Czech out this "field find"

[Richard Lodge]

Neat little skeleton fly reel, pictured at left, that came from Europe. From what I can find out, it was made in the Czech Republic, 1920-38. Neat fish logo on the back (sort of like the Tokoz, but different). The reel is shown with a Meisselbach Featherlight No. 260, and is clearly a crude copy of it. Same cutouts and basic design, but the Czech reel is much rougher in its construction. Still, it's a neat little 40-yarder and was cool to find.
Waddya think, ORCAns?

(the Czech reel is NOT for sale but the Featherlight might be, to serious buyers)

http://orcaonline.org/images/pixel.gif?2front.jpg

http://orcaonline.org/images/pixel.gif?2back.jpg

http://orcaonline.org/images/pixel.gif?1closeup.jpg

[Brian F.]

Yes, that is a neat little reel, Richard! Appears to be a copy but it certainly has some quality to it. What "field" have you been rooting around in lately?

[Ron Mc]

beauty.
Can you give us a close-up on the makers' mark?
tanks

[Richard Lodge]

Hi Brian and Ron.
Brian, the "field" is sort of an abstraction, since the reel came via an Internet sale from a guy overseas. 'Nuf said. The FBI might be monitoring this.

I'll post a closeup of the logo on the back of the reel tonight when I get home. Sorry for the weird color in the pix. Artificial light and my lousy color correcting = strange colors. The Czech reel is all brass and the Featherlight is nickel-plated brass, so it should appear silver.
You're right about the quality of the Czech reel. It's sturdy and tight, but the edges on everything are somewhat rough, as if the maker stamped out the pieces, banged together the reel and tossed it into the "for sale" bin. Probably exactly what happened, eh?

[Richard Lodge]

OK, for your viewing pleasure, and to test your new reading glasses, I present 2 photos. The first shows the CSR and fish logo on the back of the little Czech reel. The second is from under the foot of a Tokoz fly reel, which I believe was also made either in Yugoslavia or the Czech Republic.

http://orcaonline.org/images/pixel.gif?close.1.jpg

http://orcaonline.org/images/pixel.gif?tokoz.jpg

[Harvey]

There are a couple of these reels on Flea-Bay right now. I have bid on some before but was never lucky or un-lucky enough to aquire one.
Just type ABBU ZEIS into the search box .
Nice little reels. Maybe someday I will get lucky and add one to my few skelton reels that I have now.

[Ron Mc]

thanks

[Richard Lodge]

Great bunch of skeletons, Harvey. I recognize that little brass 40-yarder on the left. Glad it found a good home (you do have a good home, don't you? No riff-raff or ruffians abusing the fly reels?)
As to your point that the Czech reels are the same as the Abbu-whatever-the-heck-it-is, I might quibble with that. I haven't acquired one of the Abbu reels, but I figured they were probably Pakistan or India-made reels. The Czech reel I have is definitely much older, has a very different handle and overall wear and tear that would indicate many decades out in the field. The Abbu reels, I figure, are just a knock-off by some brass factory to confuse collectors with the (badly spelled) ABU/ABBU link.
Does anyone have one of these new reels? If so, does it have any stamping to indicate where it was made? I'm curious and have been wanting to examine one for a while.

[Ron Mc]

check the negatives on those aussie sellers - I think it may be the Vibropen Mauler.