About Antique Fishing Reels

Anglers are passionate about their hobby. They plan trips to new and exotic locales to fish for species they read about in magazines or see on television shows. They collect special gear and rare items that they've hunted down, and treat it with care. Antique fishing gear, such as reels, provide a vision into the sport's past. Finding and collecting rare or antique reels are ways of keeping the sport's origins alive and respected.

Spinning reels are used for light sport fishing and casting. Bass, bluegill, trout and crappie are among the species of freshwater fish these reels are designed to catch and reel in. The Julius vom Hofe raised pillar reel dates back to the turn of the 20th century and is a very simple, open-spool metal reel. The Heddon 3-25 was made in the early 1920s and is an open-spool reel. The Conroy New York ball-handled reel was made during the 1870s and features wood knobs on the spinning reel.

It is hard to find a group more passionate about their sport than fly-fishermen and women. They think of fly fishing as the "chess" of fishing, and many fly-fishermen or women wouldn't dare to insult a fish by using bait. Fly fishing reels are sought by collectors as a reminder of the perceived purity. A vintage Abel Super Eight Fly Reel "Double Pawl" may fetch a price in the high hundreds or low thousands. Vintage Bakelite fly-fishing reels are hard to find because they do not age well.

Pulling a fighting marlin out of the blue depths of the seas is a dream fight for many anglers. Reels and equipment for these mythic beasts are large, heavy and built to withstand hard use for big fish. The Penn 160 Beachmaster and Ocean City Imperial 9020 use wood knobs on the handles and have fortified metal casings and spools. Vom Hofes are antique salt reels made with Bakelite and German silver construction. Kovalovskys are antique and use gold plating, or chrome and brass.