The Golden Age of Spin Casting Fishing Reels--and Green, Red, Silver, and Brass.

How do Drags Differ Between Johnson Century 100, 100A, and 100B Reels?

There is a lot of confusion among fishermen and collectors about the differences between these reels. I once thought I knew these differences, but I am now not so sure. It is more complicated than I first  realized and there are several contributing reason for these questions. First, the inventors and manufacturers of Johnson Spin-cast reels apparently faced enourmous pressure to get their reels patented and into production. I wish I knew the stories behind these events. They have to be intriguing.

There are even hints of industrial espionage and inter-brand negotiations to share designs that spanned those earliest years and several continents.  The designers were talented engineers and inventors by trade. The biggest names in the fishing reel industry were involved as were others unknown. A lot was at stake--million--ultimately billions of dollars were to be spent in a growing time of post-war leisure and dispensable money. Although not merely a difference in the design of the drag as there are other differences, the drag is indeed the big difference.

 

There had to be enormous pressure to both file the patents and have them patents issued and to get the products out. The first Johnson models were reasonably successful, although they were quickly eclipsed by the new models. The side-mounted design of the Johnson Models 10 through 80 got Johnson reels in production and got their advertising and promotional machine wound up and their products on the map.These models got the notice of fishermen. they had attractive--no beautiful--shiny emerald-green metal bells and solid but light construction. It was essential to follow-up the last of these models--the Johnson Model 80--with a true deal-breaker. And they had to beat competitors who were nipping at their heels to the market in order to capture the burgeoning market of sport-fishermen who were ready and waiting for such a product.  The Johnson Century 100 may have not undergone a great deal of field testing in the rush. The drag was so simple, that it was very easy to produce. But it was also so simple that during heavy use it was not as useful as it could be. These deficiencies became apparent quickly and several attempts to make it better were tried.

Some of these changes were seamless and took place during production. They involved simple changes in clips and retainers and springs. They may have involved more major changes that were later to be used on the new models. I am not sure of this, but I have observed these changes in the construction and assembly of these old reels as they have come to me years later. Several possibilities exist for these differences. The first is that they may have indeed been made during production of the Model 100. Or they may have been retrofitted after the fact by either fishermen obtaining the parts or upgrade kits offered by Johnson for free or for  as small fee. Or they may have been made at the factory when consumers sent them back in to be fixed. I have no documentation in my possession declaring this, but I am of the understanding that any reel could be sent back to the Johnson factory to have it fixed, for a fixed three bucks. It is possible that many of these variant reels may be the result of these trips back to the factory.

Yet another possible explanation for these old Model 100's winding up in my hands in different configurations  years after their production may be the result of the inevitable tinkering and combining of later models that fishermen, antiquers, and reclaimers are prone to do on their own. I have no doubt that at least some of these changes happened just so. But not all.

The image of  a Johnson Century 100A above shows a typical drag adjustment screw head that has been buggered by someone using the wrong-sized screwdriver, unnecessarily I might add, in an effort to adjust the simple drag. The relative range of the drag can be adjusted by simply using an index and forefinger to lift the entire drag dial and indicator/adjustment knob straight up with one hand, while using another finger--most easily from the other hand--to turn the adjustment knob either counter-clockwise or clockwise to make the drag heavier or lighter, respectively. The dial and knob is then released, making sure that the spring tension pulls the dial face and knob back into the screw hole. (A bump sideways until the screw seats properly may be required.)

The photo below shows both the metal dial face and indicator of a Johnson Century 100 as well as the drag mechanism inside--with the green bell removed. Only on the earliy Johnson Century 100 and the Johnson Century Citation 110 (without any additional "A" or "B" designation) is this inside mechansim visible. Unlike the updated models, A or B, the relative tension is not adjustable.

The drag mechanism is moved ever so slightly by the linkage between the dial knob/indicator (not visible in this photograph) when it is rotated one way or the other, thereby creating greater friction against the inner line spool must overcome to create more or less drag when  fish pulls against the line. Of course, the purpose for this adjustment we call drag is to keep the tug of a fish or hang-up to keep from snapping the line if it excedes the strngth of the line. This scheme quickly proved inadequate which led to several subsequent changes.

