Welcome to the Reel World

The Gem Winder

On September 21, 1915, Henry Manning of New Haven, Connecticut patented what he called his “Fish Line Reel Holder”. In this patent (#1,154,123) Manning pictures and describes a very complex “device for holding a reel which may be readily clamped to a fish pole, if desired, or to be used without the pole for drop-line fishing”.

                I am not sure if Henry every produced his “Fish Line Reel Holder” as he envisioned it, for I have never seen a device such as shown in the patent drawing. However, parts of his invention were put on the market.

                The first reference to his patent that I have noted is in the 1919 Edward Vom Hofe catalog. In this catalog we find a “Level Reel Winder”. This winder “winds and spools your line without thumbing or fingering. Can be attached to any ordinary reel, and prevents backlash snarls.” The “Winder” did not open your beer bottle, but apparently did everything else a plug caster could want. 

                The description went on to state that “You cast in the ordinary way, then simply turn your reel handle, the winder does the rest. The arm of the winder moves from side to side and spools the line evenly without bunching. The line passes through an agate rimmed eye in the arm of the winder, preventing friction. The winder does not interfere in the least with casting.”

 The next reference to Manning’s device that I have found is for the “Gem Self Winder” which was advertised in the most of the major outdoor magazines in 1923. This device is identical to the one offered in the Edw. Vom Hofe catalog. The example in my own gadget collection is stamped “Gem Self Winder” on the face. It is shown in the photograph above. This winder is also stamped “Pat. Sept 21, 1915” on the bottom of the foot. Thus this Gem Self Winder is an offshoot of the original Henry Manning patent.

                Never having seen any directions for the Gem Self Winder, I am not positive as to how it was used. However, I wanted to put the winder to work, and see if it really worked. The only way I could see to attach the winder to a reel was to drill holes in the reel’s foot. Not wanting to do such a thing to any of the reels in my collection, I attached the Gem Self Winder to my reel with tape. The base of the winder fits into a rod’s reel seat, and another plate swivels back and forth on a rivet attached to the center of a second plate. The winding level pivots back and forth as the upper plate swivels. I attached a Meisselbach Takapart reel to the winder with Scotch tape.

                                It was amazing! Although the winder has no gears, or mechanical mechanism to it, it occulted back and forth and spooled on line. Actually, the reel also swings back and forth a slight amount as you reel. The pressure you put on the handle when reeling pivots the reel and the winding arm swings back and forth  from the front pivot.

                It is easy to see why the winder was not a big seller. Even though it seems that lots of people drilled holes in reel feet, I don’t think that most people wanted to do so.  Also, level winding reels had become quite successful by the 1920s, and the days of the non level winder were fading into the sunset. The Gem Self Winder was a clever idea that came a couple of decades too late.