Heddon 310?

[BPS]

I have a question maybe some of you guys can help with.
I bought a fiberglass Shakespeare Howald wonderrod that is IIRC a 7 foot rod (no wt markings, I guess 5/6?) and it came with a pflueger medalist reel on it. I do not really care for the pairing as the reel is pretty light for the rod, but it looks cool haha. I did buy a couple other reels though because they were super cheap. I bought an "old looking" skeleton that was made in japan that really is maybe a couple years old and has some level line that is made to look like silk but isn't(once again way too light for the rod), and an Ocean City model 35 (which ain't bad actually). I also got a Heddon 310 (hardy knock-off).

My question is, Which reel do you think would be best reel for the wonderrod?

The Heddon, The Medalist, or the Ocean City?

I know the skeleton is out, but now I'm thinking of getting one of the cheap kingfisher or southbend bamboo rods i found for under 50 bucks just to put this reel on.

 

[gfen]

Medalist uber Alles.

More importantly, which model Medalist? And depending on the vintage (>1938) you can weight the spool with lead shot.

 

[BPS]

Its a newer Japanese 1492. If I can add weight that's what will do.

I cannot change the direction of the reel to left hand retrieve, can I?

 

[NCPAtrtbum]

I would go with the medalist. Toy around with it though, it's what feels good to you that matters.

Those Heddon reels are awesome, if you can get past the green color. Some people find that green ugly.

 

[bikerfish]

pick what you like, they are both good reels that I use on a regular basis.

 

[gfen]

BPS wrote:
Its a newer Japanese 1492. If I can add weight that's what will do.

I cannot change the direction of the reel to left hand retrieve, can I?

Remove the plastic spool cap, and insert shot inside of the spool. Or, wrap exterior of spool with lead tape or trolling line, but it was specifically designed for shot inside.

The 1492 has no easy direction change without major surgery.

 

[tobewan77]

If you can afford giving up some line capacity i'd do some lead trolling line to add weight. i just haven't been able to get shot in that hole without it making noise like a baby rattle. You can add cotton or some other filler to try to dampen the noise but then it's a pain to get it all out if/when you want to take it out.

You can also do some pimping from One Pfoot. They have a counter weight that will balance the spool as well as add a tiny amount of weight.

Edit: I also have a heddon 320 and it's a great reel. They have a really wide diameter tho with a narrow spool. So they typically look bigger than they are.

 

[gfen]

tobewan77 wrote:
You can also do some pimping from One Pfoot. They have a counter weight that will balance the spool as well as add a tiny amount of weight.

currently not taking orders.

however, do it yourself. for years, it was done with a hardy-made counterweight or even a nut epoxied to the spool.

that's actually from a charm bracelet, with the backside filled with melted lead then epoxied to the spool. i've got another one with a pyramid-shaped leather stud, again filled with lead (this time shot), and epoxied down. i'm going to churn out a third one, this time for a 1498, tonight with an addiitonal pyramid stud with lead and epoxy.

however, the modicum of weight you get from a counterweight isn't going to do anything. truthfully, a 1492 stuffed with a 5WF line is gonna be tight, and it surely won't hold a 5DT (a 3DT is pretty tight, actually).

You should pick up a 1494, 1494.5, or a 1495. Any one of those made after 1956 should be reversible, as well, or can be modified with a modern drag plate to be made reversible. It'll be a much better weight and capacity match up.

I use a 1495 on both a 7' 5/6wt rod and a 7'6" 7/8wt rod, both of which are also fiberglass.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

NCPAtrtbum wrote:
I would go with the medalist. Toy around with it though, it's what feels good to you that matters.

Those Heddon reels are awesome, if you can get past the green color. Some people find that green ugly.

Agreed. A co worker of mine's father is in his 80s and can't fly fish anymore. For Christmas he gave me a 3 weight Berkley 6' Parametric Delux fly rod w/ a Heddon reel. I love it.

