Digging through some photos from last year....

[Jim Schottenham]

and came across these - a find from Oct. 2018






I think this is the only thread on Reel Talk that included a Ricketts reel - sadly, the old photos are lost:
Ricketts Reel Mention

[john elder]

Oh, my! Will have to look that one up in The Bible! Do you reel by working it like a pump gun??

[Harry Verdurchi]

Might raise and eyebrow looking at someone reeling in a fish from a ways off with that retrieval method I bet.

[Jim Schottenham]

Do you reel by working it like a pump gun??

Yes, but unlike the Master-Kaster or Trabue, this one uses the reel - not a sleeve, to wind in. It fits the hand rather well, not as awkward as it looks.

Might raise and eyebrow looking at someone reeling in a fish from a ways off with that retrieval method I bet.

Harry - yep, hadn't thought about that, but very true!

[Steve]

Back in the day (2nd ORCA National, Rochester, 2000), there was a display of three Ricketts reels, all different. At one point, Ricketts worked for Harvey Carlton's company, but luckily his Rickettsial disease wasn't contagious.

(Dr. E., see pp. 210, 295)

[Reel Geezer]

As mentioned in an old issue of the Reel News, I purchased J. A. Ricketts "Notebook of a Fisherman" several years ago. The journal has Ricketts instructions on how to manufacture his reel, along with a mechanical frog, etc. (I wrote an article for the NFLCC about the frog). The Journal has a lots of interesting tales of hunting and fishing, along with instructions for his reel. All details in the journal are hand written with drawings by Mr. Ricketts. Thanks to Steve I also have a reel which I used to display with the journal at tackle shows.

[Nick in NY]

Early one I was fortunate enough to own a version....probably about 25-30 years ago! Unfortunately it didn’t work to well (kept binding) but do remember selling it to Doc Herr at Allentown that was the last time I’ve seen an example!