Edsall/Bristol Combination Rod & Reel
On September 3, 1901,
Seely Edsall of Plainfield, New Jersey was granted a patent for a
combination fishing rod and reel. This patent, No. 681,687 applied for on
April 17, 1900, was for a method of attaching a standard multiplying reel to
a rod handle in a permanent manner without using a foot. The patent rights
were purchased by the Horton Manufacturing Company, and their refinement of
the Edsall rod and reel was manufactured for several years by Horton.
The Bristol Combination Reel and Handle improved the Edsall design by
using the standard Bristol rod handle and attaching the reel mounting
brackets to the fore grip and the butt grip. A reel, which appears to be a
contract reel from Montague, was then screwed to the brackets. There are
identical handles stamped with either Edsall's or Bristol's name on the reel
tailplate.
The reel had a 4:1 gear ratio, and a back sliding click and drag. The
reel was a number 3 size, with its capacity listed as 80 to 100 yards.
Horton sold the reel and handle with their standard grip materials:
Maple,
cork, or a spiral wound celluloid. The handle was sold separately or could
be ordered with any Bristol steel rod for an additional price of $4.50. This
provision means that today's collectors might find this rod and reel
combination in any version from an 8-1/2 foot Henshall bait rod to a four
foot casting rod; or even with another manufacturer's rod on the handle.
The Edsall/Bristol Combination Reel and Handle was apparently not very
successful, and was gone from their rod catalogs by 1920. Consequently, this
combination outfit is quite scarce today.
Below are some photos of the Bristol version in my collection:
