Fly reel ID

[Paul M]

Can anyone identify this nice unmarked fly reel with square foot pillars? Measures 3 1/2” dia excluding raised pillars. Not my reel.

[RonG]

Frederick Malleson

[Paul M]

Thanks Ron. From a reference picture I saw of a Malleson, I was under the impression the Malleson foot pillars were round but filed flat. These seems totally rectangular.

[reelsmith.]

I'm not sure its Malleson. Crank shape is different, so is the knob and all the Malleson salmon reels I have seen have sliding bearing caps.

Maybe Enterprise Manufacturing ?

Dean.

[David Lehmann]

Enterprise did offer a salmon reel that this kind of foot in their 1900-01, 1904-05, and 1906-07 catalogs. Thomas Conroy also advertised a reel very similar (identical?) to the later Enterprise reel in the late 1880s and 1890s. Conroy sold reels manufactured by JVH, Malleson, as well as many others, during this timeframe. Cuts from Enterprise and Conroy catalogs are below. Note that the handle knob and counterbalance are different than on your reel Paul. Is the click/pawl design of your reel characteristic of a particular manufacturer?

[Paul M]

FWIW, this pic shows the entire clicker spring assembly and the cross section of the foot pillars.