Shakespeare Wondereel 1898 EC – A Vintage Saltwater Fly Reel

Posted on April 14, 2018 by Ed Mitchell

Shakespeare Wondereel 1898 EC – A Vintage Saltwater Fly Reel    As saltwater fly-fishing bust on the scene in the mid 1970’s, anglers scrambled to find suitable saltwater fly reels. While there were a few high end reels available, mainly from Florida, most folks needed something more affordable. Often that meant using the venerable Medalist 1498. I know I did.

Gradually manufacturers rose to the task and more reels appeared to fill the demand. Today we’ll take a look at a less well-know fly reel from that era – the anti-reverse Shakespeare Heavy Duty 1898 Model EC.

I got this reel at Stars department store (Nu Star) in Torrington, Connecticut. In the 1980’s, Stars was a local landmark offering super deals on a wide variety of household paraphernalia, and had a fine fishing department too. ( Stars closed their doors in 1997) So I often swung by on my way upstate to fish the Housatonic River in Cornwall.

The 1898 weight almost a pound

Well there it was in the show case. Now I’ve never been a fan of anti-reverse fly reels, mind you. Still the price tag was enticing. New in the box with a vinyl case, I remember the cost being around $70. Okay, you know what happened next; I asked to see it. The salesman removed the reel from the display case, so I could fondle it. It proved to be a very well-make, sturdy, anti-reverse saltwater fly reel. Based on the quality, the price was a steal. Why so cheap? At that time the big boy Shakespeare 1898 was competing unfavorably with the lighter and more popular Medalist Supreme anti-reverse fly reels (577 & 578). Hence the 1898 was a poor seller and eventually discontinued. ( Interestingly Shakespeare also owned the Pflueger Medalist company as well, having purchased it in 1966)

Back Plate

The Shakespeare Heavy Duty 1898 was a truly indestructible tank. With 250 yards of backing aboard the 1898 tips the scale at nearly a pound! Wow! What a beast. But when you opened the reel up you saw why. It is built to last a lifetime or two. The gears, the pawls, the spindle and the rest of the inner workings were massive. No kidding. (I once rebuilt a Medalist Supreme anti-reverse 578 for a friend, who returned from a bonefishing trip and left the reel wet in its case for over a year. What a mess. Yes, the Supreme was a far lighter reel,  but construction-wise it was a toy compared to the 1898).

The Wondereel 1898 is a “spool-in-cage” design, with a diameter just a hair under 4″. It easily accepts a 10wt line. The line guard is reversible. (Not sure the reel is? Mine is right hand wind.) On the back plate there is a “free spool” lever. This allows you to freely pull off fly line without loosening the drag.  And you’ll find a spool release button was well. As you expect on an anti-reverse reel, the drag knob is front and center. It applies tension to  a powerful six-disc drag system. a popular configuration in those years for plug casting and spinning gear.

Many moons ago, I used this reel for striped bass and bluefish along the New England coast.  It saw only occasional use because I preferred direct-drive over anti-reverse. Still the Shakespeare 1898 EC ran trouble free many a tide, never offering up a problem. I trusted it. So if you’re looking for an inexpensive, second hand, anti-reverse saltwater fly reel, the Shakespeare 1898 is worth considering. Granted its a big chunk of metal, but it  was then, and is now, an attractive and reliable reel.

The reel is very beefy inside

 

 

 

Posted in Fly Fishing in Salt Water, Fly Reels, Gear | 4 Comments

The Challenge our Fisheries Face: Is Growth the same as Progress?

Posted on April 7, 2018 by Ed Mitchell

The Challenge our Fisheries Face: Is Growth the same as Progress?   Here in Charlotte Harbor our fisheries have been slipping for several years and are presently, for the most part, in crisis mode. Stricter fisheries management is one way to improve the number of healthy fish that swim in our waters. No question. Its been proven time and again. But there is one critical issue marine fisheries face across our nation that size, season, and creel limits can not hope to heal – declining water quality.

With over 350 folks per square mile, Florida is already the 8th most densely populated state in the nation. Along with that, it is estimated that a 1000 people a day are moving

Florida Population Growth

into the Sunshine state. Clearly that’s a lot of growth. And that growth is placing increased demands on both our infrastructure and our natural resources.

Some people argue that growth and progress are synonymous. But is that true? Hardly. Progress happens when a civilization creates better living conditions for its citizens – cleaner air, cleaner water, less stress, more open space, and a healthy environment free of toxins where people can live long productive lives. Uncontrolled growth, on the other hand, often kills progress in its tracks – producing dirtier water, dirtier air,  more traffic, more noise,  more stress, more toxins, and a decline in our natural resource.

