Virginia Reel

A local fishing tackle collector is conducting research on a fishing reel made in Flat River in the 1940s. The US patent Office issued Patent No. 2,501,039 on March 21, 1950 to Joseph Frisk, Harry H. Peterson, and Orbria L. Hise for a bait casting reel. The application for the patent was filed in 1947 and Frisk is listed as the inventor. 

Information has been obtained on Peterson, very little on Hise, and practically none on Frisk. Word-of-mouth has it that Joseph Frisk was probably a machinist somewhere and built the reels in his workshop. As far as can be determined the Virginia Reel was not advertised nationally and was only sold locally. 

Any information concerning the Virginia Reel and the person of Joseph Frisk would greatly be appreciated.  The collector, Tim Bahr of Festus, can be reached at 636-937-6519 after 4 p.m. or e-mailed at cnopnr@sbcglobal.net  or you may contact Roger Lewis, 573-431-6123, day or 573-431-0001, evenings.