Below, the inner drag mechanism was changed on the Johnson Century 100A and the Citation 110A. The change created a more sure tension by expanding the inner nylon yoke so that it would crease more friction resistance against the spool. Johnson changed the outer dial and knob from metal to hard black rubber (or plastic), and increased the range from 1-6, to 1-8. The relative tension of the drag was also made user adjustable. One other change was to make the spool easily user-changeable from right to left side crank. Both of these upgraded features were explained in the operator instructions as shown.

Related articles

This Vintage Spincast Reel Blog Dedicated to My Brother, Ernest John Wright

How do Drags Differ Between Johnson Century 100, 100A, and 100B Reels?

Part Two: Fixing the Drag Of the Johnson Century 100 (and Citation 110)

My Introduction to Vintage Spin-cast Reels

How to Fix the Drag on a Johnson Century Model 100 (and Citation) Spin-cast Reel

What was the relationship between Johnson and Abu Garcia?

Prelude to , "All the [spin-cast fishing] reels I've Loved Before."

Prompt Response from Abu Garcia, but no Closer to Answers

Part Two: Fixing the Drag Of the Johnson Century 100 (and Citation 110)

We will proced now with how to disassemble the reel, cleaning as we go on our way to accessing the internal components that make the drag work or not work as the case may be. In the last post, we got to removing the nylon spool that is actually one of the components of the drag.  On the Johnson 100 or 110 models, the drag relies on a  dial located on top of the reel housing. It was originally numbered from 1 to 6. The dial was made out of metal. Turning the metal dial indicator moved a linkage under the dial which operated a brass lever located just inside the nylon spool core. This caused a slight movement that tightedned the line spool tension.

                  

               

             

Related articles

How to Fix the Drag on a Johnson Century Model 100 (and Citation) Spin-cast Reel

My Introduction to Vintage Spin-cast Reels

Prelude to , "All the [spin-cast fishing] reels I've Loved Before."

How to Fix the Drag on a Johnson Century Model 100 (and Citation) Spin-cast Reel

Sorry. This got posted prematurely.  I am still working on it. 

The drag is and important part of a reel. It allows the line to slip when pulled too hard by a fish or while trying to getting a lure or hook  unhung. It should be adjustable so that it will provide enough tension to play a fish in without breaking th eline when the limits of the line is exceded. This tension, although supposedly  adjustable to the test strenth of the line in pounds, really just needs to be adjustable relative to MORE or LESS. It will be adjusted on the fly as needed during use. You should never expect the scale of the drag dial to be very accurate. In fact, with the Johnson reels, it can be adjusted to provide an entirely differnt range of tension above or below the range of the dial as indicated in pounds.

The drag is the feature that often needs immediate attention upon aquiring a secondhand vintage reel that has been neglected. Even those that were stored with care may need help. But since disassembly will often be required in order to access the internal parts that need attention to help get the drag working suitably again, it is a good idea to clean and lubricate the reel as you do this. Sometimes, the drag parts cannot even be properly seen until the grime is cleaned off. So, in order to accomplish a good cleaning and lubricating during disassembly, I will describe and illustrate the process here. This process takes much longer to describe in detail than it will take to actually do it. The next several posts will be dedicated to this process.

This post will be Part One of this process.

"If I asked for help, it would have been from my next older brother who was to a lessor degree--in the same boat with me and who would have offered his help with a modicum of scolding. So, although I don't specifically remember this happening, I did have a safety net if I really screwed things up."

As I mentioned in one or more of the previous entries, if there was a weak link in  the design and/or manufacture of the Johnson Century Model 100 fishing reels (similarly, the Johnson Citation Model 110 is the same), it was the drag.  Part of this may have been because the mechanism is not readily understood at first glance.

