Sharphooks
Well-Known Member
After reading the complaints about SeaKing Reels "making too much noise" I started thinking maybe I'm dreaming about the potential market for this reel in the Pacific Northwest.
Whatever, I am addicted to a loud scream when I hook a fish (after a dozen hot steelhead on the Skeena last week, each one on a century old Hardy reel with a REALLY LOUD ratchet, I just want MORE of that noise...)
anyway, read on and feel free to disillusion me with your comments that there ain't no market for this type of reel because of the NOISE (or any other reason you can think of):
QUOTE
Hardy North America,
1260 Corporate Drive,
Lancaster PA. 17601
OCTOBER 07, 2013
Good Day Gentlemen,
I am a sportsfisherman residing in the Pacific Northwest. I have an extensive Hardy Bros. fishing reel collection, including Hardy Brass-Faced Perfects, Hardy Longstones and Hardy Eddystones. All of my reels are continually used either on the river or in the salt water---they do not sit in cabinets.
Although I am an avid steelhead fly fishermen, I also fish for Pacific salmon. The reels I use the most often for salt water applications are a pair of Hardy Eddystones. I love these reels dearly.
Reason: the lever-controlled check systems are extremely efficient when the reel is used in downrigger applications (a downrigger as you are probably aware, is used for fixed-depth trolling with lures or bait )
The Eddystone is wonderful when used in such a manner---the large arbor affords rapid line retrieval; the click pawl is both effective as a check system and as it is LOUD, it makes for an exhilarating battle when fighting a salmon (the reason I also love the Hardy Brass-Faced Perfects)
I write to you for a specific reason--- the Eddystones are HUGE and quite HEAVY. To spend the day placing them in a rod-holder then taking them back out to fight a fish when the line is under tension is physically demanding. To use these reels in such a manner over a two week period (as I did this past summer) is physically exhausting.
With the above in mind, I would like to suggest that Hardy Bros. seriously consider re-issuing the Hardy Eddystone, however, with the following design modifications:
1)) SIZE: Reduce the size and weight The 15 cm arbor could be reduced to approx. 10 cm. You should maintain the approx. 5 1/2 cm width of the arbor to allow for sufficient line capacity but the overall diameter of the spool should be decreased by 30-40%
2)) CHECK LEVER: For downrigger applications, the newly design Eddystone should have a check mechanism that can be fully engaged once the rod is placed in the holder and placed under tension against the line clip at the bottom end of the downrigger cable. The lever should be made so that there is a lock position and an unlock position
Currently, there is no way to hold the spool fixed when under tension---the click pawl is not strong enough to do this and the check tensioning nut cannot be wound sufficiently tight to hold the spool motionless when the line is under tension. Indeed, even if one could use the check tensioning nut , once a fish is hooked one would not be able to loosen the nut fast enough and the fish would pull free or break the line...
I would like you to consider how I currently address the tensioning of my Eddystones when the rod is placed in a rod holder:
You can see the heavy-duty length of surgical tubing attached to the butt of the rod just above the check lever. Once the rod is in the holder and I am fishing at desired depth with the line clipped in place at the bottom end of the downrigger cable, I slip the loop of surgical tubing over the lever to hold the spool motionless. When I hook a fish, as I reach for the rod to pull it out of the holder I simultaneously slip the loop of surgical tubing off the lever with my index finger
Not very elegant but it gets the job done.
I have three rods that I use in my boat---all of them have this loop of surgical tubing attached to the rod butt. I use plastic wire ties of the sort electricians use to stabilize cable and wire.
Here is another picture that illustrates the surgical tubing application when the rod is under tension in the rod holder
Please consider the following:
I am taking the time to pen this correspondence because I would dearly like to keep using the Eddystone in my salt water fishing but I long to do so with a smaller lighter version. I am convinced that there is a market for a smaller, lighter, re-designed Eddystone that employs the same check-lever mechanism, but includes a locking feature for downrigger application as described above.
The number of people using downriggers in a saltwater application for salmon is quite large---they are in California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alaska (as well as the Great Lakes ---Michigan etc)
Most people use what is known as a bait casting reel (level wind reels) for downrigger application. However, there is a growing number of fishers who favor single-action reels with rim-controlled check systems for both downrigger fishing and for what is called "mooching" (drifting with the tide and fishing a cut-plug herring) (example = Shimano moocher reel, Islander MR3, Abu Garcia's SeaKing reel etc)--these reels, especially the Islander, have developed a strong following for both these applications.
I am convinced that a redesigned Eddystone, downsized and fitted with a mechanism that could both lock and unlock the lever check system would sell quite well in the Pacific Northwest market.
I sincerely look forward to hearing your comments regarding the above suggestion. I am most interested to hear if you would consider moving forward with this re-design suggestion. I stand willing to help in any manner I can to help promote the redesigning and reissue of the Hardy Eddystone .
Thank you for the considerations and time
Sincerely
UNQUOTE
So, am I dreaming that there'd be a market for this reel?
My interest in writing the letter was purely selfish----I approached a reel manufacturer and he said he needed 5 years (and a couple of thousand $$) to build the reel ----he's booked solid with other reels he's making which explains the 5 year waiting period
So I'm hoping Hardy can do this in Korea and knock off a couple of thousand of them so I can get a pair for myself
What say you??? Lets focus the demand or lack of demand on the rim control, lever drag, huge line capacity part of the equation for this type of reel----the Eddystone has a switch that allows you to disengage the ratchet to make it SILENT for those that don't like a hysterical scream when they hook a fish...
