Description
ST. CROIX LEGEND SERIES FLY ROD AND PFLUEGER MEDALIST 1594RC FLY REEL COMBO WITH DB DUN PREMIUM ROD AND REEL CASE, PRE-OWNED
ST. CROIX FLY ROD FEATURES:
- St. Croix Legend Series IM-S graphite blank L8656
- Line weight 5/6
- 10 guides total – 1 dark gray metal guide with SIC insert + 8 snake guides + 1 tip top
- 8 foot 6 inch 2 piece blank
- Dark brown blank with beautiful burgundy & gold wrapping
- Hook keeper for keeping hooks safe and secure
- The Rolls Royce of fly rods*
1500 SERIES RIM CONTROL FLY REELS • Aluminum alloy spool and frame with non-reflective black finish • Exposed rim control spool with counter-balance for additional control • Push button quick-release spool • Externally mounted adjustable drag • Convertible left/right-hand retrieve
The 1980’s and 90’s Pflueger Medalist
Example Shown 1494½ “CJ”
In 1979 Anthony Industries of Los Angeles, CA purchased 35% of Shakespeare Company stock. In 1982, Shakespeare closed the offices and production facilities in Arkansas and moved its corporate offices to Columbia, S.C. Some manufacturing was moved overseas at this time, and among the products that were now produced off-shore was the Pflueger Medalist fly reel.
The “Made In U.S.A.” stamp on the spool latch cover was reworked to simply say “Pflueger Medalist” with some slight font changes. The color of the spool latch cover and handle moved towards a cooler white from the cream white of the DA that had itself descended from the ivory of the “Akron” and earlier generations. The drag spring cam is the final piece to move from bronze to aluminum, and the stamped characters on the reel rim loose definition as the overall fit and finish gain both a high-volume-production consistency and mass-produced blandness. This is a dependable and predictable reel that somehow has lost the “mojo” of its ancestors. The Pflueger Medalist lost much of its standing in the realm of “serious”
fly reels during the last decade of the 20th Century when a new generation of CNC and computer-designed complex drag reels invaded ever more affordable price levels. Where once the mega-brand Orvis had commissioned a trade version of the Medalist, it now kicked it to the curb with the off-set drag Battenkill at a $100 retail price point.
A variation in the Medalist family is released during this production period, as well. The Medalist model numbers 1594, 1594½, 1595 and 1595½ are resurrected with an “RC” suffix and now have a “Palming Rim” spool design and spool counterweight allowing easy control of drag pressure by the reel hand in the case of an aggressive run. This is a useful design enhancement that makes the reel highly functional during those times when the battle is about sheer power. The brake drum-break and shoe design of the Medalist has a limit on its maximum available drag pressure. While additional finger pressure was always an option, the exposed palming rim really makes manual control of the reel easier and more confident.
