I just pruchased on Ebay a Pflueger 1498 Reel and Extra Spool made Akron, Ohio for $40.oo including shipping. They are both supposed to be in excelent condition. I will be puting it on my 10wt rod. Did I get a good buy. Or did I pay to much. Thanks in advance for your opinions. John
Will you be fishing the ten weight in salt water?
I doubt it JC mostly for Pike and big Striped bass on the lakes here in TN. John
I think you will love it.
I’ve used a 1498 for years on some of my cane rods (it balances well) and I think you have done very well, it’s my favorite reel.
The sound of a 1498 with the bronze center pawl is totally different than the other Pflueger 149X. While the typical Pflueger 149X sounds like a 1967 Buick Skylark with gravel in the transmission, the 1498 purrs.
You will probably need a Pfoot for it. See http://www.onepfoot.com/.
Thanks JC and Reed for your comments and the info. John
not to hijack the thread, but are the new medalists as good as the vintage ones? also, not familiar with the medalist, so is the drag adjustable or is it a click and pawl. got a new to me 8wt. fiberglass rod on the way and was looking for a decent inexpensive reel for it.
dpenrod,
The quality of the Medalists plummeted once they left Akron. I would not buy the new models (voice of experience).
The old 149x series, except for the 1492 and 1492 1/2, had both a click/pawl, and an adjustable drag.
There are many fine inexpensive reels on the market today, IMHO. They are probably not as robust as the old Medalist, but as long as you treat them well, they should be excellent for most freshwater fishing.
I, personally, like the looks of the “old style” reels (Ballan, Peerless, Vom Hofe, etc.), but looks aren’t fishing. The narrow width, large arbor reels like the Medalist take up line more quickly and do not overrun and backlash as some of the pretty reels do. JMHO.
Hey John excellent reel and at $40.00 a good buy. The price of old medalists is going up and up all the time. With a little care that reel will last you a lifetime and you can pass it down to little bassy and it will last her lifetime with care. I love the medalists and the only other reel I have is a old south bend made in 1954.
overmywaders, dpenrod and harleybob thanks for the info and comments. I too think I got a good deal. And I agree Bob, it will outlast me and be a good one for littlebassy, she also has a 1495 now. She loves it. John
I just received the above listed reel in the mail from the Ebay seller. He greatly under evaluated the condition. It is almost like new. I don’t think I could be more pleased. It did turn out to be one of the ones made in Akron. I will be putting it on one of my Glass Rods. Thanks again for all of your comments. John