Edward vom Hofe
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In the late 19th century, Edward vom Hofe (1839-1920), a New York watchmaker, machinist, fishing tackle builder and noted big game angler who outfitted the famous anglers of his generation, introduced his first two fly reels, starting his own business in 1867. Edward vom Hofe had become famous for his precision salt water big game bait and casting reels constructed of nickel silver and hard rubber (ebonite), along with a mysterious and recently discovered metal named aluminum.
The handmade fly reels, both named "The Edward vom Hofe Celebrated Trout and Bass Fly Reel," were an immediate success and over a 100 years later they are still generally considered by sportsmen and collectors around the world as the ultimate reels for trout fishing. The salmon size versions of the these reels followed soon afterwards, and they are held in equally high esteem. For the informed enthusiast, there is Edward vom Hofe, and then there is everyone else.
The first of these reels, the #355, a click reel without a drag system, with a patent date of 1883, was joined around 1896 by the greatest fly reel of all time, the model #360, equipped with an "adjustable, automatic silent tension drag" system. To distinguish the two different styles, later models of the #355 were designated as the "Peerless" and #360 became the "Perfection." The Perfection is surely the most radical and most refined fly reel ever produced.
Original Perfection fly reels in respectable condition trade for $5,000 to over $10,000; the simple Peerless tops out at $4,000, and the Restigouche and other salmon reels, being more plentiful and possibly worn through use, but mainly because they are larger and lack the compact intensity of the trout reels, only reach $2,500.
The harmonious balance and elegance of the ebonite and nickel silver, later "white metal," fly reels with their tapered "S" shaped handle became the aesthetic ideal for well over 100 years. Many reel makers have attempted to emulate this ideal, but only a very few have succeeded. While some progress was made over the years to produce a pretty "Edward-style fly reel" that resembled the Peerless, the challenge of discovering the secrets of the Perfection drag or tension system remained unmet. One or two of vom Hofe' s successors used the system in salmon reels, but not in trout reels.
In 2005, Edward vom Hofe was posthumously inducted into the International Game Fish Association Hall of Fame.
