Swallow centre pin reels

[Mark Swaby]

About 10 years ago i bought a new 'swallow' pin at the Barbel society show the engineer was a Polish man i think, who had taken over the company.The pin was a 'special' set up specifically for float fishing,and it really shows,putting any other trotting pins to shame.My question, is the gentleman still producing these reels and would anyone know a contact number.A couple of friends bought the same pin(not set for trotting) from him at the time and i wonder if i bought one from them, would they be able to be modified.

 

[Dave Taylor]

There have been a few variants of the Swallow over the years Mark,..both heavy and lightweight, ..match/ specimen, the match being the best trotting reel for roach and grayling etc. I believe the reel was copied at one stage,..may be wrong.
Theres a few guys on here that can give you more info than me...Tim L. perhaps ?
If you haven't tried already, I would give Ringwood Tackle a bell for starters.
All the best Dave T.

 

[Tim Lennon]

Hi Mark,
I suspect that the gentleman you're referring to was Hans (apologies if I've misspelt his name). Sadly he passed away and the Swallow reels are no longer made. The last incarnation of the reel was the Pete Reading Barbel Pin.

I'm interested in how your reel was specially setup for trotting? I can only imagine that he fitted a superior quality bearing (bearings are rated by ABEC number).

Dave Plowman recently upgraded an Adcock Stanton for me by fitting a vastly superior bearing (of the type he fitted to his legendary pins), and the difference it made was astonishing. However, these high quality bearings are expensive, so the upgrade wasn't cheap. Having said that, it was still good value for money, as it completely transformed the Stanton. I would compare its smoothness with the modern Kingpins, and that is high praise indeed!

Did you have to pay extra for your special Swallow?

I could ask Dave Plowman if your pals' Swallow reels bearings could be upgraded if you like?

regards, Tim

 

[Dave Taylor]

The guy who I meet at Ibsley for a chat about 1993-4 as mentioned in another post must have been Hans Juhkental,..really nice guy and knew his engineering.
BFW Review -

 

[Tim Lennon]

Good link Dave, and confirmation that I've not gone completely senile yet!

I find the history of the Dave Swallow reel interesting. The original reel was actually designed and made by Dave Plowman, and sold via a few local tackle shops, one of which was owned by Dave Swallow. Swallow liked the reel so much that he bought the design and tooling from Plowman and continued its manufacture and development.

The mk I Swallow reel's appearance on a Passion For Angling increased its popularity dramatically, but also resulted in some copies appearing on the market. One copy was audaciously called the Swift (a swift is a bird very similar in appearance to a swallow). Some might go as far to say that the person responsible for the Swift was really taking the ****!

The mk II Swallow reel was machined from solid aluminium, rather than the pressed aluminium of the mk I. This was the reel that Hans continued manufacturing after Dave Swallow retired from the tackle trade...

Tim

 

[Mark Swaby]

Thanks gentlemen for your replies,yes Hans was the man i bought the reel from.A man with a passion for the reels he made,Sorry to hear he has Passed.At the time he said nothing about bearings, he said the tolerances were different,though it does sound like different bearings.You can blow on this spool and it starts to run. We bought a job lot at the end of the show and bought 3 reels at £115 each.The 'Special' reel, i bought, had been ordered by someone who did not turn up on the day(lucky for me). Tim, i would like to find out if i managed to get a reel from one of the other lads, could they be altered by Dave Plowman,and about how much it might cost,but there is no rush.Have checked the bearing and there is nothing visable on the side you can see .