pp. 10-13
Donald Breithaupt's unique reel was assembled by members of the Navajo Nation and endorsed by many celebrities.
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Jabez B. Crook, Pioneer
Reelmaker
Originally published in The Reel News, Vol. XIX, No. 1, January, 2009, pp. 12-18
J.B. Crook was an early New York reelmaker who competed with, and was more innovative than, John Conroy.
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An Early Reelmaker from Vermont
Originally published in The Reel News, Vol. XXVIII, No. 6, November, 2018, pp. 4-7
Charles Orvis was not the only early reelmaker in Vermont.
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James Golcher, Reel Manufacturer
Originally published in The Reel News, Vol. XXX, No. 1, January, 2020, pp. 7-8
Known primarily as a gunsmith, James Golcher also made fishing reels.
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Matthias Horst, an Early Brooklyn Reelmaker
Originally published in The Reel News, Vol. XXX, No. 2, March, 2020, pg. 4
Matthias Horst manufactured his own reels in Brooklyn for a few years.
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A Pre-Indiana-Style-Reel Indiana Reelmaking Company
Originally published in The Reel News, Vol. XXIX, No. 6, November, 2019, pg. 14
Lemon & Nessel founded a reelmaking company before the first Indiana-style reel was patented.
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The John Sommer Faucet Company
Originally published in The Reel News, Vol. XXIX, No. 6, November, 2019, pg. 34
The Sommer Faucet companies made wooden reels for over thirty years, including Meisselbach "Good Luck" reels, Cozzone reels, Pequea reels, and others.
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A Taste of Freshwater Taffy
Originally published in The Reel News, Vol. XIX, No. 6, November, 2009, pg. 12
During the early 1950s, the Taffy Reel Company, Cleveland, Ohio, made an unusal reel that looked like a spinning reel but was not one.
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The Residue of United States Net & Twine
Originally published in The Reel News, Vol. XXIX, No. 6, November, 2019, pp. 4-6
United States Net & Twine and its associated company, United States Twine & Net, had an assortment of owners before fading away at the turn of the twentieth century.
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The Coming and Going of Go-Ite Manufacturing Company
Originally published in The Reel News, Vol. XXXI, No. 6, November, 2021, pp. 14-18
Go-Ite Manufacturing produced one of the best-known Indiana-style reels for decades.
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