Coming very soon to your mailbox, the July 2015 Reel News, a 48-page issue packed with articles, essays, auction reports and coverage – in words and photos – of the ORCA National in Dania Beach, Fla.

Todd Larson penned the definitive piece on A. G. Spalding reels, profiling the man who had a huge impact on basketball, baseball and, yes, fishing, in America.

Ben Wright takes us into the strange world of the English Illingworth spinning reels, while Mike Cacioppo continues his history of Ocean City reels, part III.

Paul Manuel goes deep into the methods for determining what a reel grasp is made from (see the photos that go with his article, shown in color on the Show & Tell page of the ORCA website). An article you will definitely not see anywhere else goes back in time to when Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro “borrowed” a Zebco 33 and rod, and learned how to catch bass the easy way.

Bob Miller reflects back to the days past, with River Reflections, Ben Wright gets us up to date with his Spinning Reel Report, and Wayne Benson – who runs ORCA’s online fund-raising auctions and manages the Sambla online lending program – writes about how these work.

The issue also includes a report on what appears to be a new world-record auction price for a fishing reel (hint: it’s British), and new ORCA President Betty Barr’s inaugural “President’s Message.”

Enjoy!