1/25/2022 | Mark Hanson, Curator

Spring is just around the corner with much nicer weather for fishing.

The Champaign County Forest Preserve District has many places to fish, and the museum’s collections help preserve that recreational legacy.

Shown here is a Langley Model 310 KB casting reel, c. 1955. Prior to World War II, the Langley Company made dental equipment, but produced aluminum aircraft parts during the war. The company began making fishing reels to capitalize on a post-war recreational fishing boom. Compared to modern bait cast reels, the model 310 is quite rudimentary. It is primarily aluminum, with no advanced anti-backlash control or conventional drag. The reel also uses a click and pawl system to prevent the spool from freely spinning. However, for its time, the 310 was lightweight, durable, and affordable at $12.50. It became incredibly popular and quite common. In 1962, Langley came under the auspices of the Zebco Company, and soon vanished from the fishing scene.

Some collectors and enthusiasts still fish with these reels today!