ORCA Nationals Here I Come!

I am traveling today to Waupaca, Wisconsin for ORCA Nationals -- we've got some great books to review which we promise to start gettingto next Thursday!

Show report to follow...

-- Dr. Todd

ORCA Nationals 2010: A Pictorial Odyssey

ORCA Nationals 2010: A Pictorial Odyssey

ORCA Nationals in the Smokey Mountains just concluded last weekend, and while I was only able to partake in two days of festivities, it created some lasting memories.

Let's begin by talking about the Smokey Mountains. If you've never had the pleasure of seeing the Smokeys, you absolutely have a treat in store for you. It is amazing.


The scene from the window of my room: the Smokeys in action.

The rooms were unbelievable. The Lodge was a world class resort, as you can see from this photo, and the staff very helpful.


The living room was huge.

I arrived Friday morning in time for the casting competition. A number of competitors tested their skills in both vintage bait casting and spin casting skill competitions.


Steve Knier winds up as Roger Schulz looks on.

George McCabe showing off his form.

Eventual champion Dan Basore in action.

Lest we forget the many volunteers it takes to run the show, here's Dave Erickson manning the registration desk as Roger Schulz slacks off somewhere.


Dave is thinking Malleson thoughts.

Friday afternoon was spent listening (and giving) presentations. Teaching and learning are the lifeblood of the club, and there were some exceptional presentations. Master of Ceremonies Craig Barber oversaw events and kept everyone on time.

We were blessed to hear Curry Gayle speak about his family's legacy. We were further blessed that his father Joe Gayle was in attendance. Joe, as we found out, was a former Marine in World War II who was shot in the neck on the third day of the Battle of Peleliu. That would be the same Peleliu that served as the basis for the recent mini-series The Pacific, based on the book by E.B. Sledge entitled With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa. Joe was friends with E.B. Sledge and even travelled to Peleliu for a reunion with him. It was a great honor to meet him, talk a bit, and shake his hand. Curry gave an awesome presentation.

Bob Miller and myself followed with a talk on Pflueger trade reels. Bob was his incomparable self, and I just tried to keep my feet after following him. This was followed by Richard Lodge's excellent talk on Skeleton fly reels, Dick Braun's fine presentation on Johnson Demo Reels, Roger Schulz on cataloguing your collection, and Craig Barber on how to research a fishing reel. All superb talks.

The most interesting aspect of the talks is that they place about a half mile downhill. Straight downhill. We needed a Swiss army vehicle (no joke) just to get there and back. Some, however, were more intrepid:


Robyn Summerlin showing that Texas spirit as he finished conquering the hill.

Saturday we awoke early to set up for the show itself. It was an outdoor venue but fortunately we had terrific weather, and there were a ton of goodies to see.


Inside the tent.


Mac Macnulty's nifty Shakespeare Spin Wonder cut-away reel.

Inside the welcome area were the displays. As always there were some amazing ones


Gayle reels are works of art.

Not many people know that Gayle made fishing lures, too.

A fine selection of Meisselbach reels.

Just about the best collection of Cozzone reels you'll ever find.

But ORCA Nationals isn't so much about the reels--although there is always a lot of them around. It's more about the people. And it was great to talk to so many old friends and make a few new ones.


From left to right, Heather and Robin Sayler, and Bob Miller.

George McCabe and his friend Kuma, a noted rodmaker.

ORCA Nationals is an intimate gathering and a fun time. You will get to see reels you'll never see anywhere else (just go see Kerry Chatham or Andy Foster) and meet some of the nicest people in the world. It was a blast.

-- Dr. Todd

Off to ORCA Nationals!

Today I'm off to ORCA Nationals! I strongly implore anyone who hasn't been to an ORCA or NFLCC National (or the FATC Daytona show for that matter) to take the time and effort to make one. There is nothing like it in the world. If you think you've seen fishing tackle before, you really haven't seen anything at ALL until you've been to a National. It will blow your mind.

I'll try and post some updates and hopefully some pics from Gatlinburg, so check the Twitter feed to the right...

-- Dr. Todd

ORCA Nationals 2009 at the IGFA

As I was unable to go to ORCA Nationals in Colorado last year, I was particularly excited about this year's nationals, held June 04-06 at the International Game Fishing Association (IGFA) Museum in Dania Beach, Florida--a suburb of Miami. Getting lost in Central Florida, the brutally expensive Florida Turnpike, and weather that would make a hurricane happen (10 inches of rain in 3 hours south of us) could not keep me away from ORCA Nationals.

It was a great show. A lot of nifty reels, including some super rare ones, showed up. More important, however, I was able to meet friends both old and new. Here's a brief photo essay on the nationals.


After registering at the hotel, I went to pick up my packet from show host Ed Pritchard. Ed should be commended for the smooth running of this neat show. The first reel I saw was Ed's nifty home made Kentucky style reel marked in tiny letters "Wm. De Forest."


After a night of reel talking, we awoke in the morning to breakfast with the board, followed by the casting competition. Here Tom Eidson shows off his baitcasting style, while Roger Schulz watches diligently for a foot fault.


