PEETZ Outdoors Ltd.
PEETZ Fishing & Outdoors
Toll free: 800.883.0221|Local: 250.383.5342
Menu
  • Home
  • Reels
    • PEETZ Banshee GS Reel
    • 3 Inch Fly Fishing Reel
    • 3.5 Inch Trolling/Fly Fishing Reel
    • 4 Inch Evolution Fishing Reel
    • 5 Inch Evolution Fishing Reel
    • 5 Inch "Steel Wheel" SS Fishing Reel
    • 6 Inch Evolution Fishing Reel
    • Artist Series 3.5 Inch "Trout" (Engraved) Fly Reel
    • Artist Series 'Sisiutl' (4 Inch Engraved)
    • Artist Series "Salmon Catch" Reel (5 Inch Engraved)
    • Artist Series 'Orca Pod' (5 Inch Engraved)
    • Artist Series "Sea Wolf" (5 Inch Carved)
    • Artist Series "The Hunter" (5 Inch Carved)
    • Artist Series "Orca, Salmon & Moon" (5 Inch Carved)
    • Artist Series "Circle of Life" (5 Inch Carved)
    • 4 Inch Classic Fishing Reel
    • 5 Inch Classic Fishing Reel
    • 6 Inch Classic Fishing Reel
    • Team Jacobs Special Edition Reel (4" EVO)
    • All Fishing Reels
  • Rods
    • Composite - 10' 6" "Savvy Captain" / Medium 2Ppc
    • All Fishing Rods
  • Combos
    • 4 Inch "Sisiutl" Artist Series Reel with 10'6"/2pc Medium Rod
    • 5 Inch Evolution Fishing Reel with 10'6"/2pc Medium Rod
    • 5 Inch Classic Fishing Reel with 10' 6"/2pc Medium Rod
    • 5 Inch "Evolution" SS Reel with 10' 6" Rod
    • 5 Inch "Classic" SS Reel with 10' 6" Rod
    • All Rod & Reel Combos
  • Tackle
    • Hookum Trolling Spoon
    • "Sylvester's Secret" Spoon
    • Left Coast Lures "Holy Roller" Anchovy Cut Plug Spoon
    • Left Coast Lures "The Hammer" Spoon
    • McFly Trolling Flies
    • CJ Special Anchovy Spoon (Aluminum 3.5" - 5")
    • CJ Special Needlefish Spoon (Aluminum 3.5" - 5")
    • CJ Special Herring Spoon Lure (Nickel Plated 1.5" - 3")
    • CJ Special Herring Spoon Lure (Nickel Plated 3.5" - 5")
    • CJ Special Herring Spoon Lure (Powder Coated 1.5" - 3")
    • CJ Special Herring Spoon Lure (Powder Coated 3.5" - 5")
    • Stryke Zone Stainless Steel Flasher
    • Fishinator "Old School" Wood Plugs
    • Rodbend'er Fishing Jig
    • Halibut Bait Harness
    • All Tackle
  • Tackle Packs
    • Hookum 3" Fishing Spoon Tackle Pack - "Salmon Slayer"
    • Hookum 3" Fishing Spoon Tackle Pack - "Trophy Trout"
    • Hookum 3" Salmon Trolling Spoons - "Pacific Brigade"
    • Moonjelly Tackle Bundle
    • Lemon Lime Tackle Bundle
    • Tropic Thunder Tackle Bundle
    • CJ Special 5" Anchovy Tackle Pack - "Undertow"
    • CJ Special 3.5" Needlefish Tackle Pack - "Derby Winner"
    • CJ Special 3.5" Anchovy Tackle Pack - "Dive Bomb"
    • CJ Special 3.5" Herring Tackle Pack - "Daring Herring"
    • CJ Special 2.5" Herring Tackle Pack - "Con-Troller"
    • PEETZ Mega Tackle Pack
    • West Coast Bling Pack
    • Coastal Killer 3.25" Needlefish Spoon Pack
    • Needle Juice 4.5" Needlefish Spoon Pack
    • Happy Hour 4" Herring Spoon Pack
    • Chovy Chaser 4" Anchovy Spoon Pack
    • Winner's Circle 6-Spoon Multipack
    • Jelly Rolls Anchovy Spoon Packs
    • Spring Smasher 2.5" Needlefish Spoon Pack
    • Sylvester's Secret Tackle Pack - "Locked & Loaded"
    • Sylvester's Secret Tackle Pack - "Full Tilt"
    • The Outperformer 7-Lure Multipack
    • All Tackle Packs
  • Gear
    • Handcrafted 8" Fillet Knife
    • PEETZ Halibut Harpoon
    • PEETZ Rustic Fish Bat
    • PEETZ Fish Gaff
    • CHROMA type 301 7.5" Fillet Knife
    • CHROMA type 301 12" Fillet Knife
    • PEETZ Classic Reel Clock
    • PEETZ Classic Reel Barometer
    • PEETZ Handcrafted Wine/Spirit Bottle Stoppers
    • PEETZ Online Gift Cards
    • All Gear
  • Clothing
    • PEETZ T-Shirt (Screaming Wood)
    • PEETZ T-Shirt (Reel Soul)
    • PEETZ T-Shirt (Island Born)
    • PEETZ T-Shirt (Reels & Rods)
    • PEETZ Toque Hat
    • PEETZ - STORMTECH Waterproof Shell
    • PEETZ ULTRA COTTON LONG SLEEVE T-SHIRT
    • PEETZ Pullover Hoodie
    • PEETZ Trucker Mesh Hat
    • PEETZ T-Shirt (Retro 70's)
    • PEETZ T-Shirt (Knuckle Buster)
    • PEETZ T-Shirt (Diamond Logo)
    • PEETZ T-Shirt (Vintage Design)
    • All Clothing
  • Services
    • PEETZ Reel Overhaul
    • One-Way Drag Retrofit
    • One-Way Drag Retrofit with Full Overhaul
    • PEETZ Reel Maintenance
    • All PEETZ Services
  • Support
    • Your Satisfaction is Guaranteed
    • Free Shipping
    • Delivery & Tracking
    • Returns & Exchanges
    • Privacy Policy
  • About PEETZ
    • Our Mission
    • 90 Years of History
    • Giving Back
  • Contact
  • Shipping is free when you spend $200 or more.
  • PEETZ supports the Pacific Salmon Foundation.
  • More than 250,000 PEETZ fishing reels sold.
  • Celebrating 90 years in 2015.
  • Your Account
    Login or Join
  • Your Cart
    0 Items
Home  /  PEETZ News  /  The Legacy of Boris Peetz
PEETZ News
Add a Comment
Posted August 01, 2011

