Questions about vintage Pflueger reels

[Arctic Grayling]

I don't think one of the original questions was answered...except for the machining mention.

I think the reason for only right hand on the 1492's is because with the square short line guard it was not amenable to switching to LHW...it would leave what has been referred to as ugly screw holes plus there were no screw holes on the other side to accept the short line guard.

Which brings up something not mentioned above about switching those that can be switched....you should really switch the line guard also.

Feel free to disagree or add info....

Didn't most people fish RHW back when the 1492 was first produced? Weren't very few of the early Medalists offered as a LHW reel?

I usually fish LHW but most of my vintage reels are RHW, including many Medalists, so I just fish them that way. You can convert Medalists now with the OneFoot parts but back when they were manufactured most of them were RHW.

[ducksterman]

In 1959 they became convertible ...I believe they mostly were sold as RHW.

"1959

The 1594 and 1595 were discontinued with the availability of a left-hand conversion ratchet, part number 3933. This was supposed to fit any Medalists except for the 1492, which was a click drag."

[Preston Singletary]

In the "good old days" virtually all fly reels were RHW and most were not convertible to LHW. It was only when Lee Wulff began theorizing about the (in his opinion) advantages of reeling with the right hand that people began switching. Another factor was that many anglers in the postwar period began their fishing careers with spinning tackle and had problems switching to the (at that time) more conventional RHW fly reels.

When I was a lad, even trout bait fishermen used fly reels (and rods), loading the reel with monofilament and strip-casting a worm or salmon egg with a couple of split shot for weight.

[dudley]

. It was only when Lee Wulff began theorizing about the (in his opinion) advantages of reeling with the right hand that people began switching..

I believe that you meant to say left hand here...
Lee Wulff said the dominant hand should always hold the rod.
The more difficult and tiring task when fighting a fish

[Preston Singletary]

You are correct, I meant to say left hand. I've never bought into Wulff's argument and continue to reel right-handed.