Fred G Shaw Fly reel c 1915

I’ve been waiting for one of these to land on my desk for years. A scarce alloy fly reel made by Rueben Heaton of Birmingham to the specification of Fredrick G Shaw, author, angler and casting champion.

Shaw was a lover of Hardy tackle and a devotee of the Hardy Special Perfect, which bears more than a passing resemblance to this one.

At 3-1/4” diameter and with a wide drum it’s a very practical, flexible reel for many line sizes.

He also designed a drum style spinning reel, again made by Heatons and rarer than this fly reel.

The check mechanism is accessed under the face plate and doesn’t encroach on the reel’s capacity.

Sadly, a rim crack is evident, but it doesn’t affect the reel’s integrity, such is the engineering quality of Heaton.

Values in the hundreds, lower because of the crack, but front facing in the cabinet only you will know!