Thursday Review: ORCA's Reel News (Jan. 2011)

Thursday Review: ORCA's Reel News (Jan. 2011)

We start off the New Year with an issue of ORCA's Reel News -- Vol. XXI, No. 1 to be exact. By the way, the last issue was the final issue of the 20th year of the Reel News! Happy Birthday, and this is a great start to 20 more.

Steve Vernon gives us the always anticipated "Roots o' Reels" column, this time on the bizarre Gyratory reel, sometimes spelled Guy-Ra-Tory Reel. Such an oddball reel, but an influential and interesting design.

Tom Kerr regales us with an awesome article entitled "The House of Conroy," which is a very detailed look at this man's legacy as one of the pioneers of American tackle.

My contribution in "Reels of the Trade" was the final in the trilogy of articles on Milwaukee, Wisconsin trade houses. This one featured William Frankfurth, a very large and prosperous wholesale hardware who sold a ton of tackle under the "Neptune" name.

Bob Miller gave us another solid "Pflueger Pfacts" column, this third in a series called "Pflueger vs. the Backlash," a title that is like an episode of the tv show Chuck. This one features the new design Supreme.

Really wonderful news from Stu Lawson, who appears to be recovering quite nicely and who promises to publish parts of his long-awaited Pflueger fly reel book in The Reel News in 2011.

Jim Schottenham winds things down with his always anticipated "Auction Report." I'm always stunned at how many great reels get sold and I don't ever notice them.

Another great issue. If you are not an ORCA member--and why aren't you?--you can join us by Clicking Here. The Reel News is lovingly edited by Richard K. Lodge.

-- Dr. Todd