Lets see your gizmos, gadgets, paraphernalia and contraptions...

leadwingcoachman · Post by **leadwingcoachman** » 11/23/09 17:39

reelsmith wrote:Today, while travelling for work, I stopped in a fly shop to continue my never ending hunt for cool old fishing related stuff. I could not believe my eyes when I found this box ...

I think I have seen 3, maybe 4 of these in all of my years of collecting, have always wanted one and at last I do.

reelsmith your, collection is... man... I don't have the enough adjectives in my head to adequately praise it. But I have to tell you when I scrolled down past these images I kept waiting for the pipe, the box is in wonderful condition and an incredible find, but the lead off and the slightly opened top... then... then... no pipe.

great stuff thanks to you and everyone else for posting...

reelsmith · Post by **reelsmith** » 11/24/09 04:29

leadwingcoachman wrote:
reelsmith your, collection is... man... I don't have the enough adjectives in my head to adequately praise it. But I have to tell you when I scrolled down past these images I kept waiting for the , the box is in wonderful condition and an incredible find, but the lead off and the slightly opened top... then... then... no .

great stuff thanks to you and everyone else for posting...

Yep ...I'm still looking for the

.

Thanks for the compliment.

Dean.

reelsmith · Post by **reelsmith** » 12/16/09 18:07

The mother of all clearing rings ...

The catalog scan is Circa 1896.

I just love stuff like this ...way over-engineered. I can't imagine using it !

Dean.

searun · Post by **searun** » 12/18/09 09:13

Very nice "gizmos" shown by all here. This is a fun thread to come back to every so often to see what you guys have found over the years.
These items seem insignificant to a lot of those shown but I thought some of you might enjoy seeing them anyway. These are all branded "Expert" and were apparently sold by Sears Roebuck.

cwfly · Post by **cwfly** » 12/18/09 09:44

And here is how Dean's latest gizmo was said to work. From, Frederick George Aflalo, Sea-Fish[/i], (London, 1898). "One of the most constant annoyances of pier-fishing is the fouling of the hooks and lead in the piles, sometimes through carelessness on the part of the angler, more often through the unexpected rush of a Pollack, or the wash of a passing steamer. In any case the difficulty of freeing the hook is aggravated by the presence of dense bunches of mussels, from which it cannot possibly be recovered, as the gut will not stand the strain. I have for years used when in a dilemma of this kind, a very effective clearing ring, or 'messenger,' patented by Watson and Hancock of Holborn, the claws of which can with a little practice be made to hold the mussels and drag away the whole bunch. This serviceable ring will screw on the handle of your landing-net or can be used with a cord. The former is, however, preferable when the distance is not too great." As far as I can tell, I could prune my apple tree with it.

reelsmith · Post by **reelsmith** » 12/18/09 16:24

Searun. Great X-Pert trio !

cwfly, "the claws of which can with a little practice be made to hold the mussels and drag away the whole bunch" and "a boon to fly fishers" (see catalog copy in my post) seem to suggest a multi-purpose gizmo. I've never tried fly fishing from a pier. Must be tough to get much line out ...horizontally. Thanks for posting that!

Bubba · Post by **Bubba** » 12/19/09 20:05

Dean that thing looks more like some Medieval torture device than a clearing ring. Another great find congrats. Russ

reelsmith · Post by **reelsmith** » 12/24/09 11:34

Thanks Russ. I agree, it is a bit Medievil looking.

Here is my latest vise acquisition ....

I have no idea who made it, as is the case with many of my vises ...but I like it a lot and think it has wonderful eye appeal.

The rest of my vises can be seen here: http://www.chronosmith.com/?dp=Vises/

Dean.

reelsmith · Post by **reelsmith** » 03/23/10 05:10

leadwingcoachman wrote:
reelsmith wrote:Today, while travelling for work, I stopped in a fly shop to continue my never ending hunt for cool old fishing related stuff. I could not believe my eyes when I found this box ...

I think I have seen 3, maybe 4 of these in all of my years of collecting, have always wanted one and at last I do.
reelsmith your, collection is... man... I don't have the enough adjectives in my head to adequately praise it. But I have to tell you when I scrolled down past these images I kept waiting for the , the box is in wonderful condition and an incredible find, but the lead off and the slightly opened top... then... then... no .

great stuff thanks to you and everyone else for posting...

