Johnson Reel Collectors Assn. (J.R.C.A.) since 10/10/14
The Johnson Story => Johnson Reel Discussions => Topic started by: Huckster37 on March 07, 2017, 05:24:08 AM
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Let's see how many serious Johnson Reel Collectors we have.
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I'm checkin' in with 60 complete reels and about eight parts reels.
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Counting the ones that work, 83 more than my wife thinks I should have!
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Final count, "58". It was more but I have given many of them away.
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i have not counted for quite some time. but i know there are at least 75 and probably closer to 100
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Prior to 1 Aug of this year........0
Hovering at 52 presently
Hope everything is going well for you guys
Gary
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Hey Gary,
Looks like you caught it as bad as me and Chuck.
Dennis
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I'm hovering somewhere in the 50's. Ranges from a Model 80 Sidewinder to Asian Sabra 4, 6 and 10, Century C200B and C300B. The Asian reels don't see much action, for obvious reasons.
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Dennis is correct! Once I got started I caught the fever big time! Currently have around 160 ranging from several 10A Sidewinders up through almost all models into the early 1980s. After that time frame, I am not interested. I also not only want the reels but the boxes and papers that went with them so over half fit that category. Best find was the 10A prototype. I thoroughly enjoy the hunt. Most have come from eBay but many also have come from garage sales which amazed me what I have come across there. After acquisition comes the disassembly and review of the engineering.Some I got for peanuts and some I paid way way too much for! I have slowed down on purchases and am starting to review getting rid of the many lessor duplicates and ones that once I have seen how they work inside no longer intrigue me. My wife would suggest that would mean getting rid of around 160! This is a great hobby! I have learned a bunch from guys like Dennis and Skip and Al and several others who are great friends as well!
Chuck
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I look at the older ones myself. Only the ones made in the USA.
I started off buying them because I thought they would work out well for my granddaughters, ease of operation, quality stuff, last a lifetime, etc. But....then I just kept buying stuff here and there.
I'm not married, so I have no throttle. I have to slap myself around. I've slowed down some already. I just look for reels that I don't have or something unique or in excellent shape.
I would like to find the correct boxes and papers for some of my nicer reels. But most of the boxes on eBay are either in pretty bad shape or they want some stiff prices. So....just window shopping on those.
I retired two and a half years ago. But I spend most of my time up helping out parents. Mom is 91, Dad 89. And there is a stepmom thing too. But, someday I intend to buy and RV and do some traveling. Who knows, I might meet up with you guys down the road and you can show me how it's done.
Hope you all have a great weekend
Gary
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Hi, Gary! I retired early, nine years ago, at age 62. Haven't regretted it for one moment. I often find myself wondering how I found time to work for a living for 35-some years, because of all of the volunteer work I do.
I started collecting Johnson reels in the mid-1980's. The collection has waxed and waned over the years, but has always been there. Like you, I have no throttle. I'm a bachelor, so I have 15 reels lined up on the kitchen counter, waiting to be cleaned up and preserved or lubed for fishing. If I'd had a wife, I'd probably be divorced by now.
When you get your RV, if you ever get to SW MO, holler at me....we have great fishin' down here!
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There are advantages to being single.
I bought a wheel barrow at Home Depot. Brought it home and put it together in the living room because it was about 95 outside. When I got done I leaned it up against the wall. It's still there, haven't used it yet.
I have some resurfaced brake rotors on my kitchen floor. And I use my kitchen table as the Johnson inspection, lubrication station.
I'm redoing my master bed/bath and garage right now. So my whole house is sort of in chaos. Texturing scheduled for Saturday. I'll paint the whole garage, again, after that. Then the cabinets, etc start going up. Hard to make progress when I spend most of my time up helping out the parents. Every time I come down I try to get as much done as I can. Keeps me out of trouble.
Hope you guys have a great day
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The kitchen table is my reel work station, too, Gary. The top of the table is a dark woodgrain laminate, so I went to the local newspaper and got the tag end of a roll of blank newspaper to use as a work surface. It's light-colored and absorbs oil. Perfect! I clean the reels in the kitchen sink. That, by itself, would cause most housewives to go postal. I do use a wash basin to keep parts from disappearing.
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Latest update/Report on the sickness/addiction
I have 89 reels.
