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Norm MacDonald 3" Bench-Made Trout Fly Reel
$ 1,000
VFT337
For sale here is a very scarce fly reel from Norm MacDonald of Canada. 3.00" diameter, 0.80" spool width. Weight __ oz. Simple click/pawl style - incoming and ongoing click. Palmable spool design. A truly flawless handmade reel, although you may find a stray handling mark or two. Right hand retrieve only. Anodized for saltwater use.
Norm MacDonald didn't make many reels and they are very rarely found on the secondary market. Bench-made and tight tolerances!
The below bio was copied from the now defunct Granville Island Sport Fishing Museum website......and the article from Vancouver Sun.
Norm McDonald was a master machinist and an avid sport fisherman for most of his life. He fly fished mainly in Ontario and later in BC and the Northwest of the U.S.
Sometime in the 1950's, he decided to try his hand at improving upon the fly reels he had been using and proceeded to machine and assemble reels of his own design. He made a few reels for himself and gave a few as gifts to selected friends.
The regional Sales Manager for Orvis at the time was given a Norm McDonald fly reel by George Keough who was a noted fly fisherman, as well as being an Orvis Sales Representative, and a friend and fishing partner of Norm.
The reel came to the attention of Orvis President, Lee Perkins., who asked about the maker. Eventually, Lee Perkins found out the reel had been designed and made in Vancouver, Canada by Norm McDonald and Perkins tried without success to get McDonald to make reels for the Orvis company's special clients. It is a testament to Norm's skill that his reels are so highly prized.
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Shipping Information
- We ship at cost to the buyer and in the majority of cases do so via UPS with full insurance and signature. There are cheaper options but our experience has been that you get what you pay for and that it's not worth taking risks when shipping what are often one-of-a-kind items. Your shipping estimate will be calculated at checkout and if you have any questions please contact us. Please note the buyers are responsible for any applicable import duties or fees that may levied. Due to the importance of packing items carefully please allow up to two weeks for arrival (depending on how busy we are) though we certainly do our best to get items to you as expeditiously as possible.
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Other Terms
- Unless otherwise noted, all items come with a 3-day inspection period during which they can be returned to us for a full refund (provided that they are in the same condition in which they left our shop). Return shipping is the responsibility of the buyer. If an item is returned, we will issue a refund within 10 days upon receipt. Refunds will be either administered by providing a check or, when possible, by canceling a credit card purchase.