Now its time for ..... Can You Guess That Big Game Reel

[reeltackle]

NAME THAT REEL - Here is great photo from April of 1936 taken just off of Biscayne Bay with, what was at that time, downtown Miami in the background. The angler is William B. Hurst Jr. and the guide is Captain "Bouncer" Anderson of the Jersey Lightning. BF, you can sit this one out.

[john elder]

Your "clue" was much too good, Ed! ...but I'll let some others stew about it ..what a great add that one would make!

[Brian F.]

[butch carey key west]

Ed, Is the maker J.M.

[sdlehr]

I haven't a clue, but I'm going to throw out the names of makers Fred Grieten and Roswell Lee as possibilities, based mostly on the time period and location.....

[reeltackle]

Ed, Is the maker J.M.

Butch, nope.

I haven't a clue, but I'm going to throw out the names of makers Fred Grieten and Roswell Lee as possibilities, based mostly on the time period and location.....

Nope again.

Clue, wrong coast and then some.

[Jim Schottenham]

I'm going with Frank Crawford.

[butch carey key west]

I guess I should have paid attention to Brian's happy face

[KIWI]

Ed, it that the same maker as the swordfish reel from Brian F's neck of the woods? Doug

[KIWI]

Looks similar to mine, but the line reeling in on the bottom makes it very similar.

[john elder]

Slightly less subtle hint in this thread...

search.php?keywords=Hawaaian+swordfish&terms=all&author=&sc=1&sf=all&sk=t&sd=d&sr=posts&st=0&ch=300&t=0&submit=Search

[Steve]

Here is great photo from April of 1936

Correct guy, but reel in pic was patented earlier.

[sdlehr]

Slightly less subtle hint in this thread...

search.php?keywords=Hawaaian+swordfish&terms=all&author=&sc=1&sf=all&sk=t&sd=d&sr=posts&st=0&ch=300&t=0&submit=Search

This clue would've been a good one had Hawaiian been spelled properly - I messed it up a few times before I stumbled upon the proper spelling. Here's the corrected hint search.php?keywords=Hawaiian+Swordfish+reel&terms=all&author=&sc=1&sf=all&sk=t&sd=d&sr=posts&st=0&ch=300&t=0&submit=Search

[reeltackle]

Good sleuthing John and Jim. Good deduction Doug. I knew Brian would recognize Frank Crawford's Hawaiian Sword Fish reel immediately:) I was going through my photos and thought that it was interesting that in 1936 an angler from Baltimore was posing in Miami with a marlin that he caught in Bimini with a reel made in Hawaii. Also, I knew Brian might get a kick out of this photo as he is the expert on this reel. Brian, have you ever seen another period photo of a Hawaiian Sword Fish reels in use? I find it interesting that Crawford broke Swordfish in to two words - Sword Fish, but then again, all the different species had not been sorted out by 1936 and if you read period books there are several terms and species of billfish that have been phased out since then. Even now as I type this out my spellcheck wants me to turn billfish into bill fish. Perhaps Frank's spellcheck was fish illiterate too.

Below are four photos of an unmarked Crawford reel I once owned with Micarta side-plates that I believe was a prototype reel.









Photos of a production Crawford reel.

[Jay White]

Ed, I have a great photo of Franklin Roosevelt sitting in a chair on the deck of a boat holding a Crawford reel and old rod. I would love to find a reel to go with the photo!! Any help out there??

[Brian F.]

Here's one. They caught things with it other than sword fish



I didn't realize your old reel was a prototype until I actually held one in my hands, Ed. I also forgot your reel had a case too. Seems like they were sold with them.

[john elder]

Jeeez, Brian! Looks like a tsunami coming in on that fellow! Sorry for my lack of knowledge...not a swordfish?. Marlin??

[reeltackle]

Great photo Brian! Thanks for posting it. Looks like the fellow has two Crawford reels. Have you found those two Crawford reels yet? I bought the Micarta reel from Russ Wilson who bought it from (if I remember correctly) a Crawford family member. He is the one who told me some of the background, like how the guy used to work for the post office in California. I believe Russ will be at the show in Daytona and I will ask him what he remembers about the reel and the folks he purchased it from, it has been a while and my memory of the story might be a bit hazy.

Jeeez, Brian! Looks like a tsunami coming in on that fellow!

Ha ha John, I thought there was a huge wave headed for the guy too, like one of those freak photos someone takes without them realizing disaster is looming in the background. It took me a minute to figure out that it was not a wave but a mountain. I hope I can be excused for this because I live in Florida and we never see ocean fishing pictures with mountains in the background.

Ed, I have a great photo of Franklin Roosevelt sitting in a chair on the deck of a boat holding a Crawford reel and old rod.

Hey Jay, post that photo of Roosevelt in the fighting chair with the Crawford reel for us.

[Midway Tommy D]

It took me a minute to figure out that it was not a wave but a mountain.

I'll be danged! I was thinking JE's thoughts even before he mentioned it. B & Ws can make background scenery a little tough to decipher sometimes.

[Brian F.]

Haha, I didn't think about what that mountain looked like but, believe it or not, I don't care to get out in the middle of the ocean because of images like that. I'd bet that's along the western side of Oahu but don't know for sure. I'm really bad about pelagics too so can safely say it's one of the marlins: striped, blue? Never did find more than one here. And, another believe it or not, I've seen just as many pop up out of the mid west, haha. I've been compiling photos and info for an article, so one of these days.....

[Nick in NY]

Hey Jay, That was a great photo of Roosevelt on the boat! Wish I went all the way and got it to display next to my Crawford reel! Tight lines Nick in NY