Whatever, I am addicted to a loud scream when I hook a fish (after a dozen hot steelhead on the Skeena last week, each one on a century old Hardy reel with a REALLY LOUD ratchet, I just want MORE of that noise...)
anyway, read on and feel free to disillusion me with your comments that there ain't no market for this type of reel because of the NOISE (or any other reason you can think of):
QUOTE
Hardy North America,
1260 Corporate Drive,
Lancaster PA. 17601
OCTOBER 07, 2013
Good Day Gentlemen,
I am a sportsfisherman residing in the Pacific Northwest. I have an extensive Hardy Bros. fishing reel collection, including Hardy Brass-Faced Perfects, Hardy Longstones and Hardy Eddystones. All of my reels are continually used either on the river or in the salt water---they do not sit in cabinets.
Although I am an avid steelhead fly fishermen, I also fish for Pacific salmon. The reels I use the most often for salt water applications are a pair of Hardy Eddystones. I love these reels dearly.
Reason: the lever-controlled check systems are extremely efficient when the reel is used in downrigger applications (a downrigger as you are probably aware, is used for fixed-depth trolling with lures or bait )
The Eddystone is wonderful when used in such a manner---the large arbor affords rapid line retrieval; the click pawl is both effective as a check system and as it is LOUD, it makes for an exhilarating battle when fighting a salmon (the reason I also love the Hardy Brass-Faced Perfects)
I write to you for a specific reason--- the Eddystones are HUGE and quite HEAVY. To spend the day placing them in a rod-holder then taking them back out to fight a fish when the line is under tension is physically demanding. To use these reels in such a manner over a two week period (as I did this past summer) is physically exhausting.
With the above in mind, I would like to suggest that Hardy Bros. seriously consider re-issuing the Hardy Eddystone, however, with the following design modifications:
1)) SIZE: Reduce the size and weight The 15 cm arbor could be reduced to approx. 10 cm. You should maintain the approx. 5 1/2 cm width of the arbor to allow for sufficient line capacity but the overall diameter of the spool should be decreased by 30-40%
2)) CHECK LEVER: For downrigger applications, the newly design Eddystone should have a check mechanism that can be fully engaged once the rod is placed in the holder and placed under tension against the line clip at the bottom end of the downrigger cable. The lever should be made so that there is a lock position and an unlock position
Currently, there is no way to hold the spool fixed when under tension---the click pawl is not strong enough to do this and the check tensioning nut cannot be wound sufficiently tight to hold the spool motionless when the line is under tension. Indeed, even if one could use the check tensioning nut , once a fish is hooked one would not be able to loosen the nut fast enough and the fish would pull free or break the line...
I would like you to consider how I currently address the tensioning of my Eddystones when the rod is placed in a rod holder:
You can see the heavy-duty length of surgical tubing attached to the butt of the rod just above the check lever. Once the rod is in the holder and I am fishing at desired depth with the line clipped in place at the bottom end of the downrigger cable, I slip the loop of surgical tubing over the lever to hold the spool motionless. When I hook a fish, as I reach for the rod to pull it out of the holder I simultaneously slip the loop of surgical tubing off the lever with my index finger
Not very elegant but it gets the job done.
I have three rods that I use in my boat---all of them have this loop of surgical tubing attached to the rod butt. I use plastic wire ties of the sort electricians use to stabilize cable and wire.
Here is another picture that illustrates the surgical tubing application when the rod is under tension in the rod holder
Please consider the following:
I am taking the time to pen this correspondence because I would dearly like to keep using the Eddystone in my salt water fishing but I long to do so with a smaller lighter version. I am convinced that there is a market for a smaller, lighter, re-designed Eddystone that employs the same check-lever mechanism, but includes a locking feature for downrigger application as described above.
The number of people using downriggers in a saltwater application for salmon is quite large---they are in California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alaska (as well as the Great Lakes ---Michigan etc)
Most people use what is known as a bait casting reel (level wind reels) for downrigger application. However, there is a growing number of fishers who favor single-action reels with rim-controlled check systems for both downrigger fishing and for what is called "mooching" (drifting with the tide and fishing a cut-plug herring) (example = Shimano moocher reel, Islander MR3, Abu Garcia's SeaKing reel etc)--these reels, especially the Islander, have developed a strong following for both these applications.
I am convinced that a redesigned Eddystone, downsized and fitted with a mechanism that could both lock and unlock the lever check system would sell quite well in the Pacific Northwest market.
I sincerely look forward to hearing your comments regarding the above suggestion. I am most interested to hear if you would consider moving forward with this re-design suggestion. I stand willing to help in any manner I can to help promote the redesigning and reissue of the Hardy Eddystone .
Thank you for the considerations and time
Sincerely
UNQUOTE
So, am I dreaming that there'd be a market for this reel?
My interest in writing the letter was purely selfish----I approached a reel manufacturer and he said he needed 5 years (and a couple of thousand $$) to build the reel ----he's booked solid with other reels he's making which explains the 5 year waiting period
So I'm hoping Hardy can do this in Korea and knock off a couple of thousand of them so I can get a pair for myself
What say you??? Lets focus the demand or lack of demand on the rim control, lever drag, huge line capacity part of the equation for this type of reel----the Eddystone has a switch that allows you to disengage the ratchet to make it SILENT for those that don't like a hysterical scream when they hook a fish...
Last edited by a moderator: