Questions about an old reel

[bassrogue]

I found an old Pflueger Supreme BC reel in my Grandma's Garage. Does anyone know how old this reel is? Don't know if I'll ever use it but I thought I would clean it up. All the internal parts seem to be in good shape. I have cleaned it inside and out.  What kind of grease do I use and where do I apply it? There are also some ports on the handle side, what are these for oil, grease, or neither?

Thanks,

BR

Sorry about the bad cell phone pics.

[bassrogue]

pic 2

[bassrogue]

pic 3

[Thefishy1]

Wow they made things simple back then, just two gears

I dont think many people around here will work on a Pflueger, but there should be someone aroung here who knows what they are doing.

[.RM.]

I found an old Pflueger Supreme BC reel in my Grandma's Garage. Does anyone know how old this reel is?

Looks to be a 1960's or 70's era supreme.

Don't know if I'll ever use it but I thought I would clean it up. All the internal parts seem to be in good shape. I have cleaned it inside and out.  What kind of grease do I use and where do I apply it?

You won't use it. Notice no drags, I believe that when you cast that reel the handle spins also, we use to call them "knuckle busters"

In FLOOG3 the oil port you have marked on the bottom of the reel  by the bait clicker is actually a water drainage hole. The port you have marked, at the base of the crank stem is an oil port. The port you have marked at the end of the spool shaft is a oil port that lubes the spool shaft.

The only reel grease that you will use on that reel is on the gear teeth only. One drop of oil on all spinning parts.

That's it. Now that you have it cleaned and lubed I would place it on a shelf as a collectible....

FYI if you know the model number, goto this page and it will tell you exactly when it was built..http://www.pfluegerfishing.com/antiques/antiques-name.html

Tight Lines On A Modern Reel!!

[bassrogue]

Thanks

I don't plan on using it. I thought if I was going to keep it I'd clean it up.    

Thanks again

BR

[Ballpark Frank]

That is a great reel, I have one of a little earlier vintage. You can use it, but be aware that it has no brakes and like reelmechanic said the handle spins when you cast. It would go perfectly on an old True Temper steel shaft casting rod to throw some old plugs like a Jitterbug.

[Pencil Pusher]

I had one these, or one very similar, that I bought in 1971 or 72 at the Woolco store. It does have a drag and some what of a free spool (the handle does not spin when you cast). Look at picture 1: the drag star is on the outside of the handle. The black button in the middle of the handle (with the screw in the middle) is the "free spool" release. You push it in and the reel is in free spool. I am no expert on the inner workings but looking at the other pictures, I would think that every thing other than the handle is still engaged when casting. There is no picture of the other side of the reel but if it is the same as the one I had, it has a large (about the size of a half dollar or a little bigger) that is the cast control knob. It actually was a pretty good reel in its day; not as good as an ambassadeur but not as costly either.

[bassrogue]

I don't have a "True Temper steel shaft casting rod" but I do have a 5'6'' Lews speed stick(pistol grip) and a few old(and new) Jitterbugs.

There is a cast control knob on the other side. Thanks for the heads up I didn't even know that the black center piece on the handle was a button.

As soon a I read that I ran out to the garage to check it out. It does free the spool and the handle does not turn.

Thanks,

BR

[Pencil Pusher]

Funny you should mention the Lew's. That's what I had my reel mounted on!!

[NBR]

I have a Supreme that I bought in about 1952 or earlier. I believe your reel is newer than mine since there are features that look like improvements on yours. I recall very well that my reel cost $35.00. What I can't remember if that was 1 or 2 weeks pay from my summer job. Add inflation to that $35.00 and all of todays reels are bargains.

At the time I bought mine the Pflueger Supreme was the best you could buy in a bait caster but it was followed closely by the Shakespeare President.

As has been said there is no drag. Your thumb was/is the drag. Backlash control was the cast control knob but if you wanted distance you used very little or no cast control knob pressure and either had a very intelligent thumb or a lot of backlashes. And the crank does turn with the spool so you can rap your knuckles with a heavy fish or during the cast.

Grease the gears and oil the bushings (you won't find any bearings) and the level wind screw.

I have tried mine with mono but found that the small diameter (12#) will get between the spool and the housing, then around the shaft. This creates one major mess.

I fish for lake trout very rarely and I'm thinking about spooling up the Supreme on a rod nearly that old with lead core.

When all is said and done you might want to just clean it up and put in a place of honor in your rod rack,

[MickD]

I have 4 of these reels, or a slightly newer version of them.  One was a gift out of the blue from my dad, and at the time, it was state of the art for casting (narrow spool-free spool-with star drag), and I was in hog heaven.  I bought another, and when my father died, I received his two.  They are so special to me, but they certainly cannot compare performance-wise with even the cheapest reels today.

I believe the reel shown in the pics has free spool and a star drag, as someone previously mentioned.

I took one of the wide spool models to Canada to use for walleye trolling not long ago, just  had to get these old gems back in the game, but gave up right away.  The reel handle spans on these are so small compared to modern reels, I just couldn't get used to it.  If anyone knows how to adapt modern handle spans to these reels, I'd like to know.  The free spool release being in the center of the handle complicates the issue.

I'm going to put one of them, along with an old casting lure, into a display box.  They are pretty classy reels, and to me, they have a great history.

Any good reel oil and grease will work fine with these reels-I've cleaned and lubed mine many times.  Just don't expect too much from them-sort of like old cars-nostalgic, classy, and can get you from here to there, but not as well as the new ones.