Reel question: Pflueger Medalist

[FlaFly 0]

I have several Pflueger Medalist reels. One I bought new in 1958. My newest one is a Chinese Medalist I bought about 8 years ago. I have read that they have finally been discontinued about 2 years ago. I still see the Medalist kits (rod and reel combo) for sale. I'm sure there must be some difference between my oldest reel and the Chinese one, but I can't see any. I wonder if any of you guys/gals have any experience with the kit reels, and how they measure up. I don't want to pass up any chances to get Medalists, even though they're new and imported, assuming they're OK otherwise.

[troutguy 0]

You can drop, kick or throw (not sure why) an American Medalist. The Chinese (AK) and Hong Kong (HK) have a tendency to crack when dropped wrong (as if there is a right way to drop). The Shakespere ones were moved to Japan soon after the comapny was sold. From there Medalist were made in Hong Kong and then China. The reel spools are interchangeable, but the older reels and spools wear better if you fish a lot. The also hold a value for resale. The Chinese sell for 5 to 15 in good to perfect shape. The American models sell for 20 to 80 depending on condition. This one is being sold by a guy who is either insane or thinks no one saw the thirty other Pleugers for 35 to 50 bucks.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/RARE-PFLUEGER-MEDALIST-1495-1-2-FLY-REEL-9-07-14NY-/311082411438?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item486df4e5ae

[utyer 0]

The major difference in the US made reels and the Asian made reels was the screws The old screws were a 3-48 SAE thread, and new screws are metric. The are about the same size, but you can't interchange the screws. I made it a point to pickup 10,000 of the old US screw when I had my repair shop, and now have a very few left.

[fishingbobnelson 0]

Biggest difference is in the metal; pre 1982 made in the US were made from aircraft grade sheet aluminum. The models stamped CJ (made in Japan) or AK (made in China) are made from a die-casting alloy. The latter are prone to crack, especially if dropped on the rocks. If you look on eBay you can quickly see the higher value placed on the made in USA Pflueger Medalist Reels. I own a 1495 that I bought new in the 50's. It is still one of my favorite trout reels and I try to fish with it on an old fiberglass Powell rod at least once or twice a year. If you Google, "Pflueger", you can find lots of information about the reels.

[ditz2 0]

I have a close relationship with my old original Medalists. I also own 2 or 3 of the China versions and I see little difference in their performance day to day. The china ones are not near as old as the US models but I will say that I wished I had bought more of them while they were available. I can not attest to the cracking of the frames when dropped as I generally try to take care of my fishing tackle and don't remember ever dropping any of them. I am not familiar with all die cast aluminum alloys but I know for a fact that many of them will with stand considerable bending before cracking or breaking. I worked in automotive machine shops that manufactured aluminum transmission shift forks and I have put them in a vise and beat the crap out of them with a hammer to get them to break. They did a lot of bending before breaking. I have no problem with my China versions and would no hesitate to buy another. If someone has a box full for sale for $5 let me know. I would be interested.

[FlaFly 0]

The one I got was on a web site (can't recall which) for a company that had acquired a limited number and was selling them new for $14. I got one... always wished I had bought several at least. I'm sure someone else did.

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

One other note about Medalist reels.... years ago (nearly forty now....) when I first got serious about fly fishing the salt, the Medalist was a very prominent lightweight reel down here in south Florida. Since it was quite popular and being used in extreme situations one angler or other (usually a member of one of the fishing clubs back then) had the incentive to find a machinist to make a few parts (spools, counterbalances, handles) to beef up their reel(s). Pretty soon a local school teacher (Herman Voss) actually produced some very fine, machined parts for Medalist reels. We're talking parts like spools machined out of solid bar stock aluminum that would stand up to anything you could do with one, properly counter balanced so it didn't vibrate at all during a screaming run....

 

So when you look around on E-Bay or some auction site and see someone selling an old Medalist claiming it's something special... they might have something worth a second look.... Me, I still have one of the biggest Pflueger fly reels ever produced (the series that came with a full slip clutch drag and could be used for big tarpon or actually go offshore...) still brand new in the box somewhere...

