Were these magnesium tournament reels made by Al Foss?

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Mike N
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Were these magnesium tournament reels made by Al Foss?

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I bought the first of these magnesium tournament casting reels (first photo on right; small handle; marked “5” on top of foot) this summer at the NFLCC Nationals in Ft. Wayne. The seller and I both thought it was made by Al Foss due in part to the striking similarities with a reel shown in Kevin Virden’s excellent book on Foss (see below).

At the recent Lang’s auction I picked up a slightly smaller magnesium reel with the same narrow wooden tournament spool but with a counterbalanced handle and a “1” stamped on top of the foot. Both have the unusual brass “button” feature on the top of each foot. Any thoughts or comments welcome as to their maker.










I highly recommend Kevin Virden’s book on Al Foss. It is scholarly yet readable with great photos, including the one below:


Mike N.
ORCA Founder, 1990
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