6 have issues. Broken off feet, etc and are parts reels only.
83 function/usable in various states of perfection
Signed
The "Sicko"
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It seems that there are enough of us "afflicted", we could start our own sanitarium!
Skip
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I currently have seven Johnson reels: my first, a Century 100B 40th Anniversary model; two Made in the USA 45th Anniversary models; two Made in the USA 100DLX; a Model 80 and a Century 115.
I have fished with all of the reels, except for the 115. I'm planning on getting a 200B next year because I like the look of it.
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I finally got around to counting my reels. Unlike most of you guys, I am not retired and do have a boss of the female type at home. Despite this, I have accumulated 104 Johnson reels. I have The greatest majority of models, but am missing a few. I have many multiples especially citations, sabra's and century's. .
whoops found some more, guess i will add those next time..
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End of year final tally
92 Johnson Reels
8 are parts reels and will probably never ride atop a reel or reel in a trophy sized trout.
84 are ready to take on any challenge. Although, some of those are in the collectible category and will remain on the shelf too.
The ones I plan to use are some 40th Anniversary Century's and some Citations. That because I can switch the handle for left hand retrieve.
Hope you guys had a good 2018. Tomorrow starts a new year with new adventures over the horizon.
I'm glad I found the group. I've obviously never met of you but you all seem to be pretty good Joe's.
Happy New Year
Gary
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I have approximately 80 Johnson reels. Six are on rods, some are for parts, some incomplete.
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I have 80 Johnson reels but 13 are parts reels only. Some I have had and used since the 1970's. Only one is not "made in USA" that big GOLD thing was just too pretty to skip: Johnson MAXXUM. I have many other models but generally pick a couple from this list that are already on a matched rod and have line installed: Century 100b, Citation 110b, Sabra 710b, Guide 160 or Sabra 130b and just to play I will add my Shimano AX UL-S with 4lb test.
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:) Don't know don't care. I have a bunch, but to busy fishing with them to find them all and count them. I also like L. M. Dickson reels. Smooth and dependable. I like the wishbone drag. Some of my favorites to get out are the Whirlaways by great lakes. What a hoot to fish with. I have about 6 f these. The rod looks like you have a balloon on a stick. I have Johnsons mostly. I just cleaned up a SABRA I picked up on ebay. What a caster. And the retrieve is faster than most reels I think. 8) I particularly like this little L. M. Dickson "BRAVO" pictured below. Looks like a Johnson, I thought it was at first. What a nice caster. I used it quite a bit then started saving it because I have not seen another one. Also below are a stack of working reels on various old rods. I like the old rods and try them with different reels. ::)
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Nice assortment of vintage rods/reels, Hook! I'm another fan of vintage rods, especially Eagle Claw.
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I like those L.M. Dickson too.
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Tally for 13 February
129 Johnson Reels
8 are parts reels and will probably never be used
121 that I think are usable. But I still need to install line and make sure they work correctly. I've stripped, cleaned and lubed them, but so I discovered, that's not the end of the story. Some I thought were good to go proved otherwise. Still at the drawing board.
I would prefer to be out fishing like Hook. But I spend most of my time taking care of three parents and not able to slip away easily. I buy the reels to have something I'm interested in doing during times when I actually get some time to myself.
One of these days you may feel a vacuum and wonder....what happened to all the fish? Answer, Gary is at play cleaning out all the fishing holes.
Until then, please share your fishing stories. I will read with envy.
Gary
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Hi, Gary! I probably have more reels (mostly Johnson) than I'll ever live long enough to fish with all of them. I tend to leave a reel on a rod for 2-3 seasons before rotating them into the collection. When I dismantle and clean a reel that I'm not going to use for a while, rather than apply proper grease and oil, I coat moving parts with Vaseline. It preserves, without hardening. When I'm ready to fish with a "preserved" reel, warm soapy water easily strips the Vaseline, I apply correct lubes and I'm ready to go.
I also "field test" newly-reworked reels on dry land with a practice plug, rather than get to a fishing site, only to find my tackle isn't right.
Skip
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Skip
Field testing is a good idea. That's the part I haven''t done yet. But I'm going save that for when I'm down home and and not at my parents place.
We normally do a family fishing/camping trip in June. If we go, I plan on taking several rods with Johnson reels on them to try out. Not sure if Dad will be up to going though. Just have to stay tuned and see what happens.