Consequently the largest challenge our nation’s marine fisheries face is excessive coastal growth and the resulting contamination of our nearshore waters. This is especially true in estuaries such as Charlotte Harbor. For it is in estuaries that 75 percent of all marine fish are born. And where over 90 percent of all marine fish will spend some time during their lives. Estuaries are that important. Without them our fisheries are not sustainable.

If we hope to be successful in solving water quality problems, marine fisheries biologist must enter a new and complex political arena. They must begin to talk with and educate land based organizations such as coastal town zoning boards, developers, land use regulatory bodies, water use regulatory bodies, agriculture concerns, marinas, highway engineers, sewage plant operators, to name a few. Obviously this means convincing a great many people that growth isn’t always progress. To see the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s  attempt click here.

Posted in Environment | Leave a comment

A Meeting with the Mullet Man

Posted on April 4, 2018 by Ed Mitchell

 A Meeting with the Mullet man:

I’ve been offline a long time for a slew of reasons. Record cold weather, record hot, high winds, red tide, terrible fishing, house guests, and a fried laptop round out the list. Well, enough for the excuses. Yesterday, I got back on the water. The tides were weak, but the wind was down. Fair enough. Time to cross my fingers and check things out.

At the ramp I saw the mullet man pulling out his boat. He is a commercial fisherman and on the water constantly, and moreover, covers ten times the area I do. So he sees a lot, knows a lot. I figured it would be a good idea to get his slant on the fishing. Hey what did I have to lose?

“How’s the fishing been?” I asked. He looked up at me, scrunched up his face and remained silent. I dug further. “It’s been tough for me.” I offered.

“Same here.” he replied quietly. “I’m wondering if its going to turn around ….  maybe in July or August?”

“See any redfish in your travels?” I added, with hope.

“Haven’t see one in over a month.” He shot back.

“Any idea why is the fishing so bad?” I inquired. ” Think there is still some red tide out there?”

“The damn red tide keeps hanging out at Sanibel, Bookeelia and Boca Grande.  Its got the entire mouth of Charlotte Harbor blocked off ….so the fish are passing us by.” He said gruffly.

I was afraid he would say something like that. Hell, a week ago an entire school of spawning black drum was killed by red tide off Boca Grande. Bad news,  an entire school of spawners wiped out. Crazy.

As he left, I wished him better luck. He did the same for me. But my day on the water proved fruitless.

 

 

Posted in Environment, Fly Fishing in Salt Water | Leave a comment

Are Wading Birds and Fish on the Flat Connected?

Posted on February 28, 2018 by Ed Mitchell

Are Wading Birds and Fish on the Flat Connected?  Yesterday morning held excellent conditions for “tailing” reds. Calm winds, clouds and low water. Naturally I wanted to take advantage of that and set off, launching by 6:30 AM. High hopes prevailed.

As I paddled down the flats, however, my hopes rapidly faded.  I wasn’t seeing any fish moving around, nor was my approach spooking fish. And worst yet, there were no “tailing” reds either. Ummm.  Bummer. And I noticed something else. There were very few wading birds.

Are wading birds and fish on the flat connected? I’m convinced there are. There are three birds that typically visit my flats – osprey, pelicans, ibis and blue heron. When I fish for “tailing” reds, however, the light is very low and so is the water. This combo is not great  for diving birds such as pelicans or osprey, but it is perfect for slow stalkers, wading birds like blue herons and ibis.

Allow me to digress for a moment. My friend Dave has long extolled the virtues of a stretch of flats he calls the “pinch”. Its a bit of a paddle for me, but he’s right – there are often more reds there. And….. there are always a ton more wading birds! At time so many ibis, at distance they look like a white bobbing blob! In fact I remember saying to Dave at one point. “Man, whats up will all these birds?”

Okay, time to start connecting the dots. Herons and ibis visit flats for only one reason – food.  Obviously the blue heron wants to grab fish. And the ibis are feeding on smaller marine life. If food is scarce on a given flat, the birds will be too. And your odds of seeing a lot of reds goes down as well. Yeah no matter where you fish, everything revolves around the food chain.

 

 

Posted in Fly Fishing in Salt Water, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Flats are Firing Up

Posted on February 19, 2018 by Ed Mitchell

The Flats are Firing Up:  After a cool start to the winter, February temperatures are well above normal, and its causing Gulf temperatures to climb fast. Yesterday, on the flats the water was into seventies more typical of mid to late March!

February Snook

While I didn’t see redfish in any numbers, spotted seatrout and especially snook are making an appearance.  This is a good sign that next month will hold fine fishing.  Got my fingers crossed. By the way I’m enjoying this Monic fly line more and more. Its performing well, and rarely tangles.

Posted in Fly Fishing in Salt Water | Leave a comment