Abercrombie & Fitch 200/6 Spinner

[Paul Roberts]

This past winter I picked up, and fixed up, an A&F 200/6 and... like it! Although the internals are in good shape, it's just a tad noisy (grindy) by more modern standards, I believe owing to the straight bevel gearing. But it's not excessive and I think it's a cool looking -pretty- reel, and I want to fish it. So I finally did.

This A&F version (and the Langley 830) boasted a self-centering rotor and full-time anti-reverse. As a confirmed -almost religious- back-reeler, this is... blasphemy! So I removed the offending AR parts (saved if I ever decide to pass the reel on to someone else). So, to have an AR to keep the line and lure in check when not actively fishing it, I affixed a classy black hair band to the rod handle to hold the reel handle in check. Tighten the line (via the drag) and I can stash the rod until it's needed again.

The reel has a slow IPT which is just fine for cold water crankbaiting. A particular plug I really like for cold weather cranking is an old (1980's) Natural Ike, a square-billed, flat-sided, Tom Seward design (a Master designer). It casts like a potato chip, if I'm not careful, and requires a slow retrieve, being unstable in water as well as air. But therein lies its effectiveness; It wriggles and "hunts". Killer.

[Paul Roberts]

Anyone else seeing duplicate images at end of posts? It's not only my thread. Is it just me? 

[Midway Tommy]

Some silly technicality, Paul. For some reason the only cure, until a techno person fixes it, is to preview the post before posting and delete one of them.

[Gfish]

Nice. Nice looking fishing spot.
What's a "self centering bail"?
So, Langley make this one for A&F?

[Paul Roberts]

It's an OK pond, so far. Growth rates appear to be poor, with mostly small skinny bass. The caveat is that it lies right out the back door of our new home.

Self-centering rotor/bail means the AR stops the pick-up at the top, ready for your finger to pick up the line. The "trigger" reels that were all the rage (at least to marketers) in the 80's did this too. Can create slack if you don't mind that rotor.

It's the Langley 830 Spin Deluxe, in A&F clothing. The model was kept on for a bit by Zebco after they acquired Langley. Not sure of the dates. Tommy likely knows.

[Midway Tommy]

The Zebco 830 Spin Deluxe first showed up in their 1963 catalog. The last year it was in a Zebco catalog was 1968. 

[Paul Roberts]

Thanks, Tom. I'm a bit surprised it hung on til '68. Then again, maybe not. It's fishable, but... slow and "grindy" by the... progressively more modern standards that followed. I really like the looks of the reel and will continue to use it.

[DougK]

very nice..

I have the A&F 150 Three, has that same antireverse, and the grindy gears.. in fact went out and bought a Zebco 850 to replace the gears. Shimming the main gear, between gear and housing, also seems to help a bit.

[Paul Roberts]

Thanks, Doug. Is the Zebco any different? I guess it could be as much as 20yrs newer. I had been looking at the 850/150-3 too. They are cool looking reels.

[Midway Tommy]

very nice..

I have the A&F 150 Three, has that same antireverse, and the grindy gears.. in fact went out and bought a Zebco 850 to replace the gears. Shimming the main gear, between gear and housing, also seems to help a bit.

What happened to the paint on the 850? Is it a Langley with a Zebco side plate? All the Zebco 850s had a black textured finish just like the A&F.

[Gfish]

It's an OK pond, so far. Growth rates appear to be poor, with mostly small skinny bass. The caveat is that it lies right out the back door of our new home.

Self-centering rotor/bail means the AR stops the pick-up at the top, ready for your finger to pick up the line. The "trigger" reels that were all the rage (at least to marketers) in the 80's did this too. Can create slack if you don't mind that rotor.

It's the Langley 830 Spin Deluxe, in A&F clothing. The model was kept on for a bit by Zebco after they acquired Langley. Not sure of the dates. Tommy likely knows.

Yeah.  I noticed the tree 🌲 species and the steep banks. Lack of a good littoral zone(where sunlight penetrates to the bottom near the shoreline)can inhibit productivity.

[Paul Roberts]

Yeah.  I noticed the tree 🌲 species and the steep banks. Lack of a good littoral zone(where sunlight penetrates to the bottom near the shoreline)can inhibit productivity.

There is enough littoral area due to a shallow inlet area, a wetland end, and the pond only averages 7ft deep, 10ft max. There are reasonable numbers of adult bluegills, but they are on the small side, ~4". Possibly, it's an overall fertility issue due to all the leaf, twig and branch, litter that has built up and decaying slowly? Will probably do some water quality testing. Winter, and possibly summer, stress could be an added issue, due to the forest litter load and amount of ice cover. We had a foot of ice on this winter, and it held on well into March bc of the tall trees all around -little sun or wind. There are a few other possible factors too. Remains to be seen. It's certainly close enough by to warrant some work.

[DougK]

What happened to the paint on the 850? Is it a Langley with a Zebco side plate? All the Zebco 850s had a black textured finish just like the A&F.

I think some previous owner, decided it would look better shiny than black. There is still some black texture in the nooks and crannies of the reel. Then someone dropped it and busted off the foot, made it a parts reel..

Of course I still serviced it so it's running nicely now.

[Paul Roberts]

I think some previous owner, decided it would look better shiny than black. There is still some black texture in the nooks and crannies of the reel. Then someone dropped it and busted off the foot, made it a parts reel..

Of course I still serviced it so it's running nicely now.

There will likely be an 850 parts reel for a replacement body up on ebay at some point. Needing to be polished, it could possibly be taken from a Langley, Zebco, or A&F. Of course, then you have a polishing job to do. I recently attempted it on a single inner side plate from a Pflueger 2573 as a replacement to match a polished narrow spool version I have. The result wasn't a perfect match, but is passable, and... the reel works like a charm now.

[Gfish]

Yeah.  I noticed the tree 🌲 species and the steep banks. Lack of a good littoral zone(where sunlight penetrates to the bottom near the shoreline)can inhibit productivity.

There is enough littoral area due to a shallow inlet area, a wetland end, and the pond only averages 7ft deep, 10ft max. There are reasonable numbers of adult bluegills, but they are on the small side, ~4". Possibly, it's an overall fertility issue due to all the leaf, twig and branch, litter that has built up and decaying slowly? Will probably do some water quality testing. Winter, and possibly summer, stress could be an added issue, due to the forest litter load and amount of ice cover. We had a foot of ice on this winter, and it held on well into March bc of the tall trees all around -little sun or wind. There are a few other possible factors too. Remains to be seen. It's certainly close enough by to warrant some work.

Bluegills are such prolific little so & so's, they can take-over. Is there a good protected place for either species to spawn? Kinda sounds like it's too cold for Bass/Bluegill—-they may have to give-up alota body-mass to survive the Winter.