Thank you
Gary
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There's a large open area in the City Park that is good for test-casting outfits. I'd been using a neighbor's side yard, but he put up a big shop building.
I'd rather find probs with reels close to home and not waste a fishing trip.
Your family trip next summer sounds fun! I hope your Dad can join you.
Skip
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My first Johnson reels was the ones from Skip in 2015. I had never owned or used a spin cast a spincast reel in my life. Now I have about 20 plus Johnson reels. It’s all the fault of Skip. (Love them 😍)
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I plead guilty as charged. Ron said he couldn't find Johnson spincast reels in the Bay Area, so I sent him a couple of Mid-West/Great Plains Johnsons. I'm glad you love 'em, Ron!
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I counted 21 Johnson reels. I probably have the least here.
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I own only 21. :-[
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21 Johnson reels is a good number for the Bay Area, Ron! I can't even find 'em very often in flea markets/thrift stores around here. Zebco HQ is in Tulsa, OK, about two hours' drive away, so this is Zebco country.
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Almost 2 dozen collectively marked 100, 100A, 100B, 40th Anniversary and 45th Anniversary.
Add another half dozen Citations or other misc. models.
Lastly, I have at least 3 of the "sidewinders" in one model or the other.
So total around 33 without going and actually digging all of them out.
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I have at last count 30. I tend to like guides and sabra and accucast reels. Also have several crappie pros, strike , force , century, sprint and uni-spin. My favorites are the guide 160, accucast 150a and sabra 130b. I also collect Johnson hats and have a crappiethon and wallython hat. Also have a Johnson patch and a Johnson motor patch that has a sparkly bass on it. My wife also thinks I'm crazy as I've accumulated all of these in 2019 and maybe I am !!!
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Same problem here. A word of advice, when she asks you how many reels do you need, don't ask her how many shoes and purses do you need. I did that and got the cold shoulder for a couple weeks.
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I just counted about 80 reels, plus about a dozen incomplete parts reels.
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I am now well over 100. I collected a ton and enjoyed tearing them apart looking at how they worked and evolved over time. And enjoyed finding rare ones. So now is the time to downsize. The problem for me is which ones do I really want to sell!! I will never get back what I paid for most of them but that is OK as long as others can benefit. I am guessing it will take a bit for me to really get serious about selling! But once it goes on the auction block, it stays there until it goes!
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I haven't kept up so much with how many I currently have, I can tell you that it's north of insanity though! Lol. You definitely have more than a couple of the hard to find reels I've been keeping an eye out for Chuck. If you decide to part with some of those I'll be bidding for sure.
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I'm beginning to think about downsizing, too. I'm 72 y.o. and looking ahead to selling this 3 BR, 1 1/2 bath house at some point. I probably need to downsize to 3 rods and, at most, 6 reels. Y'all are gonna have to help me out here.
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I forgot a Johnson reel winder also. Nearly all of the reels that I've bought on EBay are under $20. Not counting shipping, which can be all over the place. I'm still pursuing a reasonable Seville 170 and a Century 345 ,among others. Collecting fishing reels is like baseball cards, If you sell them, you don't have them !!!
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Skip Smith, hopefully you continue to collect and enjoy the Johnson reels for many more years. Your a great contributor to the hobby. I've only been collecting for about 1 1/2 years now and I'm definitely going to have to trim the collection down with all the multiples I have. Beefbuyer, I'll try and let you know if I end up getting rid of one of mine. Which style Century 345 are you looking for?
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I guess your referring to the bright or dull red ? I have a Force 525R that has the similar red sticker on the top as the bright red one . The bright red kind of matches the Guide 160 also. So I guess I'd prefer the bright red one. Of course beggars can't be choosers ! I was runner up on one on eBay awhile back but unsuccessful.
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Thank you for the kind words, David! It was just a fluke that I thought to contact Johnson Reels Customer Service in the late 1980's and ask for copies of catalogs, schematics and parts lists, and another fluke that a very nice Johnson Fishing employee named Irene Uhde took the time to photocopy them and send them to me. It's been my pleasure to share those documents and "stuff" I've learned about Johnson reels over the last 30+ years with fellow fanatics. Tight lines, my friend!
Skip Smith