Vintage Fly Lines

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oldsaltnfla
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Vintage Fly Lines

Post by oldsaltnfla »

Does anyone collect vintage fly line? Not talking about silk lines, but the synthetic lines from the 50's, 60's, and 70's. I didn't intend to start collecting them; it just seemed to happen. When I was a kid in southern Michigan back in the early 60's, I could not afford a good fly line, but had to settle for horrible casting braided plastic coated line that aways seemed to develop a set that would not come out and would rarely float. I really wanted a Scientific Angler's tapered floating line. I would visit the department and sporting goods stores and just look at the light green colored and white, "Air Cell" and "Air Cell Supreme" lines in the boxes and just pine away the time dreaming of using one at our local lake or stream.

Now that I can afford any line I want, I still like the vintage lines. I actually do fish with some of them, but mostly I collect them. I do have mostly SA vintage lines, but I also have some by Cortland, Herters, Gladding, and a few others. When someone asks me why I have so many lines that I never use I respond, "Because they bring me joy."
Joe
Z3BigDaddy
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Hal Janssen vtg line

Post by Z3BigDaddy »

Hal Janssen has his vintage Sunset Line and others on eBay most of the time. His moniker is perfectcast1.

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john elder
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Re: Vintage Fly Lines

Post by john elder »

Joe, I have boxes full of “joy” for you! As a collector of reels and a hoarder of about everything else, I always take the line off reels that I obtain, but can’t bring myself to throw away the old line! When it’s old silk, I will test to make sure it’s not rotten and if good, will then clean and refinish. I have resold a few...some will bring good money. But like you, I have more of the modern plastic lines than anything else...they gotta be useful for something, right??.....right??...
ORCA member since 1999
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Specializing in saltwater reels...and fly reels...and oh, yeah, kentucky style reels.....and those tiny little RP reels.....oh, heck...i collect fishing reels!...and fly rods....and lures
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Eric J
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Re: Vintage Fly Lines

Post by Eric J »

Here’s some of the lines I’ve accidentally collected:
American Line Company. Sold for .35 at Woolworths



A prototype line made by Heddon’s Trig Lund when he worked for Shakespeare


Check out the bumps on this beauty:


A couple of old braided lines:



“The Braidy Bunch” on some of my old reels:





Joe, I would also like to add to your joy. PM me if interested.
oldsaltnfla
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Re: Vintage Fly Lines

Post by oldsaltnfla »

john elder wrote:Joe, I have boxes full of “joy” for you! As a collector of reels and a hoarder of about everything else, I always take the line off reels that I obtain, but can’t bring myself to throw away the old line! When it’s old silk, I will test to make sure it’s not rotten and if good, will then clean and refinish. I have resold a few...some will bring good money. But like you, I have more of the modern plastic lines than anything else...they gotta be useful for something, right??.....right??...
You are right my friend. They are useful for something. Just having them on a shelf and looking at them occasionally does it for me.
Joe
Z3BigDaddy
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Don't know if these count....

Post by Z3BigDaddy »

Found these at the bottom of one of my totes when I was flea marketing.
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