Orvis reel history

[cutthroat]

I am really interested in Orvis reels and their history. Specifically dates of manufacture and which were clones of other reels or which reels cloned Orvis reels. Are there any Orvis collectors here and does anyone know where I can find a good copy of the Madison manual. Thanks in advance.

[Teal]

I am assuming from your post you are talking about Orvis trade reels from the 1930s-present. Orvis made a very, very coveted fly reel in the nineteenth century.

Orvis trade reels are an interesting subject. I'd suggest starting with Ben Wright's pioneering book on spinning reels, which covers the Italian-imports that were sold under the Orvis name. Orvis fly reels were made by Berkley, Scientific Anglers, and I'm sure a number of others. I have not seen an Orvis marked baitcaster, but I have an L.L. Bean marked baitcaster so it is a possibility.

Orvis catalogs from the 1940s and 1950s sell for $5-$20 and would make a great reference for what you are looking for. I think a representative sample of three per decade from the late 1940s-1970s would cover your bases pretty well and not break the bank.

Good luck, and update us on what you find.

--Dr. Todd
http://fishinghistory.blogspot.com/

PS Col. Milton may have a Madison manual for you. You may try posting under the Parts is Parts forum.

[gadabout]

Orvis catalogs from the 1940s and 1950s sell for $5-$20 ...

Um, Dr. Todd, sounds like you haven't tried to buy one recently, LOL.

[cutthroat]

Thank you Dr. Todd. It's kind of surprising that with Orvis long history and popularity, that someone hasn't written a book about their reels or rods. Calling Orvis has been only minimally helpful. The staff is very helpful, their information seems very limited.

[Jack Bright]

Another maker of quite a few fly reels was Hardy of England.

[Ron Mc]

JW Young stepped up for Orvis when Hardy let them down.

[cutthroat]

Nice Battenkill Ron. What year was it made?

[Teal]

Gadabout,

Oops! My bad. Just searched eBay past auctions, looks like my range was right on from the 1960s where at least six sold from $5-$10. But the 1950s and earlier ones seem to be much more expensive, ranging from $20-$40.

It'll probably cost a bit more that I thought to build an Orvis catalog collection!

--Dr. Todd

[Ron Mc]

the topic came up on Clark's and there was some very good information.
It was the year that Hardy changed hands and the new owner refused to sell the Lightweight series reels to Orvis.
So Orvis approached Young about building a set of lightweights for them, the Featherweight, Flyweight, and Lightweight wide drum.
They were only made for 2 or 3 years, and it was sometime in the late 60s, early 70s - I can't pin it down better than that guess - maybe Gaddis can.
Orvis also sold marked Beaudex reels as their Battenkill line, based on this redesign, which Young introduced in 1968:



Even this Fish Hawk multiplier was sold as the Battenkill multiplier

[cutthroat]

Thanks Ron. Very nice reels and helpful information. You posted a photo on Clarks a few days ago that I can't find. I believe it was a Martin reel that is the spitting image of the Orvis Green Mountain. Could you post it again here or lead me to the post on Clarks. Thanks.

[Ron Mc]

How about this Martin I posted on fiberglassflyrodders?
http://fiberglassflyrodders.com/forum/

I have an Orvis 1915 - my first fly reel - which is an all black, marked Martin 67A.

[cutthroat]

Thanks Ron. That was what I was looking for. I am more amazed with each posting!

[Jack Bright]

Another that skipped my feeble brain was the Orvis LORD I and II were made by a Swedish maker; 'MORIN' I believe with a superb drag system
that was quite complicated -- too tough for me to play with, but a beauty
of a fly reel and sold new in the `50s I think for about $150 plus.

[Ron Mc]

Sth also made many reels for them, including the very nice Orvis Presentation click pawl reels.

Lamson made the DXR series.

[Reel Geezer]

There is a book about the history of Orvis. They published it themselves to commemorate their 125th Anniversary, in 1980. It was written by Austin Hogan and Paul Schullery, and is titled THE ORVIS STORY. This book has some great old photos of top anglers with their Orvis rods and historical photos from the early 20th century. I'm sure it is long out of print, but you might check with Orvis. I'd look for a copy with some of the hunting and fishing book dealers, such as ORCA's own Gary Estabrook, who is one of the largest sporting book dealers in the country.

[gadabout]

There is a book about the history of Orvis. They published it themselves to commemorate their 125th Anniversary, in 1980. It was written by Austin Hogan and Paul Schullery, and is titled THE ORVIS STORY. This book has some great old photos of top anglers with their Orvis rods and historical photos from the early 20th century. I'm sure it is long out of print, but you might check with Orvis. I'd look for a copy with some of the hunting and fishing book dealers, such as ORCA's own Gary Estabrook, who is one of the largest sporting book dealers in the country.

They appear to have reintroduced this book, as shown here. Not sure if this is a reprint or if it contains new material.

[cutthroat]

Thanks to all of you who contributed to this post. Man, so much to learn. I just ordered The Orvis Story. Should be good reading. Thanks Howard