Champion fisherman Len Thompson, who owned ‘Thompson Engineering’ in Tweed Heads, started making his own designed fishing reels in the mid 1940’s. These reels had large diameter spools and were designed and constructed at Thompson Engineering factories. The back plate was chrome plated gun metal bronze and on the larger reels the spindle was ½’’ stainless steel and the bronze bush fitted into the timber spool. According to Lens son Bill (toolmaker and engineer) there is little friction when bronze and stainless steel come into contact. Thompson Engineering manufactured the cedar spools and the two handles were made from a nylon material.
