You know when you set off on a fishing trip with your super latest technology rod and your shiny automatic reel with lots of flashing lights and alarm bells do you ever give a thought to how our tackle evolved? Well heres a thought provoking story, many centuries ago angling was not a sport but a means of putting food on the table man with his ingenuity devised many methods of catching the elusive creatures but one idea a crude drum of wood mounted on a pin spiked to a stem of willow or hazel was the cutting edge of technology. Then around 1750 /1770 in England records began of the Nottingham centre pin reel one of the first reels to be mass-produced they were made in large quantities and shipped all over the world Nottinghams turn up in auctions and fairs even today. The Nottingham was a free running reel at that time but individual craftsmen seeing an opportunity as angling slowly evolved into a sport particularly with the upper classes, began to look at more sophisticated designs. Materials were limited machine screws and high tensile springs were yet to be invented, however journeymen, skilled craftsmen plied their trades up and down the country, basket weavers, leather workers, wheelwrights, cabinetmakers, so specialist materials were available in small amounts. The Royal Navy was sailing and opening trade routes all over the free world so more exotic timbers, mahogany, rosewood, bamboo, would have been about in small quantities the craftsmen were quick to utilise whatever they could. It is well documented that individual reels were produced using exotic timbers and innovative ideas but they were individual, not mass-produced and because of that their details are sparse, and as they have been discarded or lost with the passing of centuries we can now only imagine their intricacies. These reels would have been multi purpose for coarse and game the concept of individual reels for specific purposes had not at that time become the fashion. Being a craftsman with a keen interest in angling history I set out to create using traditional practises and without the aid of screws and springs a serviceable reel with an effective drag / brake system. The reel I produced has a timber back plate and a one piece brass foot for attachment to the rod, the drum revolves on a brass shaft with a floating brass sleeve fore runner of the ball race the brake operates through a circle of brass pegs set in the back of the reel drum these contact a lever pivoted through the back plate and connected to a spliced reed of bamboo giving a crisp ratchet action. I designed the reel to come apart easily for cleaning and lubrication the running gear is replaceable, unlike the reels of today, the only way to get into them is with a ten-pound lump hammer. It takes over thirty handcrafted pieces to complete the reel a little heart and soul goes into each one the bamboo ratchet brake reel is a truly unique piece of kit and can be seen on my website. I am sure a gentleman angler all those centuries ago would have been proud to own such a reel and to show his piece of cutting edge technology to all his friends as we do today, this is a no excuse serious attempt to reflect the look and feel of an important period in tackle development, but appeal to the discerning angler of today. A true celebration of the reel makers art. |