I finally got a Hardy Anglers Pipe ...albeit the wrong one for the box ...its a #1

Russ Janes · Post by **Russ Janes** » 03/20/12 18:57

Two years no post's on this great thread . I think Dean's holding out on us .

NewUtahCaneAngler · Post by **NewUtahCaneAngler** » 11/17/22 19:37

I think that this Jed Welsh fly & leader box / tin may qualify. From my searching, I see that he was somewhat famous in California's Sierra region and ocean fishing around Long Beach. He lived to be 98 and his name is still being associated with tackle.

Cheers,
Joe

jhuskey · Post by **jhuskey** » 11/17/22 21:00

Great item Joe! Was a gut leader(s) placed inside and water added to soften-treat-condition the leader prior to fishing?

hatch · Post by **hatch** » 11/17/22 22:12

Lee Wulff's fishing vest and prescription sunglasses. Picture of Lee wearing this vest in Jack Samson's book "Lee Wulff" page, 176

Lee Wulff's passport

I have owned this vest for years. Interestingly, when I was digging this vest out for pictures, I found this can opener in a pocket.
I have an old fly fishing magazine somewhere and there is an article by Lee Wulff discussing ,his opinion of, the most important things to have in your fishing vest. He goes on to mention a can opener. Go figure.

Wow something just isn't right. I can't remember what I ate for supper but I can remember a magazine article from 1990 and I can find the magazine!

NewUtahCaneAngler · Post by **NewUtahCaneAngler** » 11/17/22 22:39

Hatch, that is a P38! The best (opens any can, easily carried, costs cents to manufacture) can opener ever invented and loved by veterans and non-vets alike!. My local National Guard Museum sells them, but I still have one from my time in the Army. I like the vest too and this is the first that I have seen where the rod "holder" loops are set up so that the rod butt is on the left and the tip to the right.

John, the tin was clearly set up for (or to imply) flies with gut leaders attached, but the tin was empty when I acquired it from an eBay seller.

Cheers,
Joe

hatch · Post by **hatch** » 11/17/22 23:01

NewUtahCaneAngler It appears that Lee moved the rod holder loop from the right hand side of the vest and resewed it on the left hand side.

hatch · Post by **hatch** » 11/18/22 11:26

In the late 1800s Maine was teaming with sporting camps and well healed "out of staters" looking to hire knowledgeable guides to maximize their odds of success in the field. Prior to 1897 there was no regulation of Maine Guides. Some guides were good ,some not so good. In 1896 Maine outdoor writer Cornelia "Fly Rod" Crosby worked with the Maine legislature to create a form of registration for Maine Guides. This created accountability within the guide community. Too many legitimate complaints and a guides registration could be pulled. It was illegal to accept money for guiding without being registered. Crosby was successful and in 1897 it became a requirement to register with the state to guide in the woods and waters. The guide badge pictured is for guide #470 in the first year of registration 1897. Crosby's badge number in 1897 was #1.

Over the years the design of the badge has varied.

Letter of acceptance of Guide application from the Maine Commissioner of Inland Fisheries and Game dated 1898

State of Maine Registered Guides Certificate dated 1899

Brooks · Post by **Brooks** » 11/18/22 11:27

Here’s an old gizmo. It sits on a shelf with my ‘antique’ gear. It looks old—anybody have any idea how old? I can’t even remember where I got it.

NewUtahCaneAngler · Post by **NewUtahCaneAngler** » 11/18/22 12:13

hatch wrote: ↑
11/18/22 11:26
In the late 1800s Maine was teaming with sporting camps and well healed "out of staters" looking to hire knowledgeable guides to maximize their odds of success in the field. Prior to 1897 there was no regulation of Maine Guides. Some guides were good ,some not so good.

This reminds me of the guide story in, I believe, Trout Madness

reelsmith · Post by **reelsmith** » 11/18/22 13:05

Nice to see this thread come back to life after all these years.

Here are a few things I've acquired ...

Hardy Waistcoat Pocket Fly Oil Bottle ...

Farlow Anglers Knife ...

Mills Gift Certificate ...

Dean.

Hellmtflies · Post by **Hellmtflies** » 11/18/22 13:37

Dean,
That Gift Certificate rod tube is awesome. Reminds me of the not so old cigar rod tubes.

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