Plueger Medalist

[gee]

Can I get some input about the Plueger Medalist? Are the older "made in USA" models better for the salt? Did they make a rim-drag "made in the USA"? Are the versions without the rim drag adequate? If so can you add some manual friction-drag while fighting a fish?
Thanks In advance
Gee

[tclprin]

I began with an inexpensive P. Medalist..take very good care of all my equipment, wash after every trip, stored in garge between trips. Since I am not a poster-boy for fly fishing, but enjoy it when the opportunity avails, I went cheapo for my boat. The reel was on board for all trips, usually 3 per week all summer.

Anyway, my Medalist froze from corrosion within 2 years. The paint peeld off, and it was a mess. I literally threw it away! The drag mechanism worked OK when it was functional.

Good luck.

Tom LaLiberte

[scruffy_fish]

One of the first cheap (inexpensive) salterwater reels. The 1495 !/2 Model with a slight modification was one of my first salt reels, and I still use it after 40 years. :) The early models I think are slightly better but I have used both the Japanize and the old US. As to the previous post; I don't now of any reel that would stand up to saltwater without some care.

The modificaton is super gluing a quarter opposite the spool handle, it acts as a balance weight for the spool when spinning. --125-3

[dudley]

Lefty, in his book "Fly fishing in salt water" discribes how to cut a slot in the back plate of a medalist to use as a thumb drag. I did this on all my medalists and it works like a charm. You have excelent control, far better than the 1500 rim control.
When I used a medalist as my main sw reel I would wash it in dish water and oil it after every use. It would still corrode the paint off here and there, but they are still very useable.
This taught me a good lesson on how to treat my pricer reels.

[ned]

Fished a Pflueger Medalist for 5 seasons hard before it gave way to corrossion. Paint peeled off. after every trip i'd wash it clean with water and then rub it down with WD40. Key ingrediant in the WD 40 is Fish Oil. It repels water like silicon. The only thing i didn't like about it was it is a sand trap on the beaches, bars, and backwaters.

They are making another reel specifically for salt now. Priced around $99 with a large arbor and adonized aluminum finish. I think the name of it is the Pflueger TRION. cabela's has it on line.