Leonard Mills, Model 50 Reel As a boy in the 1940s I fished with my father and fondly remember his prized reel, a Leonard Mills Reel, Model 50. As soon as I could, I bought one for myself and used it for many years. When I became Vice President of H. L. Leonard Rod Company they were no longer having these reels made or selling them. While there I learned all I could from company records about the reels and found there were some left over parts.
A few years later I bought a brand new Leonard Mills Model
50 from Tom Bailey who worked at H.L. Leonard Rod Company
for a few years then for Jim Payne for almost 40 years. After
Jim Payne died in 1968 Tom Bailey came back and worked for
H.L. Leonard until they closed.
A few years after leaving H.L. Leonard, in 1981, I decided
to make a few Model 50 reels. I copied the new model 50 Reel
I bought from Tom and with the few original parts and made
about twenty from 1990 to 1997.
Now I have produced 200 replica Leonard Mills, Model 50 reels.
They are identical to the original Leonard Mills reels except
for a few material changes, in fact many of the parts are
interchangeable with the original Leonard Model 50's. There
is no common steel used in the new reels. Nothing that can
corrode in fresh water.
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The Leonard Mills Replica Reels I am producing look identical
to the original. They sound exactly like the original and weigh
the same as the original. I feel that the machining, using modern
CNC machines and improvements in materials, make them even a
better reel.
 The price is $495.00
For information please call: or Bob Selb: 215-896-1158
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