Shakespeare Fishing Tackle
- Over 108 Years of Excellence in Fishing Tackle
1896 – William Shakespeare, Jr., an avid fisherman of 27 years, wanted
to improve on existing fishing reels so he came up with a device for
winding fishing line evenly back on the spool. William designed the
level-wind reel and his new design was superior to anything on the
market. As a result, this feature is now common on most fishing reels.
1939 – Anglers needed a way to apply a light action reel brake to
prevent spools from back-lashing so William Shakespeare Jr. invented
one, the "Backlash" Brake. The new Wondereel® was one of the most
popular reels to ever hit the fishing tackle market. At the same time
William designed a new two-gear direct drive reel.
1947 – The company is in it's 50th year of operation. Henry Shakespeare
(William's son) is in charge. He introduces the President Reel and the
newest innovation in fishing rods – the glass fiber Wonderod®.
Invented by Dr. Arthur M. Howald, this rod revolutionized the fishing
rod market and made bamboo and steel virtually obsolete.
1966 – Shakespeare acquires the Pflueger® Company (formerly known
as The Enterprise Company).
1972 – March – Shakespeare Company listed 2,479,680 shares of stock on
the New York Exchange under the ticker name SKP.
2002 – The Pflueger® brand is on the rise with a complete line of
Pflueger "premium products". Whether spinning, baitcasting, or fly
fishing, Pflueger has just what the avid angler needs.
