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Post by turfdawg on Feb 21, 2022 13:29:59 GMT -6
Danny: I've been through that site and others. Very good reference material provided. Learned a lot about Phillipson glass today. Tried enrolling at fiberflass flyrodders but the Captcha device keeps screwing up my applications. I lost out on a bid for another 1494DA in great condition but those are fairly common. Found a rod on e-Bay an hour ago that is strictly for sale, no bidding but I hesitate at the price. He who hesitates..... I've got the vintage acquisition bug for sure. Bill, the flex of the rod in your photo make me think it might be a glass rod. It's the crazy accuracy of short casts of dries to confined spaces that I'm interested in and there's more feel transmitted through them. Their flex works against you when rigged for tandem nymphing so thats where my others graphite fast rods come into play. I'm pretty sure that's one of my favorite rods to fish. An Orvis Golden Eagle 7' 5wt. I have it and the 7'6" 6wt so I need the 6'6" 4wt to finish that set. I used to have several glass rods but now I only have 4 or 5. Euro sticks have taken their place.
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Post by Fenwick on Dec 26, 2022 12:38:20 GMT -6
Well I acquired a few 50 year old 7ft. 7.5 ft and 8 ft. 5-6 weight Fenwick and Cortland glass rods this year all in superior like new condition. Paired them with a few Pflueger Medalist 1494 DA's. I like that good ol' flex. I can't recall how I acquired a Pflueger Progress No. 1774 brass reel but want to know if the spool can take all 90ft of modern day 3 wt. double taper fly line? Yes I know of the fiberglass rod and old reel websites but thought someone in here knows right off about putting modern line on this old reel. The original brochure indicates braided line and so I ask about modern line. And yes, taking the 1774 apart is easier done than said. I cleaned up the spool and the brass with an old toothbrush, Barkeepers Friend powder and some liquid dish detergent to make up a Barkeepers Friend detergent paste and brushed the daylights out of every nook and cranny of the brass and of the spool as well. All clean now and lubed and the spool rotates freely on its own just by handling the reel and when the ratchet is set it definitively clicks when going in either direction with more resistance and louder clicks in one direction than the other. Your choice as to how you want it. I reel in using my left hand. With the ratchet engaged the spool resistance and clicks are less outbound and more pronounced with more resistance when retrieving line. When the ratchet isn't engaged the spool spins freely. The reel just plain works good as new. The effect the Barkeepers Friend had on the brass metal removed the darkest of the tarnish leaving the brass cleaner in appearance overall but still retains a certain antique brass tone. It looks antique-y to me. I suggest Barkeepers Friend over Comet or Ajax as Barkeepers Friend is a much finer powdered abrasive and won't scratch or etch metal but it sure eats off lots of tarnish like the others cannot.
So yeah, anyway, I want to put this 1774 on a CGR 3 wt and my minds eye can't see backing and 90 ft. of DT 3wt fitting on this reel spool. Even without backing. Whaddya do?
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Post by turfdawg on Dec 26, 2022 19:59:45 GMT -6
Cut the DT line in half. In that size I wouldn’t think you would be trying to cast more than 25’ maybe 30’ plus leader and tippet.
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Post by dannys on Dec 27, 2022 3:01:13 GMT -6
I agree with Turfdawg. I have several old reels that I load with a cut-in-half DT line. I could not get a decent amount of backing and the full fly line on the reel anyway. The other option is to load level line. Goin' old school there!
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Post by Fenwick on Dec 27, 2022 16:30:26 GMT -6
After my post I held the 1774 aside my similarly sized Douglas Nexus 3/4 wt and it looks like the 1774 will handle backing and a full 90 ft of 3 wt DT. Hmm, the CGR 3 wt rod is only 5ft 9 inches long. I wonder if the 1774 is now too heavy a reel for the rod. And yeah, when am I ever gonna have lots of line peeling off this 3wt setup fishing for Blue Ridge blue line native brookies the size of the cork grip of the rod in water no more than 8 ft. wide and 10 inches deep? Anyway I meant for it to be fun to put the 1774 on a lightweight rod for tiny native trout and the CGR's are severely discounted right now and so it goes. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
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Post by Fenwick on Dec 29, 2022 13:55:28 GMT -6
So in keeping with glass rod chat my 5'9" 3 piece 3wt CGR arrived. Full flex and crazy wobbly tip to butt. Looks nice enough too. Was expecting one big box store name on the rod label but got the other store name instead. Basically same rod. Rude surprise though. The reel seat. Being a smaller model CGR the reel seat is just a three inch section of shaved down cork with two rings to slide over each end of the reel foot. The game show buzzer is that the foot of the brass Pflueger Progress No. 1774 reel is 2.5 inches long, the shaved down portion of the cork grip where the reel seats is 2.5 inches and the sliding lock rings are so small in diameter they do not slide over the reel foot at all. There is no clearance for them as they are nearly the exact same diameter as the narrow end of the cork grip itself and barely slide as is. I could whittle down the 2.5 inch section of cork a little more to set the reel deeper into it's seating area so that the rings then slide over each end of the reel foot. I could simply secure the reel with two nylon cable ties. Not much of an authentic look though. The cable ties will likely be what I do. Dang.