The drag mechanism is very simple, so simple that the subtle action can be accidentally circumvented if the reel is stripped down and cleaned as many old-timer independent type fishermen were want to do with virtually every mechanical thing that they owned. At the time that these reels came of age, it was standard fare for equipment owners to maintain, tweak, or even enhance their mechanical equipment.  If there was a lacking, it was most likely in the subtle nuances of this drag design and a lack of proper instructions or a failure of the owners to read any supplied instructions. So, if the mechanism is, as I believe, too subtle to be readily understood, and is therefore circumvented or misaligned, this may indeed be what has happened to many of these old reels.

Back in the day, buying a fishing reels was a pretty serious investment. Material possessions were not nearly as bountiful at this time. Even if one could afford such luxuries, there was simply not as many choices competing for a consumers money. Not as many things existed for every whim and indulgence as are available today. We often hear people complain of how great it was back when and how awful it is today--and in some ways this may be valid--but in most ways of material blessings and comforts, at no other time and nowhere else has ever existed such a blessed way of life as even the poorest Americans have today.

But it is true that during those years when Johnson reels were being Made in America, they were fine reels, from a fine company. I am not sure how long their gurantee continued, but in the beginning, a Johnson reel was a lifelong investment. For three bucks Johnson would fix any reel you sent back in. I also recall retrofits  being made available or kits to convert or update reels. This may account for why there appears to be so many versions and crossovers of these early reels, makingit hard to know what was original and what was upgraded.

Anyway, it is my experience that some of these reels are pawned off as irreparable or at least not working correctly. The problem may be perpetuated by subsequent owners for the same reasons. But if the problem is approached methodically and systematically, virtually all of these non-working drags can be put back in order within a half-hour or less, without additonal parts. Unless a reel comes to you missing drag parts, or other parts, they can almost always be repaired on the spot. If they DO come to you missing any parts, for the drag or the reel proper, there are so many of these reels available for a few dollars on the secondhand market that it is not a problem to either find them or to afford them. If you find the smooth and reliable casting and long reliable service year after year with little maintenance other than oiling then you'll be clamoring to get your hands on a few extras besides. They are that enjoyable to use.

I started life as the baby in a family of universally capable handy-persons who were inherently  mechanically inclined. They seemed to be imbued from birth with an innate ability to build, repair, fix, design, or invent virtually anything they decided to.  Dad, although not officially degreed as such, was an electronics  engineer of the first order. He was a whiz in all such things whether mechanical, structural, electrical, or electronic. I will  only expound to say that he was one of the few people alive during at the time, who could fully strip down a Teletype Machine, a hi-bred electrical-electronic-mechanical device that works by orchestrating a gazillion little parts with electronic and electrical components and impulses, and put it back together working when it was not previously--and do so with out manuals nor instructions.

So it is not a stretch to feel that I also had a tiny bit of this innate ability. Though not much. I was always the odd one out in my family of such geniuses. I was soon eclipsed in my own abilities by those who could get such things done quicker and with less instruction and fanfare. My role became the one serviced. I had only to hint that I needed something fixed tohave a bunch of my people jump on it and fix it. However, prior to my realizing this handy thing to have at my disposal, I beleive that Johnson Century reels were among the first of my assemble then reassemble projects of inclination.

I could receive no assistance at this as I was too young to be considered capable and too young to read and understand instructions and diagrams if there were any available. If there was such available, I would not have known it.  So it was, that I would do such things.  Remarkably, I was able to keep them working.  If I asked for help, it would have been from my next older brother who was to a lessor degree--in the same boat with me and who would have offer his help with a modicum of scolding. So, although I don't specifically remember this happening, I did have a safety net if I really screwed things up.

"I like to make a habit of laying the parts aside upside down and in the order that they are taken off. this is jsut good work method and will minimize getting them back on incorrectly. But be aware that the orientation of each part can make a difference in the proper function of the reel."