Henry Caldwell winds up and lets fly.


Craig Barber trying out his Mitchell Cap during the spin casting competition. Overall title was won by Dan Basore. The Stu Lawson Ugly Reel Toss was won by John Yancey.


The evening of room trading began with this bizarre Pflueger, marked "Pflueger 3960" and anodized, owned by Tom Eidson. None of us had seen this model before.


The IGFA is an awesome museum. Housed in a $32 million building, it is truly the mecca of sport fishing.


The hall of records shows off many of the record mounts that people have donated to the museum.


There was lots of tackle on display; here is a case of awesome fly reels.


For the lure guys, here was a typical case of fishing lures on display. I'll have a far more comprehensive write up of the museum itself in the coming weeks.


The IGFA hosted ORCA Nationals and had plenty of space. We were fortunate that at the head of the room was Ed Pritchard's incredible Florida reel display, on loan to the museum.


Before we were able to set up, however, we had two seminars. The first was a presentation on E.A. Pflueger reels by Craig "The Pflueger Professor" Barber. Craig did not disappoint and gave the finest presentation on E.A. I'd ever seen. Really amazing stuff.


Jim Schottenham has a tough act to follow. But he knocked it out of the park as well. Using items from his "Best in Show" display of Billinghurst reels, he walked us through the origins and development of this incredibly cool fly reel. I would like to thank both Craig and Jim for their excellent presentations.


We set up early the next morning and as the museum did not open until 10:00, we were able to walk around and meet and greet fellow ORCAns. Here new ORCA member Carl Lambert shows off his Hardy Zane Grey, which Zane himself used to catch the first Marlin over 1000 pounds. It is one of the most historically important reels I've ever seen.


There were so many neat displays it was almost impossible to choose between them. Here is a nice display of Pflueger Portage boxed reels.


A shot from the floor of the ORCA Nationals.


There was a lot of tackle that walked in the front door for the auction; here Jim Schottenham auctions off a hand-made rod-and-reel combo.


And here auction winner Andy Foster shows off this massive reel.


The great Bill Stuart put some amazing "thumb reels" on display. These simple devices were largely manufactured in the south.


Ralph Hecht had a tiny portion of his mind boggling fly rod lure display.


Dick Braun brought six (count 'em SIX) tables of his incredible Zebco display. Considering it is only part of the collection, I was truly blown away.


Steve Linkous had a great display of reel oil bottles.


Here are some of the goodies I came away with, some from the auction. There were unbelievable spinning reels that came in, including this neat Ted Williams #400 by Zangi. This is one of the pre-Sears TWI Williams reels. There is also a neat A&I Perfection Montague, a Hendryx, a Portage, a beautiful Bronson Modern trade reel marked Kingfisher, and a rare Pequea marked No. 1700 trade reel.


Here is a nice brass Scottish fly reel marked "William Landell, 206 Trongate, Glasgow." It had a lot of eye appeal so I bought it.


My favorite reel I picked up at the show is this neat Victorian brass stoplatch baitcaster.


I had a chance to buy a marked Malleson baitcaster. When I went back to get it, it was gone (drat). The usual suspects had swooped in. I consoled myself by buying an unmarked Malleson stoplatch reel.

ORCA Nationals at the IGFA was a blast, despite the fact I had the rare "double blow out" of tires on the highway home (thanks for picking up that jagged metal off the highway, Florida construction workers). I'd like to thank Ed Pritchard for hosting the show, the ORCA Board for choosing the site, and the IGFA staff--especially Librarian and Hall of Fame manager Gail Morchower, who gave me a personal tour of the library--for making this possible. I think this should be a regular stop for ORCA.

-- Dr. Todd

The 2008 ORCA Nationals Review by Robyn Summerlin

I was unable to attend the ORCA Nationals a few weeks ago in Colorado, so I thought this nice short review by Robyn Summerlin would whet your appetite a bit. Sounds like it was a blast! More photos and commentary can be found here. Sorry for the belated post but I was off catching fish!

The 2008 meeting was smaller than usual but fun nonetheless.  Bill Land worked hard to see that the venue was up to expectations and offered all of the amenities the convention requires including open space for the casting contest and reel toss.  The street behind the hotel points towards Pikes Peak, just behind the front range mountains.
 

The same weather system that brought all of the flooding and tornadoes to the midwest moved through the area at the onset of the convention.  I didn't get there until Thursday afternoon but heard that the trout fishing that morning was accompanied by high winds, thunder and lightning, hail and snow.  Driving up I-25 a few miles south of Pueblo that same day en route to the meeting I was surprised to see a snow blanket covering the area, evidence that a strong system had just passed through.  But Friday broke clear and pleasant and warm weather remained with us for the rest of the convention.
 

