Ross Reels brings back Gunnison, will re-introduce San Miguel
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Did you guys hear this? Ross has already brought back the Gunnison and is planning to re-introduce the San Miguel at the show this year. I’m psyched. The San Miguel is still my #1 trout reel. I love Lamson and think they have done great things, but that reel is a pure classic.
Ross was always my first suggestion to customers the BG and Momentum are great Salmon and Steelhead reels, I like Hatch, and Bauer gets some looks.I tend to like the small guys Beulah,Teeny etc.
I fished with my gunnison this past weekend, purchased in the late 90’s sometime. Have two different sizes and a few cimarons as well, they work flawlessly, easy to clean, and have never let me down. My go to reel for either myself or my kids when we head out to go fishing. Have not been impressed since Ross got sold several years ago, perhaps they can regain my interest, we’ll see.
Have not been impressed since Ross got sold several years ago, perhaps they can regain my interest, we’ll see.
Its my understanding from a close friend in the industry that Ross went to Orvis with the SA deal and then Abel bought them from Orvis. I have several Evolution LTs and am very pleased with them.
Strategy without Tactics is a Slow Route to Victory, Tactics without Strategy is the Noise Before Defeat - Sun Tzu
Ross went in and out of bankruptcy maybe a couple times, then was purchased out of bankruptcy by 3M/Scientific Anglers. It then was transferred to Orvis as part of the SA deal but Orvis itself had no real interest in owning it. It immediately went up on the block and was purchased by Abel.
As I understand it, the issue at Ross is that their machinery pre-dates a lot of the computer controlled stuff we are seeing now. They need individuals to monitor and work with the machines to a greater degree, and the machines themselves are not as flexible when it comes to making very tight interior cuts and things of that nature. This may explain what Abel is doing by bringing the old Ross designs out of retirement.
If I were in charge of resuscitating Ross (in the current climate of flexibility), I would do exactly what Abel is doing and bring back popular classic designs that I know there is pent up demand for. I would scrap the overly complicated F1 series and other current models, except possibly the Evolution.
Then, using whatever profits I could generate from the old stuff sales and hopefully not going too far into the red, I would bust my ass to design a core drag array that could be used up and down my line, just like Lamson does. Ideally this drag could be manufactured by the existing machines. If I could generate some profit to pour into some more updated models, I could put out a hybrid reel, using a core built on the old equipment and a new spool/frame manufactured on newer stuff that could run as autonomously as possible.
Ross had a history pre-1995 of using a floral pattern, last evidenced on the San Miguel. I would use that floral pattern as my design theme, possibly redesigning the logo, and then headhunt the hell out of someone from Nautilus, Lamson or Hatch to help me put a modern look on the underlying structure of my product.
My two cents.
Here’s the original Ross Reel:
That would make an awesome logo basis a la the old kayaking PFD company Lotus Designs:
I know I am late to the game on this. I have been asking flyshops, friends, and even Ross Reels if they could confirm the re-introduction of the San Miguel. I was at Ross a few months ago and they said there was a “possibility” that they would bring it back. I am guessing your information is newer than mine, so this is great news! Did you happen to hear what the price point was going to be on these? I know that in the past, they discontinued the SM due to cost of manufacturing. They said they had a 25% burn rate on these reels when polishing them up.
-Jimmy
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