Ari Hart reels- Looking for a brief but thorough history

dryfly purist · Post by **dryfly purist** » 09/27/10 07:03

ari t hart F2 - Bighorn by the river.
John Terje Refsahl

dryfly purist · Post by **dryfly purist** » 09/27/10 07:07

My current collection of ari t hart reels.
To be continued....................

Terje!

Serendipity · Post by **Serendipity** » 09/29/10 17:08

I received my Big Horn the other day and I am quite happy with it. It must be said, however, that the triangle design no longer makes my heart go pitter pat as it once did, and I think the bent plate on the old Traun, for example, was more elegant than the newer bolted design. I'm sure it was also more expensive to produce. This is not a big thing. Ari's reels continue to walk that thin line between classic elegance and outrageous styling. It's a really difficult trick to pull off, but he's done it for years. One has to respect his unique vision. If I have any complaint at all about the new release, it is not about the reel but about the squarish, black case which seems better suited to an electric razor than a fly reel.

I can't imagine packing it on a trip. My reel will go in a nice fleece-lined, soft case that is only slightly larger than the object it contains.

richard

fishingthefly · Post by **fishingthefly** » 09/30/10 04:05

> no longer makes my heart go pitter pat as it once did

you may need a defibrillator. second guess, old age.

nyuk, nyuk, nyuk,

Bob

Norwayboo · Post by **Norwayboo** » 10/01/10 05:31

Well, I suppose they don't get rarer than this one, not much anyway. An incredibly designed version of the ARAS - ARAS "Bare". MY PRECIOUSSSSS!

hookjaw23 · Post by **hookjaw23** » 10/01/10 05:46

NB,

fantastic you have it in hand! that's an incredible reel. any estimates of how many like that are floating around the world?

-matt

Norwayboo · Post by **Norwayboo** » 10/01/10 06:00

hookjaw23 wrote:NB,

fantastic you have it in hand! that's an incredible reel. any estimates of how many like that are floating around the world?

-matt

No idea Matt, but not many for sure. My guess would be 10-12 at most. There's one pictured in Geschwinder's book, but it has somewhat different details regarding colour and shape on handle, reelfoot etc.

pcg · Post by **pcg** » 10/01/10 14:17

Great thread. We're into 15 pages on this topic. And many fine photos. Wonderful stuff.

Norwayboo · Post by **Norwayboo** » 10/02/10 09:25

Wonderful stuff it is! I learned a lot when I first stumbled across this thread a couple of years back. A shame some of the pictures are gone though!

beatle · Post by **beatle** » 10/24/10 07:26

Hello,-----I am a newby to this forum, having stumbled on to it while looking for information on ATH reels.----I am not a collector, but have three of the F series reels and extra spools.---I am getting to the age at which I need to unload lots of my older toys etc. ----If someone could help me find an outlet to post these reels and spools, to sell, I would appreciate it!----The reels and spools I currently own are listed below.----The F2, and F4 have been recently (in the last year) been gone over by Bill Archeleta at his shop in Oregon, and are in perfect working order, with the light cosmetic flaws associated with reels that have been used in battle!----The F1 has not been usewd very little, and works great!----If this post takes me to a place where there is interest , I can send pictures!-----Thanks, Bill

1.---ATH Traun F1---All black with a serial #0054

2.---ATH Rio Orbigo F2---Black with a gold triangle.--Serial #0558

3.---ATH R. ?. Deschutes F4--All Black ---Serial #064-----(this was my "GO TO" reel for many years in the 80's and 90's on the Babine river in B.C, and it has landed many Steelhead up to 28lbs)

4.---ATH Deschutes F4 Spare spools in Black ---I have two of these extra spools which I used for various sizes of sinking lines.

beatle · Post by **beatle** » 10/24/10 08:07

I have received several inquiries already who were interested in what I wanted for the Reels and spools, However I have no idea what they are worth.---That is why I made my original post.---I guess that I did not explain that very well!----I am still hoping to get some sort of impartial feedback which would help me find a range of value.---Thanks,----Bill

enigma309 · Post by **enigma309** » 10/24/10 08:12

Bill, welcome to the forum

We need to see photos in order to assess value.
Condition and other details affect the price.

Brian

beatle · Post by **beatle** » 10/24/10 08:55

Will do!----Thanks

youngy · Post by **youngy** » 10/28/10 16:25

I have a query which might be a liitle outside the original scope of this thread, but hopefully one of you Ari fans might be able to help. I recently bought a Redington RH2 reel (very similar to the Dutch Reels Mach II) in almost mint condition for an absolute song, and when I picked it up, the owner had a few intriguing comments on the provenance of the reel. He stated that he had purchased it from someone who worked at Albright, who were supposedly at the time an agent for this reel, and that this person had told him that this particular reel was one of 6 prototypes that Ari had hand built as pre production models. He says he has the original letter stating this, and is trying to find it for me. He has no reason to make this up, as I had already paid for the reel, and he only divulged this information after the purchase. There are a couple of points that may lend credence to this claim, and I would really like some opinions and feedback from those of you who may know.

1. The original Redington catalog states that each Redington Hart reel is individually serial numbered and this reel has no serial number at all.
2. The size 2 designation is located inside the omega symbol on the other RH reels I have seen, but this one is located below it.
3. On the RH reels I have seen, the handle is located adjacent to the Ari T. Hart engraving on the spool, but this one is adjacent to the Redington engraving.

So, was there any variation within the production reels, or is this likely to actually be an original Ari handbuilt Redington prototype? Any opinions are appreciated.

mhackney · Post by **mhackney** » 11/19/10 05:13

Many of you may recognize the name John Betts. John is an angler from Colorado and is a close friend of Ari't Hart's. In fact, Ari't even named a reel for him, the John Betts reel. John has completed his book on reel making and has asked me to publish it digitally and make it available for free to anyone who would like to read it. It is copyrighted so please do not redistribute or sell it though.
This is a long term project, probably spanning a year or so, and the first sections were posted today here: Reels & Making Them. The Introduction includes some interesting early history and look in to Ari's reel building. There is a photo of Ari and his wife Astrid, photos of Ari's reels, as well as some great information on the evolution of his reels.

John transcribed hundreds of pages of his personal shop notes made over a period of two decades. The manuscript consists of over 400 pages of beautifully hand-written text and illustrations. More than 450 color photographs illustrate the background, ideas, procedures, and sequence of steps used to make reels of aluminum, brass and exotic woods.

I have not seen the entire work, I receive it one section at a time so that all sections are not damaged or lost at once. If additional information on Ari or other reel makers appears, I will be sure to post here.
Regards,Michael

mtz · Post by **mtz** » 11/25/10 04:34

Hello,

During my search on internet i found this forum on ATH reels.

I like to share my humble collection.

Best regards,
Mark

Norwayboo · Post by **Norwayboo** » 11/25/10 08:00

Welcome to the forum! Very nice reels Mark, I particularly love the Remco. Very nice!

mtz · Post by **mtz** » 11/25/10 08:16

Thank You,

I bought the Remco in a dutch tackle shop somewhere in the 90´s.
I am originally from the Netherlands and until recently i didn't know that the ATH´s are collectors items.
I bought it because for me it is a piece of art.

I never saw this colour on the Internet.

Regards,

Mark

Norwayboo · Post by **Norwayboo** » 11/25/10 09:41

It seems to be a very unusual colour, or it might be an Opalized that seems more beige due to the light the photo is taken in??

dryfly purist · Post by **dryfly purist** » 12/21/10 11:56

Got hold of a rare ari t hart ARAS in black/copper color.I don´t think there are many of this reel in this color combination.
Terje!