JOHN EMERY – Islamorada, Fl.
John Emery was a fishing guide in the Florida Keys who designed a heavy-duty direct drive fly fishing reel for tarpon fishing. The project was funded by famous tarpon fisherman, Tom Evans, and the reels were built by Frank Johnson at Mold Craft in Ft. Lauderdale Florida. The reel had a large drag surface and a palming spool which was ventilated to help the line dry faster. Later a bonefish size reel was added to the line-up.
Early Emery reels had a foot that was dove-tailed onto the reel's frame. This design became a problem so Emery recalled as many reels as he could and added screws to secure the foot to the frame.
Emery fly reels came in two sizes, the first reels that John made were the original tarpon size reels and later a bonefish size was added to the line-up.
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John Emery - Tarpon Reel - Early Dovetail Foot - Stu Apte's Reel - Serial No. 070
John Emery - Tarpon Reel - Early Dovetil Foot - Serial No. 225
John Emery - Tarpon Reel - Early Dovetailed Foot - Serial No. 234
John Emery - Bonefish Reel - Serial No. 0005
