Reel News

ORCA 2020 National Convention Registration Form

The 2020 ORCA National Show Registration Form is contained in the June 2020 News Letter and is available online here National 2020 Registration Form

July 2019 Reel News is in the Mail!

The July 2019 Reel News discusses Dickens to Zebco and a whole lot more in between.  This is the next great edition on its way to you. Enjoy!

The cover shows off one of the limited edition 70th Anniversary Zebco Model 33 reels presented to each ORCA member that attended the ORCA National Convention in Tulsa. (I am glad to see what the reel looks like because I didn’t want to break the seal on my special commemorative box). Several articles discuss ORCA’s very successful convention and are a tribute to our fabulous hosts at Zebco as well as the convention organizers.

Outgoing ORCA president David Lehmann introduces your ORCA president-elect Ron Gast and vice president-elect Matt Wickham, whose terms will begin on July 1, 2019. ORCA’s recent growth and achievements are discussed and the newest ORCA member benefits are announced.

Check out the list of new ORCA members and Life members added since the last issue (make a copy of those pages and keep it with your membership directory).

The Reel Old Murder Mystery by Steve Vernon has bloody fingerprints all over it… er, uhm and a reel patent of course.  Roger Schulz continues his findings on Meisselbach reels used for surf fishing.  Dr. Todd E.A. Larson’s latest Reels of the Trade article is entitled the Fishing Reels of Thompson’s of Chester, Pennsylvania.

An article by Paul Manuel on the obscure “Ryder’s” Registered Central Balance Reel threads connections between famous 19th century English reel makers Ryder, Haywood and Hardy and leads to instructions on how to decipher design-registration “kite marks” found on some early English reels and other antiques.

The latest in the CFSR World series by David Lehmann covers Shakespeare and South Bend’s early years. Beyond the more than 600 reels auctioned at the ORCA Convention, Richard Lodge still managed to come up with 3 pages of really interesting reel auction results, thanks to ORCA members that routinely keep an eye on these things for Richard.

The July 2019 Reel News contains a tribute to the late Steve Lumpkin, former ORCA president.

Auction Results Published

ORCA held a very successful auction during the 2019 Convention in Tulsa. Here are the Auction Results.

The May 2019 Reel News has been published

The May 2019 Reel News has been published and is on the way to ORCA members. Bearing in mind that the ORCA Annual Convention  is being hosted by Zebco just weeks from now in Tulsa, here are some of the topics covered:

• The birth of Zebco and the first 10 years, written by Dick Braun and David Lehmann
• The New Member spotlight, written by Betty Barr introduces a Zebco fan.
• An article on Harrison Salt Water Fly Reels produced in Florida during the 1980’s emphasizes the high quality the maker strived to achieve.
• Roger Shultz writes about the “gentleman” tackle maker and surf angler ’Gus’ Meisselbach.
• Dr. Todd Larsen discusses various reel yardage markings and theorizes about the rationale behind the numbers used.
• A summary of the online Reel Talk forum discussion about Mike Nogay’s collection of the earliest ORVIS fly reels.
• David Lehmann’s analysis of Empire City tackle reveals a fascinating web of American reel makers and retailers in the early 1900’s.

• Considering the amount of money many people spend every year at their local coffee shop, membership in ORCA and the Reel News subscription that comes with it is an incomparable bargain! So Join Today.

ORCA Auction Catalog Published

The catalog for the important auction at the 2019 ORCA Annual Convention has been published. Auction Catalog

The March 2019 Reel News has been published…

The March 2019 Reel News has been published and is being distributed to members worldwide. Inside you will find the 2019 ORCA Membership Roster, your official ballot to vote for the 2019 ORCA slate of Officers, your Registration Form for the 2019 ORCA Annual Convention along with the latest convention schedule, the Annual ORCA Financial Report plus club news. You will also see details about the upcoming auctions of Talbot literature and more than 500 reels on May 30th, 2019 at our Convention in Tulsa. 

The ORCA Convention will be held in collaboration with the NFLCC’s inaugural “Red Dirt Antique Tackle Extravaganza”, making this the first NFLCC sanctioned ORCA convention! It will be a double-header for those of us that like collecting old tackle. Zebco is hosting, so you will want to attend! Register now!

