Garage sale find reported on our FB page.

[Paul M]

A fellow contacted the ORCA Facebook page saying that he "made an interesting find at a yard sale in New York a few weeks ago. It's an Arthur Kovalovsky large fishing reel. I believe it to be either a 14/0, most likely, or a 12/0 that I hope is less likely. The drag and line release is in the handle. Here are some pics":






I asked Ed to join us here to discuss his find. WOW

Paul M

[john elder]

Ha! I'll cut in on Ed's time and jump in! Would be a fun and valuable reel to Reno. It's not as nice as the micarta version, but is made basically in the same style. Nice score! will he part with it??

[m3040c]

Only Ed could come up with a reel like that at a garage sale. Ed is a friend of mine and a true fishing tackle picker. I never met anyone with more gear. This one was a special find. Not too many big game Kovalovsky's to be found at garage sales anymore. Fantastic score.

Just to put a face with the name, here is Ed at his table at a local tackle trade show.

[Ed mcnamara]

Didn't give it a lot of thought as to what I'm going to do with it. But I will definitely sell it eventually. This is the first reel that I'm looking into the background of and I find myself doing more productive things on the internet than playing candy crush

[Paul M]

Welcome, Ed! Thanks for coming over from Facebook land. I guessed that the friend you referenced was Mike and I see that I'm right. That is a pretty spectacular field find, especially from a garage sale. Did you get a matching rod too?

[john elder]

Yes, welcome, Ed! When Paul indicated he called "Ed" in, you were not the Ed I thought he meant! At any rate, keep me posted! Owned or not, it would be fun to Reno that one.

[m3040c]

Didn't give it a lot of thought as to what I'm going to do with it. But I will definitely sell it eventually. This is the first reel that I'm looking into the background of and I find myself doing more productive things on the internet than playing candy crush

Welcome Ed You have a great start here................

[reeltackle]

I'm glad there is at least one Ed out there that is still finding Kovalovsky reels at garage sales, although I have to admit, I wish it were this Ed.

Nice Job Ed, it looks like you found yourself a chrome over brass Kovalovsky Standard Model Type I with a phenolic plastic drag housing.

What is the diameter of your reel (the measurement across the side-plate) ? Does it have any markings on the underside of the foot? Can you take a picture of the underside of the foot if it does have markings? I can't read the straight line stamping near the Kovalovsky logo on the drag housing cover, can you let us know what it says?

Zane Grey owned such a reel and it is displayed on the cover of his book "An American Angler in Australia" and he also fished with it in his movie "White Death". It was thought that the reel he posed with on the book cover was a gold Type I because in hand colorized photos it was always colored gold, however, you can tell by the the shape of the rims and other features that it is a large chrome over brass reel. You can even see the phenolic black spacer in the photo.

I have seen this reel in several different sizes of the chrome over brass Type I including - 3/0, 6/0, 9/0, 10/0, 14/0, 16/0 and 18/0 size.

Please feel free to get in touch with me for more info.

Here are some photos of the different reels and a few of Zane with his reel.

Early 18/0 Type I Chrome over Brass -



Type I in the 9/0 size -



Type I in a 12/0 size -



Two 16/0 size reels, notice different drag stack configurations -





Zane Grey's personal Type I 16/0 reel - Zane with the reel in his camp in Australia - Zane with reel on cover of his book "American Angler in Australia" -

[Wayne B.]

This is the first reel that I'm looking into the background of and I find myself doing more productive things on the internet than playing candy crush

Welcome Ed. Just a warning...that investigating, looking into the background thing is addictive, and it is fun! You will find the people here will turn out to be one of your best resources.

[fishhead]

Way to go Ed. Your the man. Finding reels like that at garage sales is enough to make you jump and shout with happiness.

[Ed mcnamara]

Sorry, no rod. It was sitting on a table

[Ed mcnamara]

Thanks

[Ed mcnamara]

Ed Pritchard, the reel measures 6" in diameter. No markings on the reel foot. The straight line reads: capacity 500 yds no 39. Hope this helps

[reeltackle]

Based on the diameter of the reel and the line capacity I think it would be safe to speculate that the reel is either a 10/0 or a 12/0, however ........ that being said, the line capacities for designated /0 sizes was not always consistent from reel maker to reel maker and in the case of Kovalovsky, his reel's /0 sizes seem to have changed in size to some degree over the years.

I have a late model Kovalovsky reel that is marked "12/0 - 600 yards of 39" with a 6 inch diameter. Based on this information alone, this would make your reel a 10/0 because it has less line capacity, however, over the years the dimensions and therefore the line capacities of Kovalovsky reels seem to have fluxed a bit in both diameter and spool width. Most of the earlier Kovalovsky reels I have seen seemed to have less line capacity for their designated /0 size. As the years went by, line capacity seems to have increased slightly for the designated /0 size.

Because your reel is a somewhat earlier reel I would say that it is a 12/0 size reel.

Again, nice reel Ed! Congratulations on a field find that today is harder than finding the proverbial needle in a haystack. Did you ask the guy if he had any more old fishing stuff?

[Paul M]

Great post all around! I am mystified how the relatively tiny foot and skinny cross-pillars on these monster sized reel didn't buckle under the strain of a large fish.

Hopefully Ed McNamara will set aside $120 from his eventual proceeds to join ORCA as a 3 year member (to start with). We need lucky reel pickers to join our club and help revive the enthusiasm and excitement that comes with finding a great reel like this in the wild. I suspect Ed can sell that easily for more than he paid.

Paul M

[Ed mcnamara]

Probably, Paul, probably

[Ed mcnamara]

Thanks for the info, Ed

[Paul M]

FYI - The ORCA library for members has a 60 page compendium of info on Kovalovsky reels, donated by ORCA member Andy Foster. For 10 cents a page to get it by e-mail, this is a deal and is one key benefit of membership.

Paul M

[Nick in NY]

Or Ed I can get you a copy of Rick Edminston & Phil Beghuls book on Kovalovsky reels. The handles an easy fix and some frown upon replacement parts but it is what it is. Value figure at least $3,000. At one point I wanted to complete a set of the tangerine colored type 1 reels but there was no way of recovering all including the 3-0 l gave away for under $1,000. Be patient have the handle repaired and enjoy it! Tight Lines Nick in NY

[Dan Z]

id like to pay for an receive that Kov info- who do i email/pay to get the 60 pages? thanks! daniel

[wrong99]

Dan,
Access to the ORCA Library is just one of the awesome benefits of ORCA membership. Consider joining, if you already haven't.
Mark

[john elder]

Dan is a member, Mark! I suspect that Paul means the copy of the "Made in Hollywood" book by Beghul and Edmisten, which I'm sure Dan already has. Paul, if different, please call me out on this!

[Paul M]

John:
You are correct. The title is "Handmade in Hollywood", The Fishing Reels of Arthur Kovalovsky.