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Post by dannys on Dec 30, 2022 12:08:33 GMT -6
Obviously, the reel seat was designed for more modern, small-footed reels? You could try strong rubber rings (like small gaskets) that will fit tightly over the d grip and reel seat. Just not sure if the sliding rings will be enough out of the way to give enough room for the rubber rings. Guessing any hardware store might have the rubber rings in various sizes.
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Post by Fenwick on Jan 1, 2023 21:47:23 GMT -6
That's an idea Danny. I have several fly reels with different radius reel feet and none will fit on the CGR. More cork would have to be sanded off the reel seat so that the reel foot is set down in a little more so the rings could then possibly slide over the reel foot. Maybe. I don't know how much cork could be sanded down at the reel seat before accidentally exposing the rod.
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Post by dannys on Jan 2, 2023 4:56:19 GMT -6
I understand that concern. I looked at the rod on the internet and saw the reel seat/grip. A thought--gently press a sewing needle or pin into the cork and try to feel when it will go in no more. The distance from needle tip to cork edge should reveal how much space you have for sanding.
Boy--must be a little aggravating to buy a rod and then find out a classic reel won't fit it. I've come across fit issues but was always able to get a "non-perfect" but workable fit.
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Post by Fenwick on Jan 2, 2023 18:20:23 GMT -6
I guess no one at the factory actually mounted a reel to a 5'9" 3 pc. 3wt CGR rod to find out about the fit. The marketing is a little odd too. Perhaps you know the same CGR is offered by both big box stores with each stores name decal on the rod, White River CGR for one, C CGR for the other. The C store recently sale priced the CGR line of rods at $49.99 and so I ordered it from there The BP store didn't discount it and the White River CGR remains 79.99 at BP. The box arrived with the C stores name on the box. The rod case is labeled as a CGR with the C store name on it. Remove the rod from the C rod case and the rod has the White River decal on it. Go figure.
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Post by huntnfish2much on Nov 17, 2023 6:56:14 GMT -6
I recently picked up a Wright & McGill ‘Denco’ No. MB 8A81/2 in a 7wt in beautiful condition. All the guides are there, and the original wrappings are in great shape. The cork has a 1/2 inch spot that’s been damaged on the rod end of the grip. It just gives it a little character. There’s a metal emblem that has an Eagle on it, and it says ‘Eagle Claw / a product of the Wright & McGill Co.
Similarly, I found a Pflueger Medalist No. 1498 in almost perfect condition. It was spooled with about 150 yards of braid in, I’m guessing, 60 pound test. It was not brand-new, but it is strong, so I took off all but about 50 yards and nail-knotted a 7 wt line to it. It casts beautifully.
Having been a bamboo enthusiast for many years, this rod reminds me of the action of bamboo. It gives you time to think about your forward cast whilst the backcast is straightening out behind you.
I did a bit of reading about this rod, and it seems that it was quite popular in its day. I find that it has a lot of space between the guides. If I were to try and refurbish it (which I’m not) I would probably put several more snake guides on it.
The wrappings on the rod are a dark olive color, and the backing is a dark forest green. The reel is also dark green, so overall, the setup is very aesthetically pleasing. The fly line I put on it is a bright yellow with buckskin running line, so I may change that at some point, but I had this one stored. It certainly made me smile while I was testing the rod.
I’d love to know if anyone has any experience with this rod. I have read some about it, but I’m not sure exactly when it was made. I read that ‘Denco’ means Denver, Colorado. Maybe the rod was made in Denver?
The reel is marked that it was made in Akron, Ohio. My research says it was made in 1958 or 1959. I was born in ‘59. The reel is in good condition to be that old, speaking from experience!!
Any information on the rod is appreciated. Thanks!
JR
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Post by dannys on Nov 17, 2023 17:47:56 GMT -6
I know Wright and McGill made rods in Colorado. I have a grass rod I tracked to 1942, if I recall correctly. You might find more info on your Eagle Claw bu W & M on Fiberglass Flyrodders forum. Interesting about the green Medalist. I think I have only ever seen them in black and silver. Might be a very old reel you have there.
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