With tournament casting all the rage in 1909, these three ads all appeared in Field & Stream’s advertising directory. Each maker claimed to be the best. If you were casting which reel would you have chosen?
Talbot claimed that 55% of all reels used in national tournaments were theirs, while Meek claimed that its reels won 69% of all international tournaments, except of course for the 1909 national tournament where Milam advertised that the winner casted with its reel...
Was it Royce or Ronald and wasn't the Publication called Forest and Stream in the Early 1900's and I would have chosen or my Great Grandpa would a Talbot
I have observed many tournament casters in recent years, and the #2 Meek with the aluminum spool and a lightweight balanced tournament handle is a very desirable reel for them still today. In the 1909 timeframe, Meek reels took 69% of the Diamond trophies, being suitable for both distance and the all-important 1/4 oz accuracy. I guess I would have chosen that reel also, but would have liked to customized it to a narrow spool.
I'm not sure why Ron G would have chosen a 1900 version of the Talbot in 1909, but he is a savy collector, and probably would have seen that the 1900 version would be worth more money when he got out of tournament casting. But that version of the reel was not the best casting reel IMHO. Ron may have been frustrated with the 1/4 oz event.
You don't see the freespool reels in this timeframe, which would have added to the distance events. If someone figured that out in 1909, that would have been the reel to get.
Matt Wickham
Collector of Casting Weights, KY Reels and KY Tackle
