Why is the Medalist 1494 such a sought after fly reel, especially those with the older Akron, Ohio stamping ?
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Why is the Medalist 1494 such a sought after fly reel, especially those with the older Akron, Ohio stamping ?
acal
The Medalist that were made in the USA were the blue collar reels of their day. Those that couldn't afford a Hardy or even an Orvis bought a Medalist. They were rock solid and dependable amd were sold not only in sporting goods stores but hardware stores and bait shops around the country. If my memory serves me right they were first made in Akron OH and then later down south somewhere and finally around 1973 the whole operation went to China. So those made in Akron are more sought after.
I own both a 1494 and 1495 that were made in Akron. The 1494 with a 4 dt line balances beautifully on my 7' 4wt cane rod. I use the 1495 wth a 6wf line on a Fenwich 7 1/2' 6wt glass rod and on an older graphite 6wt.
Dave
People also like them because with a few One Pfoot add-ons, they can look like this:
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...1/Medalist.jpg
Here is my favorite Pflueger..................
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6.../plueger-5.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6.../plueger-6.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6.../plueger-9.jpg
Kerry: Which Pflueger model is that?
Bruce
"Those that couldn't afford a Hardy or even an Orvis bought a Medalist". Pflueger, for many years, made the original Orvis Madison reel, which, essentially was a Medalist with the Orvis name stamped on it.
I've got an old Orvis Madison #9 and it works flawlessly even at its age. Just don't get even one grain of sand in it. I wonder if there are larger sizes in the old OM than the #9 ?
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
Kerry,
I believe your reel is the 50s/60s version of the Sal Trout.
Many circular holes in the backplate. A really great reel for the money.
Here's a pic of the earlier pre-war Sal Trout...........different backplate
http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s...lTroutReel.jpg
Bob
Thx Bob. I always get confused with when mine was made. I now remember reading the "cross" back model is the early one.