It goes without saying that the March 2019 Reel News also comes packed with a variety of well researched articles about old reels and their makers, so don’t miss it! The Reel news is an exclusive benefit of paid membership. If you are new or forgot to renew, go to this link:

https://www.orcaonline.org/product-category/orca-membership/

Important Reel Auction

This live event is for all collectors! Over 500 reels including a huge Penn collection, tournament reels, salt water reels. Important Talbot Letters and Ephemera.

Includes something for everybody! This is probably the best opportunity to build your collection at reasonable prices that has ever existed. The auction is open to all collectors. Between this auction and ORCA’s show, there has never been a better event for reel collectors. Build your collection or merchandise, while supporting ORCA. All collectors and vendors welcome!

The January 2019 Reel News is Packed FULL of…

Here is a summary of what you can look forward to seeing inside the January 2019 edition of The Reel News:

• Look for the 2019 ORCA National Convention Registration Form and show poster in the centre blue pages. In this edition you will also find the preliminary event schedule featuring numerous activities at Zebco HQ and a two-day show!  This is going to big a large and important convention held for the first time at a reel manufacturer’s facility. This year’s ORCA National Convention will be held in Tulsa, OK and runs May 29th through June 1st, 2019. Please register early!
• “A multiple-choice quiz” by Steve Vernon instructs on the identification of early ball handle reels featuring a great mystery reel as a case study. In a separate article with similar objectives, Dr. Vernon discusses antique reels marked Warrin and the challenges of identifying who made reels for whom.
• “W.D. Chapman & Son fishing reel retailer” by Roger Schultz connects the famous lure brand to at least one famous reel maker.
• A primer on collecting early Swedish reels, by ORCA member Alastair Hosking in New Zealand, features detailed discussions of Radius, Nordic and Victory brands.
• “ORCA: 1,000 years of reel knowledge and history in one place” by Dick Braun explains the four types of reels developed over 1,000 years and how being a member of ORCA can bring it all together for reel collectors, regardless of what they collect.
• “Overview of closed-faced spinning reels” by David Lehmann launches a series of articles about the history and impact on fishing of closed-faced spinning reels (CFRS).  Myths of CFSRs are exposed in this well-researched and detailed article.
• “Oscar Kovalovsky fly reels and the API connection” by John Bechtold is a fascinating “10,000 mile” exploration into reels designed by reel-making royalty.
• “On the Auction Block” by Richard Lodge covers lots of reely great auction results. 
• ORCA President David Lehmann explains how the contributions of ORCA members over the past year have helped the club evolve.

Don’t miss the January 2019 Reel News. It is an exclusive benefit of paid ORCA Membership. See the 2019 ORCA Dues Notice in the blue pages for new ORCA membership options.  Register or log into your ORCA Online Store Account at https://www.orcaonline.org/my-account/ and renew or buy a new membership online with PayPal to get immediate access to ORCA’s new online library. The ORCA Online library is another benefit of paid ORCA membership. The Library already holds more than 1,000 digitized documents useful for immediate research on old reels and their makers. Don’t delay Renew or Join today!

2019 – Zebco’s 70th Birthday Bash! – ORCA National…

The convention will take place from May 29th to June 1st in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  ORCA’s 2019 Convention is also a part of Zebco’s 70th anniversary celebration. Zebco has graciously offered to host a number of events for ORCA at their headquarters in Tulsa and to actively participate in the convention. This event will be the first time that ORCA has ever integrated activities with a reel manufacturer and the first time that we have held convention activities at a historic reel design and manufacturing facility.  As we are expecting a large show and a lot of public participation, it will be open to the public for two days (Friday and Saturday), and there will be active room-trading on Wednesday and Thursday evening, prior to the public show.  Wine-and-Reels will take place on Wednesday evening, and a Zebco-hosted lunch and private tours of museum, design, and repair operations will take place at Zebco’s world headquarters on Thursday. 

In the spirit of collaboration, the show is open to current ORCA and NFLCC members.  (Your membership to at least one of these organizations must be active to register.)  Send a completed registration form (in January’s The Reel News, or lin ked below) and payment to Roger Schulz, ORCA, 160 Shoreline Walk, Alpharetta, GA 30022.  If you have questions about the show, call David Lehmann at 281-757-5054 or Dick Braun at 941-639-8330.

Holiday Inn City Center is the host hotel.  Call 918-585-5898 for room reservations, and make sure you request ORCA’s special reduced room rate of $94/night!

ORCA 2019 Registration Form