Thanks mainly to Dave Erickson and Randy Gariglietti I was able to add some nice reels to the display cabinet and keep my bank account at the service charge level.  They included a Standard Professional 43053, a pre-1910  60-yd.Universal, two Style Bs (one S/N 408 which would probably date to around 1905 and the other a 1910 Model) and a Model 1922 Superior Kalamazoo in the old gray box.  The empty banner box will house my 1743 Tournament.Although I spent more time on the road driving to and from Colorado Springs than at the convention itself, I was glad that I went and got to spend some time with a great bunch of folks and meet a few new ones.  Jim Schottenham mentioned that next year's meeting will likely be in Florida--hope to see you all there! 

Robyn

ORCA Nationals, Dowagiac, Michigan Report

Dowagiac, Michigan is of course a famous town in the history of fishing, having been home to Heddon for a number of years. What many people don't know about Dowagiac, however, is that it is the most hidden town in America. Or at least that was how I felt as I roamed the backroads of rural Michigan striving against all odds to find this sleepy little burg.

Having driven to Michigan from Cincinnati (with a long bypass to pick up Richard Lodge's new book from the bindery), I reached the tourist town of Elkart, Indiana--apparently less than 20 miles from Dowagiac, arriving at noon. This gave me a solid two hours to make the first presentation by Andy Foster on Kentucky reels. I was confident. Perhaps too confident.

What I discovered on my unscheduled detour is that Yahoo Maps sucks, at least when it comes to rural Michigan. The turn-by-turn directions gave the names of streets that had no names only numbers. I stopped and asked for directions. Got lost. Stopped again. Got lost a second time. Stopped a third time. Got REALLY lost this time. By now it was 1:55 and, having been on the road since 4:55 a.m., I was inventing curse words that would probably get me arrested in at least seventeen states.

Finally, I stopped at a bar and was prepared to offer anyone there $20 if they would drive to Dowagiac and let me follow, but the bartender said all I had to do was follow the main road out front of his bar straight into downtown Dowagiac. I made it to the Amerihost at 2:10 p.m., already late for Andy's presentation but ready to salvage the afternoon. That's when I was informed that the ORCA convention was NOT being held at the Amerihost hotel, but at the Dowagiac Conservation Club several miles away. I solemnly prepared myself to be lost once again.

Fortunately, the women staffing the Amerihost desk (who was the same woman, by the way, who informed me that they had no record of my reservation) gave me decent directions and I spun into the Dowagiac Conversation Club at 2:30. Andy still had fifteen minutes left on his presentation, which was extraordinarily interesting.

My main reason for coming was to watch Bill Muth's amazing talk on Horton-Bristol history. I was not disappointed--Bill covered the evolution of the non-Meek Horton reels from 1931 until the shuttering of the firm in 1951. While much of this fare was cheap bargain bin fodder, a few of their reels were quite inventive.



After the informative talk, Bill answered questions and showed off his amazing collection. He was swarmed by admirers and questions, as shown by the following photo:



After the talks were over, it was time to greet many old friends and meet some familiar names and faces. I got to talk to Jim Schottenham for some time, and chatted a bit with Bill Sonnett and Warren Platt. Lorraine "Ell" Lawrence made me feel much better when she noted that she also got lost driving in from South Bend.

From the Dowagiac Conservation Club I made my way back to the Amerihost, where room trading began. About two dozens rooms were open, and there were some amazing reels and other items for sale. Not everything was reels, as seen by this neat case of "go-withs" seen in one room:



I finally tracked down Richard Lodge, ORCA's esteemed Reel News editor, and was able to show him the very first copy of his new book Skeletons: A Collector's Guide to Raised Pillar Fly Reels.

Room trading seemed to be a hit; I ended up adding a really tough Montague trade reel marked Thos. E. Wilson with a double-handled tournament crank. I also saw many reels that made me wish I had deep pockets. As my pockets were, per usual, quite shallow, I was content to ogle and fondle these gems and wish them a happy home in some ORCA members' collection. This photo shows Dave Erickson about to close a deal for a nice reel:



Room trading was a lot of fun and I got to spend more time conversing with many ORCAns, including John Ganung and Jim Madden, two of the nicest guys you will ever find. I ended the day in Bill Sonnett's room swapping war stories from the good old days when every rafter was full of Heddon 150s and every tackle box held a Meek & Milam. I miss those days...

I then hopped into my car and drove the 280 miles home to Cincinnati down I-31 to Indianapolis, the worst highway ever. The highlight of the trip was listening to the Cavaliers-Pistons NBA game and hearing Lebron James do his Michael Jordan impression and score 29 of his teams final 30 points.

So what did I learn from my Dowagiac sojourn? First, there are a hell of a lot of places up there named Pokagon. Pokagon Highway, Pokagon Street, Pokagon Avenue, etc. Second, that one should never, ever venture into the backwoods of rural Michigan without a GPS device. Third, that despite 20 years of intensive research on fishing history, only by driving the area can you get a sense of how close South Bend, Kalamazoo, and Dowagiac actually are. Fourth, that ORCA Nationals has to be experienced to understand how cool it is. I enjoyed my short stay and will definitely make a longer trip next year.

--Dr. Todd