First unscrew the bell turning it in the conventional counter-clockwise direction you would expect. If the reel is very funky and abused and was never cleaned and appears t have been kept under or behind the back seat of a pick-up and forgotten for a few decades--as is not so uncommon to find them--or if the threads have been cross-threaded as can happen if care is not taken to get them started back on straight--then they might be hard to get undone. Don't force anything beyond a good hand tight grip. If this won't get the bell threads turning, a shot of WD-40 into the  crevice between the reel frame and the bell, down through the slotted opening in the bell, or through the line exit-entry hole into the bell. Let it set for a few minutes at least to allow it to penetrate.

Though not too likely, this spool seems like it could break or be warped if care is not taken to apply even pressure alterntely to opposing sides when levering upward.

Be aware that WD-40 may weaken some old  fishing line that may left-over fishing line if it has been in there a while. It is best to replace the line anyway, as heat and time press a relentless curl into the line, which inhibits proper casting anyway. Not to get too far out of sequence, let me suggest that any mono-filament or fluorocarbon line is okay to use in the 6 to 12 lb. category. Fishing lines are thinner for the same test line today than they were at the time the reels were manufactured--so the reels will work just fine with heavier test lines as well.

This type of age-hardened grunge is pretty typical. Some are not this bad, but most are this bad or worse. Practical fishermen are not always the best housekeepers. They use their equipment and expect it to work.  I was visiting with my neighbor over the fence one day and he was tellin gme hw none of his newer reels work more than a season. The plastics or so-called composites or graphites used in modern reels are said to be stronger and longer-lasting than the metal used in these vintage reels. Maybe by some abstract quality-control test (though probably not), but I can tell you firsthand that synthetics don't do well when it comes to decades of accumulated abuse of water, oil, sand, dirt, fish-guts, tobacco juice, temperature extremes, and getting knocked around in Uncle Oldfeller's dad's toolbox-sometimes-tacklebox willed to cousin Willy.

When it emerges many years after a well-intending user stored it uncleaned and forgotten, it has been my experience that ONLY the types of corrosion-resistant metals that were rightly used by the makers of these old reels survives in a manner that can be simply cleaned and be expected to work like new. The few plastic (usually nylon) parts that were used in these reels are the only ones to expect to occasionally be cracked or broken. These can often be repaired with modern epoxy to a functinonal state, but it is the metal parts that survive almost universally.

I have not had a lot of luck with braided lines as the reels depend upon a certain amount of rigidity to re-spool correctly--bu ti haven't tried this recently. There are now so many types of lines on the market today that I will never say never. Knock yourself out if you are so inclined to experiment--but this is simply my experience  so far with braided line. Note too, that several varieties of line and reel pray dressing are available t functions as does the WD-40 without any detrimental effects. personally, WD-40 has always fit the bill for me.

 

If the bell is still stubborn to remove--try very hot water or even a light touch with a blow torch to cause the bell to expand and dislodge the  threads. I recall only having to do the latter once. Of course observe any safety and flammability rules if you try this. Remember in any case that the lightweight metal that the bell is made of is fairly soft and can be buggered up without trying. So to keep the cosmetics of the rel nice, just exercise a little patience and caution. Rarely will you have to apply anything but good hand pressure.

I like to make a habit of laying the parts aside upside down and in the order that they are taken off. this is jsut good work method and will minimize getting them back on incorrectly. But be aware that the orientation of each part can make a difference in the proper function of the reel.  Next off is the keeper nut over the spool housing. It appears to be designed to use a coin. It is pretty soft so try not to bugger it up. It should come right off. place the nut in the upside-down bell. Remove then spool housing and set it down upside down in order next to the bell. If you take a moment to examine the underside of this cover you can see how an offset cam and a spring cause the line take-up pin to alternately retract and extend with each spool revolution as the crank is turned. With the line held tight as it enter the bell, by pressure from the lure or your fingers, this pin picks up the line and wraps it consistently around the underlying spool. This is how the line is reeled in.

Depending upon the age of the reel and order of manufacture, as far as I can tell, there were a few different keepers used to keep the spool in place on the shaft. It should be fairly evident as to how to take these off. /they may reassemble a cotter pin or a slotted washer or even multiple washers in combination.  This is not rocket science, but DO take care to note their orientation and make sure they go back on the same way, as these can make a huge difference in the way the reel and the drag function. So lay these aside in order.

