In Praise of Medalists
Rodger, I often wonder why anyone would use a different reel.
Like you, I have other “better” reels but they don’t have the look and sweet sound of the Pflueger Medalist.
Last week I was useing what was my first fly reel, a 40+ year old medalist on an old glass rod.
Still works fine after all those years.
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i recently saw a fly fishing america segment of joe humphreys fishing for record brown trout on the white river in arkansas. he was catching 23 inch plus monster trout on his pfluger medalist.
I have Medalists and use them. Durable reels for sure.
I find caged reels are a nuisance however if you fail to get the line loaded just right, pinching line when you try to take the spool off or on.
The one sided reel is an improvement IMO.
i fish an old pfluger. not the medalist, but still an old one. my fishing buddy uses a medalist, and i don’t think you could get either of us to switch.
Thanks, folks. I sure do like them better on cane rods, they just seem to “fit” more nicely. And if something happens to one (which I have not experienced yet!) $25 bucks get me another. I like that.
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roger, spend $35 and get the one with the fancy disco paint job… 
Gee, I’d like to see that.
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It might be possible for us to save for quite some time to purchase something to replace our own Medalists, but we could NEVER afford to replace all the extra spools!
They DO seem QUITE adequate for any task we ask of’em, except when we pester some pelagic piscatorial partners.
…lee s.
All I use are old Pflueger Medalists. They get the job done and are practically indestructible (but keep the screws tight). I’ve tried others in the past but no more. I have had more expensive reels freeze up in the cold, had springs break, had fancy cork drags come apart because of a single grain of sand, had them break or bend on a rock when accidentally dropped, corrode in the salt, etc.
Randy Knapp
Good writing, Roger. And, I see we agree on a whole lot of stuff. Been using those reels since dirt was discovered! JGW
Well those old American made Pfuegers are very popular. I saw one on ebay recently go for $50. I did have one of the Chinese made 1494 1/2 for a while, but had a heck of a time keeping my line/leader from getting caught between the spool and the frame. And I was out of Dot Man’s fly reel dots. So I sold it.
I do have a Berkley PG 40 that I may try and find an older click pawl reel for. Either an early SA Systme 1 4/5/6 or maybe an Orvis Madison II.
Thanks some more, ya’ll!
I really only got back into fly fishing three years ago after a long hiatus, and I guess I got overwhelmed by the “gosh-wow” of everything. It’s easy to do. I found I was spending too much time wishing for stuff instead of enjoying what I had and what I could afford, so I gave myself a swift kick in the butt and got over it.
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Holy Cow! No wonder fly shops are going out of business!
I have a 1495 1/2 and a 1498. Both are Old, from the mid 50s to early 60s. In my opinion they are as tough as reels get but too heavy for today’s rods. I have lightened the 1495 1/2 by enlarging the holes in the spools and will go to work on the frame this winter. I think that a lot more can be removed since its so overbuilt.
When these reels were designed, It took a heavy monster to balance some of those bamboo and FG rods. Some guys would add a slug of lead in the reelseat. This would add weight to the outfit but better ballance would result making the rod less tiring.
Today we have the opposite problem and the old Pfluegers feel clunky on the modern lightweight rods.
A good solution IMHO would be to re-design the reel with an eye toward lightness and keeping its good points,(the drag system at least, its the toughest I’ve ever used).
Ol’ Bill
What does the RC on the model numbers represent. I have a couple Meds with and
without the RC. My guess is Republic of China?
Quinn
A wing & a Prayer! ----*<(((><~ ~ ~ ~
Quinn
“Old Medalists Never Die”. They just go on eBay and change owners. They were dubbed the blue-collar workhorse of the 20th century and rightfully so. And I doubt they’ll be “put out to pasture” any time soon. If you’re lucky enough to have a good, smooth-working, American made Medalist from Akron or Fayetteville hang on to it. They don’t make em like they used to.
By the way Roger, great article. And from one minimalist to another, I only have one high-end fly fishing product to my name and that’s a Hardy reel. I don’t think any reel has as satisfying a click as an English reel. But if push came to shove, I think I would give up the Hardy before I gave up the Medalist. Giving up the old 1494 would be like giving away memories.
Later, RW
“We fish for pleasure; I for mine, you for yours.” -James Leisenring on fishing the wet fly-
[This message has been edited by Royal Wulff (edited 14 November 2005).]
The “RC” means Rim Control.
Regards
My first salmon reel was a pflueger medalist… caught many sockeye and King salmon with this 8wt, knuckle busting, finger burning reel. Largest on this reel was a 35 pound king! (lots of raised eyebrows as I’m running down the riverbank chasing the fish!!! even some questioning, “Is that a pflueger?”) The drags on newer, more expensive reels are nice, however with a little experience palming, the old fashioned drags are fine. I still own this old reel and still fish it when I can…
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I started out fly fishing about 2 years ago in Dec. I bought a Cabelas 3 forks 5 weight rod on sale for $29, and found a vintage Medalist DA reel for $35 on a tackle website in new condition. Thats my setup. I no I caught over 1000 fish on it that first year from trout to catfish and bass because I kept up the first year and probably just as many this year, but I didn’t keep up this year. Later on, I found an identical reel to my Medalist DA to use as a backup and it has an extra spool. But I only spent $65 plus tax on my main setup and I don’t see any reason to change. I might buy an extra 3forks rod to put my extra reel on just in case, but I am real happy with it.
Bluenose,
Thank your for the clarification. “Rim Control” much more pleasant.
WC Quinn