America’s sport: tournament casting

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Mike N
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America’s sport: tournament casting

Post by Mike N »




The sport of tournament casting was a very big deal in America and internationally in the first half of the 20th century. The National Association of Scientific Angling Clubs (NASAC) was founded in Kalamazoo, MI in 1906. The club produced its first newsletter (shown below) in 1921.



The NASAC sanctioned events and approved the line and casting weights used as indicated in these photos. The NASAC later changed its name to NAACC (National Association of Angling and Casting Clubs), a precursor to the current ACA (American Casting Association).

Spools of casting line and casting weights marked NASAC or NAACC approved are very collectible. A few are shown below.

The tournament reels that were made or modified in a machinists garage are my favorites. They are the epitome of American ingenuity and craftsmanship 75 years ago. Typical events at a casting tournament might include 1/4 oz. accuracy bait and dry fly accuracy, as well as distance casting events.

The spools holding line as fine as a spider web were made from wood, wood composite, aluminum, stainless steel or plastic depending on the type of event and performance that was sought.

Three of the reels shown below are made of light weight magnesium and weigh as little as 2.3 ounces. Two are made of machined aluminum. Several have been cut down to reduce weight and modified from mass-manufactured reels. The two in the rear are contemporary casting reels made by John Elder of California and the late Tony Dillender of Kentucky.

Typically, the handle on a tournament casting reel pops out to disengage the gears and allow for free spool casting. To retrieve the line the gears, would be re-engaged. The handles could range from counterbalanced grasps to tiny 1/2 handles.








A pair of classic tournament reels built by Andy Jokar in Dayton, Ohio late 1950s-early 1960s.
Last edited by Mike N on Fri Sep 18, 2020 9:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Mike N.
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reelsmith.
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Re: America’s sport: tournament casting

Post by reelsmith. »

Wow ...when you collect something you don't fool around !

:bow:

Nicely done Mike.

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Re: America’s sport: tournament casting

Post by john elder »

Super display, Michael!
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Re: America’s sport: tournament casting

Post by Paul M »

These are the 'Hot Rods" of our hobby. Exotic, exciting and customized to the max for casting performance. Great collection, Mike!
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Re: America’s sport: tournament casting

Post by bettybarr »

You do collect and study everything and you always contribute. Bill Sonnett said yesterday that a Coxe 25 was a winner in distance casting. I wonder of the reels you displayed, which were noted for distance and for accuracy. Having watched some ACA events, great skill Is required. Do you cast any of these?
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Re: America’s sport: tournament casting

Post by reeltackle »

They may not have been made to catch fish but they sure caught my eye. Great display Mike, thanks for sharing!
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Re: America’s sport: tournament casting

Post by leland99 »

Mike, those are some interesting and exciting reels. Lots on ingenuity on display!!
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Mike N
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Re: America’s sport: tournament casting

Post by Mike N »

I just picked up a Gladding line catalog published 79 years ago, in January 1942. It is 36-pages. Remember that America had declared war on Germany on December 11, 1941. Days earlier, on December 8, 1941, the US had declared war on Japan.

The only silk NASAC tournament casting line offered in this 1942 catalog is shown below. The ad notes that Gladding’s tournament line came in “green and white check,” but the “official tournament line” was “white with red thread.”

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Re: America’s sport: tournament casting

Post by kyreels »

Other than the Shakespeare catalogs, don't think I have seen other tournament line catalog entries, although you have to think they are out there. Nice find.
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Re: America’s sport: tournament casting

Post by Paul Roberts »

Oh! Wow. Just saw this. Amazing. So neat the ingenuity that's been applied to casting.
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