The Saltssar Sea Fishing Reel

By John Stephenson

The Saltssar Sea Fishing Reel is the reel that started me on my collecting journey 35 years ago. It was given to me by an elderly chap as a thank you for my efforts re-building his old cane rod. Thinking both items were worth a fortune, I gave them both the respect they deserved.

The reel has sat in one of my cabinets for all that time. However when doing the regular 35-year clean this week(!), I discovered with a magnifying glass the name was Saltssar and not Saltsgar as I had thought all these years. Not that it makes any difference, because I can’t find any information about it anyway. There is a large two letter BL trade mark on the front faceplate too.

It’s a 6” diameter mahogany Scarborough pattern sea reel, with a screw-off central boss and a large screw over a fibre washer underside. A lead balance weight in the drum core shows some finesse has been employed during its manufacture.

I have seen 2 or 3 others with different spellings, including one with T Walker, Scarborough.

So does anyone have any solid information on this reel? Just to satisfy my now active curiosity.


Do you have any vintage or classic modern fishing tackle to sell?

We are always interested in purchasing high quality vintage or modern tackle items. If you have a collection or an individual item to sell please get in touch. You can use our contact form, or email me at john@thomasturner.comPlease include some good clear images, watch our helpful video for some advice on that. We will get right back to you by phone or email.