The spool is a simple, well, spool that lifts off of the shaft once unencumbered by the retaining keeps. They are prone to get stuck. A little oil or WD-40 will help them along. leveraged pressure with a flat-head screwdriver placed under the bottom lip of he spool on alternating sides will ensure proper removal. I perceive that this spool could break, although I have never broken one. Don't force beyond the easy flex-point of the spool. Lifting it upward with your fingertips may be  all that is required once it is started.

A series of blow-by-blow photos follow. There are variances between some of the same models and between models. These variances are important to note, but most of the steps are the same.

 

 

What was the relationship between Johnson and Abu Garcia?

Below is an email that I sent to Abu Garcia via their web-site contact form.

I am writing a detailed historical picture book about the Golden Age of the Spin-cast reel. I have questions regarding any information of possible patent-sharing or collaboration in the design of vintage spin-casting reels made by Johnson and those made by Abu Garcia. The similarities between the designs and early products as well as those that evolved later are very close. I have interviewed employees who worked at the original Johnson plant during those days--who have their own ideas about this, but I do not have anything very concrete yet. I'd like to get this information right. If someone in the know regarding the historical facts regarding this can be accessed, I'd love to hear from them. By-the-way, I am a life-long, second-generation user of Abu Garcia products.
Best Regard, Doug (PapaD Wright)

I have not received a reply. If I don't, I will follow-up with phone calls and letters. I am also actively pursuing an various collectors and those who have websites, books, or resouces regarding vintage fishing gear. There appears to be a dirge of accurate information about spin-casting history and manufacturing chronology. Hopefully someone will or a number of people will co,,ectively come forward with that information. I do not claim any particular expertise about spin-casting reals other than a lifetime of use and interest in them and this inconsistently. 

I do know how to disassymble, clean, and fix most models. They are very logically designed and the parts are very durable. The early reals are made almost entirely of metal. There are a couple of aprts which are made pf some type of synthetic which I judge to be nylon. Nylon 66 was among the most successful early petroleum-distilled synthetic materials. The stuff is tough as nails, won't rust, and hard to break even under duress. Even if it does break, almost any epoxy glue will weld it back together as permanetly as the original as the chemical reaction fuses the synthetic together as if it is part of the original material. I am no glue expert either, but I know this from a lifetime of that coincides with the development and use of Nylon 66 and other plastics in everyday applications.

An interesting side-bar about my experience concerning Nylon 66 is related more with the hunting and shooting sports than with fishing reels, althoguh the time period is parallel. Remington Arms was a pretty forward-thinkin compan back in the fifities and sixties. My Dad, althoug largely a traditionalist, was also a great beleiver in the technology that came along during his lifetime. When Remington introduced their Nylon 66 semi-automatic .22 rifle in 1960, or there abouts, he felt that it being light and fashionable that it would be the idea rifle for Mom. Mon was a classy lady with simple but good taste and she was tickled to death to receive such a gift, although I am guessing that she suspected the same thing that we kids suspected about her gift--that it provided a good excuse for Dad to purchase one of these much-talked-about and somewhat controversial rifles that smacked of play-toys or BB guns, without chinking his own masculine image. A plastic gun just was not that fitting for a man's man, whch my dad certainly was. But Mom's gun it was and whenever she went outing with us, as she often did, she could plink with the best of us. She was actually a dead-on shot with that Nylon 66 .22.

Over the years, my next-oldest brother and I borrowed Mom's Nylon 66. We put it through its paces in every way, dragging it through snow and tundra and climes of every imaginable variety. We cleaned our guns, but not fanatically. Today, over a half a century after its aquisition, that old plastic rifle is as functional as ever. It was never abused. It does show some wear  with nicks and scratches here and there on the Nylon stock, but it has out-worn many conventional wooden stock rifles of lessor age. Although Remington discontinued production of the Nylon 66 rifle, it was nto that long ago, and I understand that it was among the most popular and prolifically produced semi-automatic .22 rifles in history.

