William Mills & Son – Fairy reel

For your consideration is a very scarce William Mills & Son Fairy Reel. These were designed to be fished with the H.L. Leonard Fairy Catskill models and 'L' designated rods. This is a 2" diameter reel, not including the pillars (2.3125" with pillars), weighing only 2.85 ounces. On the ebonite (Bakelite?) winding plate, it is stamped "William Mills & Son, NY.“ The reel favors right-hand retrieve, and the click remains strong and loud. The small foot fits Leonard Baby Catskill reel seats. The owner of this reel fished it on his Leonard Baby Catskill and 37L. To avoid any possible damage to the reel seat, and to assure a nice fit, he placed a strip of the soft side of velcro beneath the reel foot to add a cushion. This can easily be removed, but I found this to be a viable solution and left it if the owner wishes to fish the reel. It is very rare to find a stamped William Mills & Son Fairy in this condition that operates as smoothly as this one.