"You Just never Can Tell"...

[JoeW]

(title courtesy Chuck Berry)

Corrections added here as per John's reply below!

I have a humble collection of Pflueger Akron reels so I'm always looking for odd, different versions. This one popped right out at me from a dealer's case at an antique mall. Everyone, including the dealer, must have thought it was just a "plain, ordinary Akron" and didn't pay it any attention! But see what I saw!

Yea-- it has an anti-reverse lever that actually works! There's no hole for the tension adjustment knob- it was somehow modified to hold the lever! Somehow, the anti-reverse mechanism was fitted inside! If this was done by a fisherman, he REALLY must have known what he was doing! The lever is very well-made. Could it be a (knock on wood) factory experiment? Probably not, I know. But it sure is an attention-getter in a collection of "plain, ordinary Akrons"!

No, I haven't taken it apart to take a peek- Too skeered that I'd never get it back together. probably find a paper clip, string, rubber band, and duct tape inside.

Amazing, at least to me! A find like this really keeps my enthusiasm in high gear! Thanks for the look. Best---- JoeW

[john elder]

Joe, hasn’t it replaced the tension adjuster rather than pawl housing? Looks like the pawl is still there. I assume that while in “free spool”, the levelwind still runs? And does the handle still spin when in “Free Spool”? I suspect the fellow made it easier to control tension on the ABL spring.

If the handle does not spin and levelwind doesn’t work, then the lever must pull the main gear away from the spindle and LW gears. That should mean that when you throw the lever, the handle would come out farther.

[JoeW]

Never make a post from memory! Yes, the lever replaced the tension adj. And--- it isn't a free spool- the lever is for an anti-reverse!!! I'll try to make the corrections above. Thanks a heap, John! Best---- JoeW

[Paul Roberts]

Nifty! Cool find. Curious what the mech is like inside. I suppose it was done for trolling.