I have aquired several of these good old rifles over the years found stuck back and forgotten in shops and estate sales. They are always a pleasnat discovery for me. They have become popular collector items for the firearms afficiandos and those who merely wnat a good lightweight semi-auto .22  rifle. The military style rifle sights offered by the Nylon 66 are dead-on and easy to see and use. I beleive hat only the Remington 10/22 has outstripped the popularity of the Nylon 66--and this because of an inherent design feature that renders the 10/22  a bit more versatile when customizing with aftermarket accessories.

But for the durality of the substance it is made of, the Nylon 66 bodes well for the same qualities whereever it is used--and it is used in the early Johnson reels for those few parts that are not made of metal. I am merely guessing that the pair of inventor-owners who first produced the Johnson spin-cast fishing reels chose Nylon for these few parts for a good reason--an d they chose well.

The drag design used on the Johnson Century 100 was apprently found lacking, as it was soon replaced with a differnt design. The reason cited for the change was to provide a greater range of drag tension, but my guess is that the original design smply was not the best design. While simplicity is a desirable feature when it comes to engineering and manufacturing, any mechanism has to perform up to the satisfaction of its most-ardent users. The early Johnson Century--particularly the Century Model 100 (minus the letter A following the 100 model disignation)-- was and is lacking. It is the first thin g that I check when I pick up one of these old reels. It is about the only thing that can go wrong with them, short of missing parts.

Some of the perceived desgin flaw in the 100's drag may be the user's lack of understanding as to how it is suppose to work. You have to look at the mechanism inside and out to truly understand how the resistance is applied to the spool in order to provide less drag or more. The odds are that someone over the years has disassembled a given reel for cleaning and then failed to put it back together correctly. Several seemingly non-critical nuances about the way the spool and drag linkage are placed are in fact dritical to the proper function of the drag. Further, the design seems to have been tweaked during the manufacture of these early models, which means that a user may find several variants to contend with while tryng to get the placement right. Without properly noting the correct placement during disassembly, a user has a fifty-fifty chance of choosing the wrong way--and this at two or three different points n reassembly. I do,  however, feel that in most cases, the drag can be made to work correctly by the proper placement of the original parts. The exceptions to this would be in the event of a bent brass link or a broken nylon yoke around the spool, which is rare.

In subsequent posts, I will detail the correct assembly of these reels with photographs to help understand the procedures and nuances of each variant and the misplacements to look for. There must be some factory-provided user schematics for each of these reels, but I have nto found them. I have found links to at least soem of the original operator manuals for these reels and hav efound that reading them explains many of the most important--yet non-intuitive cautions about the function and placement of the parts. Men, especially able-bodied and sef-sufficient fishermen, are probably not those most prone to have read the factory-provided instructions--whcih may account for why so many of these reels are not put together correctly.

 

 

What was the relationship between Johnson and Abu Garcia?

An email that I sent to Abu Garcia via their web-site contact form follows:

I am writing a detailed specialized historical picture book about the Golden Age of the Spin-cast reel. I have questions regarding any information of possible patent-sharing or collaboration in the design of vintage spin-casting reels made by Johnson and those made by Abu Garcia. The similarities between the designs and early products as well as those that evolved later are very close. I have interviewed employees who worked at the original Johnson plant during those days--who have their own ideas about this, but I do not have anything very concrete yet. I'd like to get this information right. If someone in the know regarding the historical facts regarding this can be accessed, I'd love to hear from them. By-the-way, I am a life-long, second-generation user of Abu Garcia products.
Best Regard, Doug (PapaD Wright)

I have not received a reply.

 

Prelude to , "All the [spin-cast fishing] reels I've Loved Before."

The Golden Age of Spin-cast Closed-face Spinning Reels. This is a quick up-to-speed primer on vintage spin-cast fishing reels, as known to me growing up in a fishing familyduring the late 1950's and 1960's. The Golden Age of Spincast Fishing Reels was from the mid-1950's until the end of the 1970's. During this time, the spin-cast reel reigned supreme for all kinds of freshwater game fishermen. Many fine reels were produced during this era. Many if not most of these old fishing reels are still good and serviceable today. In my opinion they are far superior and less expensive than modern spin-cast reels. Join my journey and recall or discover some of the best of these vinate reels.