[FlaFly 0]

Bob

Does your uber-Medalist look just like the regular ones? Sounds really special. I only fish for panfish, and I never pretended that the Medalist had a drag sufficient to use for pike/salmon/tarpon etc. Actually I'm more inclined to haunt garage sales for old reels rather than buy new ones, but in the interest of having a fishable reel on each rod, I'd more likely buy new ones.

[vicrider 0]

I have had several Medalist, bought and sold several Medalists, and still have several Medalist. Most but not all of mine are Akron made reels that I've kept. I can tell you 1495 will hold up to screaming runs from steelhead and salmon in rivers where the chase can take you a long way. Used them a lot in the 70's and 80's in MN, WI, and MI streams during runs and they would take it. After awhile the block would experience fade like a drum brake in a car if a really hot fish was on but always came back and never quit. I have several Hardy reels, Perfects, Bougles, Cascapedia, and some of the lightweight line. They are fine reels but other than costing what a half dozen or more Medalists cost they do nothing different. Hold the line and give a good drag the rare time it's needed in most fishing.

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

The one I have is a Pflueger Medalist 1499 and the box shows it made in Japan instead of Akron. The original version of this particular reel was called a Pflueger Supreme when it was built in Akron...... Unlike all the Medalists you're familiar with it has a real drag system, a much heavier spool, a stripping lever allowing you to take it out of gear, and was meant for a 10-12wt line..... I found it years ago in a clearance sale, picked it up as a spare but never used it at all. The original Supreme models came in two sizes roughly corresponding to a large and a medium size. I still see an occasional one (usually badly worn) up for sale but the Japanese version I've never seen anywhere other than the sample I have. Since I never toss anything and rarely ever sell them I've accumulated a fair amount of old fly reels over the years including Fin Nor, STH, Old Florida, and a few of the old automatic fly reels... My daily users that I hand clients are by Nautilus, Billy Pate, or Lamson...

[FlaFly 0]

Wow! Bob, would you like to include me in your will?

[ditz2 0]

In the old days there were many, many salt fish and salmon/steelhead caught on the old Medalist. Are they the equal of the old Fin Nor ? Absolutely not but then $15 was a lot more manageable for blue collar workers than $400 for the FinNor. There was probably a few other heavy duty fly reels but they were fairly rare and not easily available as I remember. I still jones for a FinNor. Even the big boys like Lefty used the Medalist.

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

Back in the day you had few choices if you fished the salt with a fly as far as reels go. For high end it was either the Fin Nor or the Seamaster - both were built down here and machined out of high grade aluminum or stainless steel (those guys even turned out their own screws....). For the rest of us it was either the Medalist or those first generation Scientific Anglers reels (actually Hardy Marquis "double clicker' reels with the S.A. logo). We called them "double clicker" reels since you could engage a second dog and get what amounted to a very light drag. Whenever you hooked a fish with one they'd just howl with the line going out. The only serious drag you got with one was by palming the edge of the spool and many a guy got his knuckles dusted by the handle on those old reels. Great fun, particularly if you were just learning - my first 30lb tarpon actually snatched the rod out of my hands for a moment - all I had was the line I was holding until I could get things back under control.... Like most I never could afford the high end reels. A few years later I became a back door dealer for Fin Nor so that I could add a reel to the rods I was building - but all of that ended years ago for me. I still do have a Fin Nor #2 -one of the few with a rim control spool.

 

Old gear is fun - but the truth is that the gear being made today is head and shoulders better than what we used forty years ago....

[Hatchet Jack 0]

Some interesting reads on the venerable Medalist:

Part 1 -

http://www.flyfishohio.com/Anglers_Guide_to_Pflueger_Medalist.htm

Part 2-

http://www.flyfishohio.com/Guide_to_Pflueger_Medalist_Part_2.htm

[mikechell 0]

I am so glad I don't have that "collector's gene".

We are in the realm of "space-age" materials, reels that will outperform ANYTHING from the past ... I mean, you can even print your own reels.

All this talk of old reels ... I just don't get it.

 

I am not denigrating all of you collectors ... to each his own ... I just don't have the mindset, I guess.