Nothing says summer
 

like a hopper 'n' dropper rig on a blue collar rod and bluegills...

https://i.imgur.com/tr7zVLll.jpg

Thanks for posting this, Phil. Now, I need to get the boat ready, the poppers tied on, and hit the local ponds.

What great summertime sport.

Nice Phil! I have a nice collection of the Pflueger Medalists that are my go to reels. They just look "right" on a cane fly rod.

Nice, I really enjoy farm pond fishing for bluegills, but havent been out with the fly rod yet.
Also love me a big platter of deep fried 'gills.

i have a 1494, a 1494 1/2 and a 1495 but I don't use any of them anymore. After catching a 5 lb. landlocked salmon in hard current with the 1495 I decided not to use that reel again or cut out part of the frame to expose the spool so I could thumb it... but I just chose to retire it and got a Hardy Prince and mounted it to my brand new (at the time 1983) 9-ft, 7/8 wt. Thomas & Thomas graphite Illiaska Special.





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The reel isn't a Medalist, it's a South Bend Finalist 1133. Similar appearance but very different and somewhat unique two-stage drag system. Shakespeare made most of the South Bend reels or so I'm told. It pairs up well with my old South Bend 7-1/2' 290. Horses for courses; no need for an 8/9 weight or a reel you can thumb on these fellas :)!

I had a full range of Medalists but I sold most of them. I kept a 1492 because it's so darn cute, and a 1494 for an old 6wt H&I glass rod. I agree, Richard; they look great on a vintage glass or bamboo rod and they're as good a reel as you need.

So it is Phil, so it is. They're so close in appearance, I wonder if South Bend waited until the Pflueger patent ran out... :whistle:

Hmmm... 2-stage drag? I coulda used one on the landlocks.




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I have a pretty complete collection of Pfluegers from the 1492 to the 1495. I even have a couple of the wide models, which I really like. Someone was/is? making replacement mounting feet for them so they would fit the smaller diameter cork handles on modern rods better, which I took advantage of also.

I bought two of those too Richard.





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Now you have me wondering what model Pflueger I have up in our attic that I bought somewhere around 1982? Put it on a used HL Leonard, my first graphite fly rod. Had to modify the reel seat a bit to fit the reel.