 

My first exposure to fishing was during the 1950’s. My dad was an avid outdoorsman and fishing was one of his favorite pastimes. Living in the Southern USA, the most common spincast fishing reels included Zebco and Johnson models during this time. Spin-cast reels, also called closed-face spinning reels, were just coming into their on. They had not been around very long. In fact, viable spin-cast reels were not invented until the last year or two of the forties and only became commonplace and accepted as a freshwater fishing standard during the mid fifties.

There were two main spin-cast designs that caught on quickly and dominated the market during the fifties and sixties--Zebco and Johnson. Whether by design, or by natural appeal, Zebco appeared to concentrate on the mass casual weekend fisherman market. Johnson reels were the choice of more serious freshwater game fishermen. Zebco reels were made of cheaper molded plastics which made them less expensive to purchase. Plastics were still pretty new materials for use in making consumer-products. Plastics were still viewed with some skepticism regarding durability and reliability. Johnson reels were initially made almost totally of metal. They were also more expensive. They looked and felt more solid and expensive and appealed more to serious fishermen. Johnson reels were actually very pretty—with their trade green metal bells. Although beauty is said to be in the eyes of the beholder—Zebco reels were pretty ugly to behold.

Dad would not have a Zebco fishing reel. He outwardly scoffed at the cheaper Zebco reels. Dad was not a very materialistic man—but he certainly had his opinions and preferences when it came to such things as guns and fishing gear. Although I can’t recall any specific derogatory references, I had the early impression that Dad considered Zebco reels to be cheaply made and unreliable. Although my preference was likely linked to Dad’s, I too found the Johnson Reels to be the best. Honestly, I may have never given early Zebco reels a fair chance, but I did have a fair amount of exposure to at least some models as these were often the kind of reel my friends would have. My predisposition toward them seemed also be anecdotally borne out. I think that Zebco targeted the mass market of occasional fishermen, while Johnson targeted the more serious fishermen.

The focus of this blog is on the non-Zebco fishing reels. This is mostly because I don’t consider myself to be a very good source on Zebco reels. And, frankly, it is also probably because I still think those old Zebco reels suck. I can hear the howls of protest now from those who loved their old Zebco’s if there are any. But even a very recent experience with my neighbor who is about the same vintage as I tells me that his old Zebco reels have provided him about as much displeasure as my Johnson’s have provide pleasure for me. He said something like, “Hell, those damned ole Zebco’s I got don’t work worth a damn.” Nuf said.

Prior to the common acceptance of the spin-cast fishing reels—three common types of fishing reels were widely used. Spinning reels or open-faced spinning reels as they came to sometimes be called later were the kind that hung beneath the fishing rod. These reels depended upon a combination of rod whip and gravity to propel very light spinning lures relatively long distances. A right-handed person generally retrieved the lure by cranking the reel handle with his left hand. This was because the right hand fingers were required to hold the spinning line once the line was freed from the confining bail of the reel. During the casting process, spinning reels unleash the fishing line as it is allowed to come off the reel in a controlled fashion without any resistance of the reel turning. This method works very well for light lures, but it becomes harder to control when using heavier plugs or heavy bait rigs with sinkers.

For heavier lures, bait-casting reels were the standard. Initially these reels required a great deal of practice, luck, and skill to use. Bait-casting reels rely upon the weight to the lure to turn the spool while the line is dispensed during the cast. Early attempts at this type of fishing reel—relied upon the fisherman’s ability to properly and evenly throw, or cast, the rod for an even pull of the lure while the fisherman’s thumb is used to moderate the rate of  the spool’s spin. If the thumb pressure is too heavy, the lure will not go very far. If the thumb pressure is too light, the spool will overrun the line being dispense and result in a huge tangle of fishing line within the reel. It is also prone to cause cursing and unrest for the fisherman.

