sold LEE WULFF “ULTIMATE” FLY REEL WITH ROD AND LINE

LEE WULFF “ULTIMATE” FLY REEL WITH ROD AND LINE.

This is a superb set consisting of the of the Lee Wulff “Ultimate” fly reel accompanied by a Garcia/Conolan Lee Wulff #2076 9’ fiberglass rod a “Lee Wulff Special” floating fly line made for Norm Thompson Outfitters.  The reel comes in its original box, lined, but apparently unused.  The rod shows no evidence of use, and the line has not been opened.

The Lee Wulff Ultimate fly reel was conceived by Lee Wulff in 1967, designed by Stan Bogdan, produced by Peter Alport, made by Farlow, and sold exclusively by Norm Thompson Outfitters.  Hilyard’s book on Bogdan says that the total production was 100 reels.  Other accounts say 200.  The reel was intended for Atlantic salmon and saltwater fishing.  It was bench made, and produced in limited numbers.  It is generally agreed that Bogdan’s design of the Ultimate was based on the old wooden Nottingham reels, and was  the first of the “frameless” reels that now dominate fly reel design.

This reel comes in its box, without the leather case usually seen.  It is spooled with an unused 10wt WF floating line.  The reel measures 3 ½” in diameter with a 1 1/8” spool width.  It has a gear-and-pawl mechanism with a fixed check adjustable only by changing springs.  Wulff used it successfully for Atlantic salmon and large salt water fish.  Since it was sold exclusively by Norm Thompson in Portland, Oregon, it became a popular steelhead reel.   This example was from an estate in the Puget Sound area.

The rod is also marked as a Lee Wulff model, fiberglass, 2/1, and appropriate for Atlantic salmon or salt water, and casts lines at least to 10wt.  It has a detachable fighting butt.  It has an aluminum down-locking reel seat, a 7” squared cork grip, hook keeper, bright Mildrum style stripper, bright (stainless?) snakes, metal spigot ferrule, and dark green fiberglass shafts with black windings tipped gold.  The rod comes in a new bag that holds the fighting butt, and a tube that may or may not be original. There is no evidence of fishing use on the rod.  The reel seat and cork appear pristine.  Norm Thompson sold Garcia/ Conolon fly rods, and Lee Wulff was associated with the company, but this rod model does not appear in Norm Thompson catalogs for 1967 or 1968.

The line accompanying the rod and reel is a “Lee Wulff Special” 210 grain WF8F sold by Norm Thompson and so marked.  The line spooled on the reel is a WF10F, suggesting that the original owner bought two lines, installed 10wt on the reel and did not open the 8wt.

This set of reel, rod, and line is very unusual, and perhaps unique.  Given the immaculate condition of the three items, it offers a fine opportunity for collecting or fishing.