 

[BPS]

I actually have 2 1492's so I can do some experimenting.

Thanks for the ideas/input.

Anybody know anything about The Ocean City model 35.
I know it was made in Philly, that's about it. That and it really old. It has real silk line on it, all gunked up with old line dressing. Pretty cool. That stuff had to be a PITA.

 

[gfen]

OC35 is interesting because you can slide that button over to make it click or not. Without the click, it uses the spring over the spool's axle to provide one level of very soft drag, push the button back and you'll engage the spring for a much stronger drag. The spring is supposedly tunable, but I've not tried it. I should, with the clicker on, its just too stout for my opinion.

Well, maybe drag isn't the right word. Same resistance, in or out.

When you put it back together, make sure you put the spring so the end fits into the square hole on the other piece, otherwise it won't screw together all teh way.

Again, the resistance is unmodifiable, and its RHW only.

Coil the line up, and offer it to someone who uses silk. It might be possible to re-condition it.

 

[gfen]

Oh, and reversing a 1492 means punching out the pins with the pawls, reversing htem and grinding down the little stops in the reel. Its been done, do some research.

The line guard would need to be forgone, or you would need to drill and tap new holes and move it over it you chose to use it. Unlike any other 1400 series reel, you can't just swing it over.

 

[BPS]

I'm way too lazy for that. Rather reel righty.

Thanks for the info about the OC.

 

[gfen]

Right, as I said, just buy a 1494 and flip the drag plate. IMNSHO, the 1492 is way too small for a 7' 5/6wt glass rod. These reels were designed in an era of silk lines, when diameters were smaller and weights denser.

 

[tobewan77]

Don't discount that silk line. They can be amazing lines. There are plenty of articles for refinishing a line. If you're using old glass it might make that rod sing even more. Thinner diameter = less wind resistance. I've found that once you break in the line its maintenance is pretty minimal and the line will last forever.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

Hmmmm....I should try to find some silk line for my setup!

 

[The_Sasquatch]

Does anyone have any tips for buying silk line? My reel is the Heddon 310. I found a company that sells it brand new....only around $300 (hahahaha yeah right). Then I found some on Ebay for a much more affordable price. Anything I should look for/avoid?

 

[gfen]

Its probably gauche to recommend other forums, but I'm doign it anyways..head over to Clark's Classic and do some reading.

 

[tobewan77]

DT 4 for sale now:
http://clarksclassicflyrodforum.yuku.com/topic/47708/Silk-Fly-Line-DT4

As for tips on buying, depends what you want to do. You can keep your eye open on clarks for guys selling lines. Or good modern brands:
- Terenzio : Probably the best buy out there right now. Needs some conditioning/break in out of the box. (I own these)
- Phoenix: Told these need hardly any break in, high quality line but a bit more $
- Thebault (?sp): Good quality
- Zhu: Chinese line, cheap but you get what you pay for

Some others out there as well. You can also try the vintage route. Sometimes some older medalists, hardy, ocean city etc... reels on ebay are sold with silk line on the reel. Bit of a gamble that can pay off. Sometimes the lines just need reconditioned, sometimes they're frayed (can be repaired). Sometimes they're just ruined beyond all repair. Also, back then nylon woven lines were big and look like silk. If you burn the edge a bit and the line ashes, it's silk, if it bubbles up it's nylon.

EDIT: Online dealer of modern lines-
http://www.herndonrods.com/terenzio_silk_fly_lines.htm

BTW, there is some spirited debate of the fly line dressing that comes with Terenzio lines. The dressing contains silicone. Makes the line float higher but can cause issues years down the road. The silicone supposedly makes it impossible to strip the finish on the line down and refinish properly. So most just use red tin mucilin for dressing instead FWIW.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

Thanks for the leads. The line that was on the reel when he gave it to me definitely wasn't silk. I checked it out last night. I'll check out Clark's when I get home. For some reason, the site is blocked at work.