A third type of reel was also commonly used. The fly-fishing reel was and is mostly a place to store the line when using a fly-rod. Fly-fishing relies upon the spring of the fly-rod and the weight of the fly-line itself to get the very light fly lure to the fish. A less-visible leader is tied to the heavy line and then to the lure or fly near the end of the line.

The spin-cast reel made fishing with all three types of lures readily mastered with only one rod and reel and little or no practice.

 

My Introduction to Vintage Spin-cast Reels

My first exposure to fishing reels was in the mid fifties.  Johnson Century and Johnson Citation with their distinctive green bells were the models of reels that Dad had. I was given a Johnson Century at a very early age. I pretty much had the run of Dad's tackle box when we went fishing. I recall that the Johnson Citation model reel(s) was the model that  Dad preferred. The bell was bigger and the spool held more line.

My collection of vintage spin-cast reels was never intended to be a collection for any pupose other than fishing with them and providing them to my kids, grand-kids, and friends. This picture show some of them, but not all. I acquired most of these from garage sales and from ebay. In my opinion, modern spin-cast reels are mostly inferior and certainly more expensive than the old reels pictured here.

The Johnson Model 80, sometimes called the sidewinder, pictured above preceded the two Johnson Century Model 100's pictured next to it. Although I never actually used the model 80 back in the day, I offer this picture to establish that the star drag was certainly part of the original Johnson design. While the Johnson sidewinders were fairly popular--it was the subsequent Johnson Century models that revolutionized freshwater sport fishing and set the standard by which all other spin-cast reels would be judged. The characteristic green bell became the Johnson signature color. Note the similarities of the Abu Garcia model 60 compared to the Johnson designs--right down to the patent green bell.

I lifted this photograph off of an ebay listing. If  I don't win the bid, I will remove it. As I soon as I can get one of these models, I will provide much more indepth details.

 

Here is an early Abumatic 140 next to a Cook Premier badged Johnson Century reel.

Someone please tell me, as I have been unable to find any sources thus far to either confirm or deny my belief that Johnson and Garcia had some kind of business relationship or patent-sharing arrangement. With the exception of the drag, the design of the early Abumatics were VERY similar to the early Johnson reels. Johnson's design was patented during the early fifties. Although the drag was different on the Johnson Century and Johnson Citation, as opposed to the Abu Garcia reels , the star drag that became the earmark of the Abumatic series spin-cast reels, actually appeared on the earlier Johnson sidewinder type spin-cast reels that preceded the forward-bell models.

In 1960, my father moved our family from Arkansas to Anchorage Alaska with the Federal Aviation Agency (later changed to Administration). Here we were, a family of avid fishermen, and our baggage had not yet arrived. No fishing equipment. We went shopping for fishing rods and reels right away. None of the few stores in Anchorage carried Johnson reels. I am not sure why or how Dad knew that the new Garcia Abumatic fishing reels were essentially the same reels as the Johnson models, but he did. Maybe it was common knowledge. Dad was well-read and took a couple of the outdoor magazines of the time--Outdoor Life and Field and Stream, as I recall. So possibly he had read about them. Anyway, Dad always seemed well-informed on such issues.

It was at this time that I recieved  got my first Abu Garcia, a red Abumatic 170. I was in the first grad and the reel had to live up to the standard of the beautiful green Johnson spin-cast reels I was accustomed to. They were different. These abumatics had a larger bell and were red. The adjustments on the handle-side of he reels were missing and the drag was the so-called star drag located where the crank met the body of the reel. By the time I had met the shiney red abumatic 170, the line release button had also been redesigned into the much larger ergonomically designed thumb-rest affair that became the earmark of Abumatics for a several subsequent generations of reels.

It did not take long for me to grow to love these model 170 Abumatics as well. Frankly, I don't recall what happened to these reels. They are very likely still in service in the hands of one of my brothers or cousins or their families. These reels, as will the Johnsons, will last a lifetime or two or three.

 

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