Montague City Rod Company and Montague Rod & Reel Company
Montague City, Massachusetts
Most reel collectors are aware
that there are a great many "generic" fishing reels seen on the
internet auction eBay and on show tables. These reels were usually
catalogued with some esoteric name by the large tackle houses. They varied
in quality, price, and name, but when viewed by collectors today the usual
identification seems to be "MONTAGUE".
The birth of Montague started in 1881 when Leander L. and Eugene
Bartlett bought out the J. G. Ward fishing rod business in Amherst,
Massachusetts. In 1882 the Bartlett's opened a factory in Montague City,
Massachusetts to make split bamboo rods. By 1885 they added two stories to
the Montague City factory, and were incorporated as the Montague City Rod
Company.
In 1891 further expansion took place as Montague purchased the Chubb
Fishing Rod Company of Post Falls, Vermont, which they operated until the
1930's. In May of 1899 an agreement was reached between the Montague City
Rod Company and Frederick Malleson whereby Montague purchased the
Brooklyn, NY factory of Malleson/Conroy/The U.S. Net & Twine Company
(take your pick - the exact details seem to depend upon which author you
read), at 163 Grand Avenue.
In 1927 the company name was changed to Montague Rod and Reel Company.
At this time some of the reel making machinery was moved from Brooklyn to
the Montague City, Massachusetts factory. This historic fishing tackle
company came to an end in 1934 when Montague was purchased by the Ocean
City Manufacturing Company, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Montague
City factory continued to produce fishing rods, but all reels were
produced in Philadelphia. In 1955 the name was officially changed to
Montague-Ocean City Rod and Reel Co.
Montague manufactured reels of all types and price ranges. Apparently,
with a minimum order, you could have reels stamped with just about any
name you wanted. Montague "generic" reels were sold by many of
the most prestigious tackle houses - Edward vom Hofe, Abercrombie &
Fitch, V. L. & A., Abbey & Imbrie, and so on.
Montague made them all from "Gayle Style" raised gear cover
Kentucky reels in German silver, to hard rubber and German silver fly
reels that are often thought to be the product of one of the vom Hofe
brothers. Their hard rubber and German silver surf reels are often
marked with the Edw. vom Hofe shop name, and these are fine looking reels.
This great variety of names, quality, and types of reels is what makes the
study of Montague reels most confusing, but very interesting.
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