Up Close with a Vom Hofe

[Reeltyme]

I thought some of our new friends might enjoy an inside view of a conventional reel. The reel below is a Vom Hofe 621 series size 3. Probably late 20's to mid 30's. The reel can actually be dated based on the serial number on the foot however I don't have access to that information at this time. A note of interest is that at some stage of its life, someone removed the anti clicker throw lever on the rear plate and filled the hole with a plug. The 621 series of reels ran from a 1/0 size o the 9/0 size. Vom Hofe reels are some of the finest crafted reels ever made. If you enjoy collecting vintage reels and have the opportunity to purchase one of the Vom Hofe reels, do it. The quality and craftsmanship of these reels will amaze you. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

[jurelometer]

Thanks for posting this!

It looks to me like the pinion is stationary, and the reel goes from freespool to engaged when  that round plate with four holes is shifted toward the spool and engages with two or four pins on the side of the spool.  Is that right?

If so, it seems like the reel was not intended to be left in freespool while fishing.

So many different models from Vom Hofe.  That guy must have really liked designing reels.

-J

[Reeltyme]

J.
There are 2 pins on the spool to engage. So you are correct and it was not intended to be left in free spool for trolling. I would guess that a lite drag would be used for trolling.

[Gfish]

Nice and clean for its age. The construction looks great. Gear ratio 'bout 3:1? The attachment of the stand doesn't look too strong, the 2-attachment points are pretty close together. What kinna drag washers does it have?

[Brewcrafter]

That is a beautiful reel! - john

[Reeltyme]

Nice and clean for its age. The construction looks great. Gear ratio 'bout 3:1? The attachment of the stand doesn't look too strong, the 2-attachment points are pretty close together. What kinna drag washers does it have?

G, It has 2 fiber drags, 1 on top of the main gear and 1 on the bottom. The top is also covered with a brass plate, then an unsealed bearing on to of that. One of the more fun" parts to reassemble!

[Patudo]

Wow.  What a fascinating piece of history.  What sort of size would your reel be - and how does it perform - would it still be effective for its intended purpose?