Ocean City Freshwater Bait Casting Reels – Page 1 – Angler’s Pal to No. 967 Major

On this page you will find Ocean City fresh water bait casting reels.  Here we are trying to stay in some sort of list order.  The first part of this list is in alphabetical order (reels with no model #) and the rest is in model number order. We want to thank Ray Hodges from Australia,  Jeff Johnson from Ohio and  Bob Bittner from MD for all their help.

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“The Anglers Pal” is the finest Ocean City level wind bait casting reel and the first for the company. It dates to the mid to late 1920’s. It was sold by many hardware firms and tackle dealers and has been found stamped with a few names like “Striker” and “Pelican”. They are well built and have dark maroon Bakelite side plates. The front plate is held on by 3 screws and the rear plate is threaded into the one piece frame. The handle and spool are German silver and the frame is heavy nickel plated over brass. “The Anglers Pal” is the most valuable and scarce bait casting reel sold by Ocean City.  Below you will see the only known box and several different reels. I don’t think this reel had a model number. Click on the pics to enlarge.

The Ocean City E-Z-2-Part was the first non level wind bait casting reel produced by Ocean City and is a fine well built reel that is very collectable. It should be considered scarce and the boxes are rare, Ive only seen maybe 2 boxes in 15 years of collecting. The front and rear plates are screwed into the one piece frame so you don’t need tools to take it apart and in about 5 seconds the reel is in its 4 main parts. The handle and spool flanges are German silver while the frame is heavy nickel plated over brass. A quality reel. The first two reel pictures are of the standard E-Z-2 Part and the next two pictures are of the free spool version. Some models have been found completely unmarked and were probably sold as trade reels by other company’s. These reels are from the Mid to late 1920’s and don’t have a model number.  Pictures courtesy of Don Champion.

  These are considered  “Dime Store Reels”  or a  “Child’s Reel”  most are made of tin and are unmarked.  The only way you can tell the difference between these and other reel makers reels,  is to know the certain part or mold features,  this one is easy to ID because of the common later OC cranks knobs,  also the crank handle being peened on.
All the early reel makers like Bronson, OC and Shakespeare made thousands of these types of reels and the main difference between them were the crank knobs.  Most were nickel over tin on the early versions and later were just a chrome finish or blued different shades of gray (or as gun metal gray) or darker over tin.  most of the early ones would have painted wood crank knobs,  the main colors were a white or green.  The colors would also help the sale of the reels too,  or to make it easier for the little ones to know who’s was who’s.  Reel shown has a blued finish on it and is most likely has a 80 yd. spool capacity and the only feature would be the clicker button.  Now on some they did not even have clicker,  or some came with a fixed clicker. Pictures are courtesy of Jonathan Kring.

Believe to be less expensive reels.  Description out of the 1935 OC catalog says:   Double Multiplying Bait  Casting reel.  Nickle plated, balanced handle,  adjustable back sliding click and has brass bearings
No.12  price 50 cents.  Box picture is courtesy of David Budd.

A less expensive reel, if you look in the ad picture and click on it, it will enlarge and you will see a small oil port cap that is not in the pictured reel?  Also ad is from a 1957 OC catalog,  ours is brown bakelite and the ad says that it is black for the 1957 version.  Reel picture is courtesy of Charlie Gano and the ad picture is courtesy of Jeff Johnson.

The ad is from 1935 – we need a picture of this reel.

The ad is from 1935 – we need a picture of this reel.

This description is from the 1938 catalog. “Heavily nickeled – with satin finish. Adjustable click. Beautifully turned handle knobs”. Capacity 80YDS. Price $1.25

The “St Paul” casting reel is from 1935 and had “beautiful walnut grained genuine bakelite right side plate” along with a “Graceful S Shaped handle with genuine catalin knobs”. All for just $1.15 in 1935.

ad is from the 1935 catalog – we need a picture of this reel.

Basic reel,  yet it has the smaller crank shaft nut and the famous OC emblem on the face plate. Click on the pictures to enlarge.

ad is from 1935 – we need a picture of this reel.

100 yd. fresh water LW reel.  jeweled end caps and blue gray marbled crank knobs.
Pictures are courtesy of Ray Hodges.

The Winston was only seen in the 1939 catalog , it is a handsomely designed level winding bait casting reel made of Zephaloy.(a metal alloy which is 3 times as strong as steel and 1/3 the weight of brass). It had “S” shaped handle with Tenite knobs, jeweled spool spindle caps and a thumb adjustable drag. In 1939 it sold for $5.50 which was the most expensive bait casting reel offered by Ocean City at that time. It is considered scarce.

 

Basic reel,  unmarked,  only the boxes are marked,   black bakelite side plates,  blue gray marbled crank knobs.  Ad and picture are from a 1935 Ocean City catalog.  Reel donated by John Elder.

This new model No.81 came out in 1946-48.Basic LW reel,  black bakelite side plates,  no ABL,  blue gray marbled crank knobs.  Last picture shows a similar reel broke down some,  in all it before being built at the factory,  there would have been 45 separate parts required to put this reel together.  Including the bushings pressed into the side plates.  The ad is from a 1948 Ocean City catalog.

The No.88 reel came in either brown or black bakelite side plates,  with the markings on the LW cover.  This reel came out in the 1948 catalog and was probably available as early as 1946. The Smoothkast dial on the rear plate was used on many other reels starting in 1949 and the No.88 went away. The ad is from a 1948 Ocean City catalog and pictures of the brown reel are courtesy of Richard Braun.

Reel has the common OC fishing scene stamped is both side plates.  Crank knobs on this one have shrunk and turned darker as seen in the pictures.  Ad is from a 1955 Ocean City catalog.

Basic reel,  no jeweled end caps and a smaller crank handle nut.  Ad is from a 1955 Ocean City catalog.

As you can see this reel has rust,  it is extremely hard to find one of theses that does not have rust,  this one has a thin satin chrome finish over metal,  so they do attract rust.  This was are last red medallion reel to complete our red medallion collective collection.  Just recently we found a OC red medallion trade reel called a Cyclone, made exclusively for Macy’s,  you can view it in our trade reel page.

Red medallion version,  satin chrome finish over metal construction, white marbled crank knobs.  The crank knobs on these normally shrink due to heat and age and will not spin freely on their pins.  Also the white knobs will turn yellow from oil and age. Some knobs can be freed up by running hot tap water on them individually and try spinning with a rag,  that will normally get them to spin and then applying new oil quickly before they cool.  Ad is from 1941 Ocean City catalog.  Reel was donated by Richard Thomman.

One of OC’s red medallion reels,  reel has a chrome finish.  Add picture and description are from a 1955 Ocean City catalog.

Has a stamped fishing scene on both side plates.  Ad is from a 1941 Ocean City catalog.

Reel has the common OC fishing scene stamped on both side plates.  Ads are cropped from a 1941 Ocean City catalog.