Otto Zwarg Model 300 Salmon Reel 1/0

A very nice Otto Zwarg 300 Saguenay model salmon reel in rare 1/0 size. 3 1/8" diameter and set up for RHW. 9.2 oz in weight. Serial #B156, indicating a rare circa-1947 Brooklyn-made reel, and it has the Brooklyn stamp on the oil port as well (after two years of operation in Brooklyn, Zwarg moved his reelmaking operation to Florida in 1947. Zwarg, of course, had been the foreman at the Vom Hofe shop for many years). The reel is in very good overall condition. There is some minor cosmetic wear to the rims and the foot has some mounting marks and perhaps a tiny bit of filing on the very edge of the lip on one side but has not been meaningfully altered. The front plate is excellent, and the backplate has some small scratches and the outline of a line sticker. The red dot indicators for the drag adjuster are largely intact. The drag is excellent with a pleasing click and a surprising sturdiness when increased via the adjuster. Single action retrieve. The reel packs into a Hardy leather block case that is in excellent condition. The Saguenay in 1/0 size is very hard to come by and this is a fine example.

This reel comes from the collection of Dr. Earl Fleegler, a passionate angler and well-known collector in the fly fishing community as well as a renowned hand surgeon. Dr. Fleegler was close friends with a number of angling luminaries including Tom Maxwell, Vince Marinaro, and Stan Bogdan (among others) and devoted considerable effort to collecting some of the finest tackle available from masters of the craft.