The unloved automatic

[lloyd3]

I believe this is a pre-1954 version (non B). I thought the size and weight weren't too-bad, so I gambled $20 on it. Seems to work just fine after a clean up and a Hot-Sauce lube job.

[Webfly]

That's one of the better looking one's that I've seen.

[mdwwhw]

I've several of those around here somewhere, a couple have one of the handles removed--something I've seen on other OCs.

Pretty reel and a definite solution to a tip heavy rod.

[lloyd3]

This is the size standard to which I became accustomed in my youth (my late father liked them on 60s 9-foot fiberglass rods). Much heavier and wider than this little Ocean City 90.





and....unlike the South Bend, this little Model 90 is left-hand retrieve.

[bulldog1935]

I've had an OC 80 in the past because it is a good-looking reel. One I still have, have never lined (frozen handle grasp), but I like the idea, is a semi-auto, the PK Re-Tree-Vit



There are a couple of nice Italian and French variants of this reel made today.

[lloyd3]

I've seen those French and Italian jobs and they look kind of intriguing. Never heard of
a PK Re-Tree-Vitt before, Ron. Does the box say Chicago? We used to make some pretty neat stuff in this country. Nothing coming out of Chicago and Philadelphia these days but bad news.

[bulldog1935]

I like everything about the reel, well, except the grasp, and the click-pawl is kind of teeth-chattering and still not very effective. Yes, the paper says Chicago.
It's one of the few curiosity reels I've kept, because I really like the mechanism - The rack and pinion works very well and it's also a simple, effective clutch.
The green anodizing is also very nice, unusual for the day.
I think Wounded Warrior Project, actually, Project Healing waters, could benefit from a gang of Vivarelli semi-auto reels.

[lloyd3]

If I was down to the effective use of only one hand, these automatics would be a God-send on a trout stream. There would be, of course, lots of other challenges to overcome, but there is a place for these items too, it would seem.

[bulldog1935]

one other positive feature of a semi-auto - you apply the line retrieve tension - it's not controlled by a spring.

[lloyd3]

I searched "Fly reel mania" http://flyreelmania.free.fr/ on Google for some insight into the world of semi-automatic fly reels. Some pretty wild looking stuff there. All appear to be made in Europe and sadly, since I only communicate in English, the adverts are hard for me to digest. It would be fun to try one out but....they aren't inexpensive. I'll probably just stick with my $20 OC90.



These old reels are a blast!

[chsparkman]

I love automatics! I've been fishing them almost exclusively for the past year, just like when I first started fly fishing in the 70's.






(These fish were handled carefully and successfully returned to the water.)

[lloyd3]

Loaded some line on the OC90 (5-wt silk). You have to remove the spool and then line it off of the reel (as un-spooling the line winds the spring). Evidently, later models of this reel (post 1954 Model Bs) had a feature where you could free-spool, this one doesn't. No drag either (other than increasing tension caused by a winding spring). Both are somewhat limiting features. On a small stream with small fish you should be fine, I suppose.

[bassman]

I like the looks of the OC90 but don't like the idea of having to pull spool to wind. Are you sure the knurled knob on side doesn't release spring tension when it builds up too tight?

I also like the old automatics, especially bass fishing in a boat. Really convenient. Just got one of those Vivarelli semi-auto reels with an extra spool. Loaded them with 6 floater and 6 sinktip and have just the rod to try it on. Takes up a lot of line with each ratchet and is probably faster than a multiplier, though not a full auto.

[lloyd3]

If that knob does anything else, I'd sure like to know. I can't move it.

[chsparkman]

[quote="lloyd3"]If that knob does anything else, I'd sure like to know. I can't move it.

That's where the spring is housed. If you loosen the knob between the handles on the other side, then you can use it as a regular reel. If you can adjust the tension somewhere in between, then it can be used either way. That's how I use mine. It's spring is not as strong as the other brands, so I don't use my OC very much. I prefer the Shakespeares and South Bends.

[lloyd3]

chsparkman: Thank you for that. From my on-line reading, I have discerned that the later (post-1954 Model B) reels had a mechanical adjustment there, do the pre-'54 reels as well? I tried to articulate that bezel around the dissembly screw when I first took it apart and both cleaned and lubed it. Much like the lever boss, I couldn't move it either. These earlier reels strike me as being very simple mechanisms. Have I missed something else?

[lloyd3]

Can't have Bulldog owning all the fun reels. Another $20 gamble, this time on a semi-automatic Re-Treeve-it, but this one's in unfinished aluminum. Seems to work pretty good (the drag is harsh, as Bulldog related earlier here). Says "pat pend". Maybe they never got it? That would tend to explain all the modern European variants.

[WW]

Here's another semi auto from Switzerland, "Tempo"
Features an adjustable friction drag and no clicker. The reel is in free spool unless the drag is engaged. Without the drag, a single pump on the handle gets the spool spinning like a top.





And another "Re-treev-it"




Like Ron I keep them because they are unique.

[bassman]

Since this thread got me interested in the OC90 as a lighter weight automatic I found a nice one the auction site. Put in a what I thought was high bid but my thinking was wrong. Maybe some others saw this thread because when it ended the reel just missed $120 mark. It was NOS but still???

[lloyd3]

Wow!