VAN STAAL FISHING PRODUCTS ARE BEST OF THE BEST

Van Staal, in Dutch, means “of steel.” Van Staal, in fishing, means “no limitations.”,

Van Staal spinning reels, fly reels and accessories are considered by many to be the “Rolls Royces” of fishing tackle because of their distinguished looks, sophisticated designs and healthy price tags. But to the hardy northeast coast surf anglers who have been dunking these reels in the brine over the last decade, Van Staal products aren’t the luxury cars of the beach … they are the bullet-proof tanks of the coast.

Van Staal got its start in early 1987 at a machine shop in Fairfield, Connecticut, founded by a perfectionist engineer named Robert Koelewyn. Koelewyn took special pride in providing precision machining capabilities and designs to the aircraft industry, but turned his focus to include fishing in the early 90s. Wanting to build a more maintenance free, longer lasting fishing reel, Koelwyn invented the Van Staal spinning reel.

In 2001, Reel Ventures LLC acquired the rights and assets to Van Staal reels and continued to build the products, mostly serving the hardcore striper anglers who wade and “skish” the surf in the northeast. “Skishing,” a cross between skiing and fishing, is a name given by Montauk area anglers to the practice of donning wetsuits and fins and throwing themselves in the surf to drift and cast for stripers. The skiing part comes in when the buoyant angler, upon hooking up with a big striper, gets towed by the fish during the battle.

In 2003, Van Staal was acquired by the W.C. Bradley Co., who assigned the product to its fishing tackle company, Zebco, of Tulsa, Okla. Van Staal operates independently at Zebco World Headquarters, serving as a separate and distinct business unit from Zebco and the company’s avid brands, Quantum and Fin-Nor.

Van Staal reels are assembled and serviced in a custom designed manufacturing area. While Tulsa might not seem a likely location to build and test the world’s finest saltwater reels, the company does have a state of the art test lab on its premises that includes a saltwater environment room for corrosion evaluations, a computerized drag machine capable of simulating any species of saltwater fish and fishing conditions, and accelerated life-expectancy testing equipment that can put “fishing years” on a reel in just a matter of days.

Without a doubt, Van Staal now benefits from the many resources available to the brand by being under the Zebco umbrella, including engineering, finance, human resources, customer service, legal and information technology.

As the world’s only machined aluminum spinning reels, Van Staal’s frames, rotors and spools are machined from billet aluminum, while internal parts are crafted from the highest grades of stainless steel and titanium. All are assembled by hand for a precision fit of perfection to be the toughest fishing reels that money can buy.

Van Staal reels don’t look like other spinning reels because they aren’t like other spinning reels. For starters, Van Staal spinning reels have a totally sealed, waterproof crankcase to provide the ultimate protection for lubricants, gears and other parts against the worst corrosion and grit conditions that surf fishing has to offer. This is in contrast to other reel manufacturers who simply use gaskets to make claims about being “sealed for saltwater.” That’s why Van Staal reels are the only ones on the market that can take repeated dunkings by anglers bobbing in the surf.

Van Staal reels have a unique, patented drag system too. The inner workings of it are waterproof and completely maintenance free, ensuring a smooth, consistent and reliable drag performance whether wet or dry.

Up until 2005, Van Staal spinning reels were only available in models without bails. This was by design – bails have always been considered the weakest part of spinning reels. But by request from saltwater anglers in other markets, Van Staal spinning reels with bails are now also available, featuring the toughest bail systems in saltwater. All models have spools with top and bottom surfaces drilled out to reduce weight and help braided lines dry faster.

Van Staal fly reels are different as well. They are called C-VEX reels because of their Convex engineering. The design allows them to be large arbor fly reels with superior strength for their weight class.

The simple, 3-piece modular system of C-VEX fly reels makes for effortless changing of spools when a change is necessary. There are no screws to lose and no grease to deal with, during the spool-switching process.

Additionally, all C-VEX Series fly reels have a removable and sealed, waterproof drag cylinder that delivers unmatched protection from salt, sand and silt. It features a graphite composite washer system that will never fail, wet or dry, meaning it will always outperform traditional cork-based drag systems.

Van Staal also offers a small and select line of accessories. Van Staal Titanium and Stainless Steel Fishing Pliers are the ultimate of all fishing pliers. All models feature durable, corrosion-resistant construction and replaceable cutters and anvils (perfect for cutting braid), grip-tight channel cut jaws for maximum holding power, and spring-loaded handles. Leather pouches and lanyards are available as options.

While Van Staal products may have originated in a privately owned machine shop, this line of products has quickly advanced to the forefront of the fishing industry. Through continual research and development, designers and engineers are constantly exploring ways to improve the quality and capabilities of all Van Staal merchandise. Thanks to their maximum performance, revolutionary engineering and superb design, Van Staal products have truly become the “Jewelry of the Fishing Industry.”

So, regardless of whether looking at a Van Staal as a Rolls Royce or an armored tank, every angler worth his salt can appreciate the fact that Van Staal products are built tough for “no limitations.”