I know this is a rod building forum, and if this is against the rules, please let me know and it won't happen again. I am looking at an Old Florida 66 fly reel for sale, and my understanding is that they used a cork washer for the drag. People have commented about cork drag washers here and there, and the consensus is that they are a good deal providing the washers are "well maintained" by greasing them and whatever good maintenance entails.

Does anyone have an opinion on the Old Florida reels? The company has been history for many years apparently, having been bought out by Nautilus. If the reel in question had a cork drag washer that was dried out and essentially a goner, can washers be created as a last resort? Also, from what I can gather, the reel sold for about $250. new. It is for sale for that price now. Does that make sense?

They had a very good reputation in their day. Cork drag washers do wear out and often meet their maker due to fishermen leaving the drag tight which compresses the washer/s to the point that they will not recover. I suspect you could experiment with some sheet cork and various lubricants and figure out a good combination that would put the reel back into useful service.

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Thank you Tom.

I bought my Lamson Litespeeds for $200 30 years ago, look what they cost now. Same with whatever other fly reel you want to mention. They changed their look but little else.

The Old Florida reels are not really that old. Most were built in the late 1990s to early 2000s. They are still considered to be very good reels .Good weight and balance and as their maker used to say almost as simple as a hammer. Not much to go wrong with them. Later the company was sold and renamed Natilus but the reels were not the same.

You may find this link useful. IMHO, for what you are likely to pay for one today, you won't find a better reel.

[alantani.com]

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

Ernie,
Contact Nautilus at 305 625 3437.
Speak to Charlotte. They may have old parts - or be able to help with a retrofitted drag.
Herb
CTS



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/22/2023 10:51AM by Herb Ladenheim.

Thank you guys...especially Russell and Herb.

So....In my search for an older but decent quality reel, and after realizing that getting parts for Old Florida reels could be a challenge at this point, I got the impression that an Abel reel is what I may be looking for. Aside from possibly being a little heavy, there were no significant critiques of the Abels, and there were otherwise nothing but accolades for their older reels, although those reviews were made at around the time the reels were being manufactured. Nevertheless, it sounded pretty good to me.

I ended up with two 3N models, and one No.2 model. I'm R hand dominant, and I reel R handed with salt water fly reels. Although the No.2 is permanently set up for L hand retrieve, the company has the pawl that will allow me to reverse the retrieve to R hand. I guess that's one of the differences at this point between a company in business and one that is not. Does anyone have any of these models, and if so, what do you think?

I used to sell them in my fly shop. They're very good reels. There are lots of very good reels out there and some just as good for a lot less money. But, I doubt you'll be disappointed in the Abels and parts should still be available if you ever need them.

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