The Legacy of Boris Peetz

by Doug Pollard, author of "PEETZ, A Reel For All Time."
Published in Seaside Times, August 2011

In 1911, a young man arrived in Victoria 11 years after leaving his native Russia. Among his luggage was a tiny kettle and spirit burner he had fabricated while working at the Montreal CPR Argus works for the long trip across Canada. A testament to silversmithing skills he had learned in England, it speaks of the ingenuity and self-reliance that would make the name Peetz synonymous with salmon fishing in B.C. Shifting to jewelry, Boris Peetz (pictured) established himself quickly in Victoria. On weekends, his watchmaker friend William Hall took Boris to his cottage at Coles Bay and introduced him to salmon fishing, setting the stage for a very different enterprise: he became a tackle maker. The first PEETZ reel was probably sold in 1924, the year Johnson Street Bridge was completed.

Boris Cecil Peetz, founder of PEETZ.

The locally made reels were far better than imported products. They held enough cuttyhunk line to fish the deep waters of Saanich Inlet, they featured a drag strong enough to hold the largest salmon of the Inlet and they were tough enough for the hard knocks of boat fishing. The first PEETZ reel was almost certainly of a backless Scarborough design, sold as "The Pacific Reel". Over the next few years, Boris shifted to the Nottingham design, whose wooden back plate could support a check mechanism. It was still a simple reel, but its basic construction of mahogany and brass has remained unchanged to this day. Boris had a refinement in mind when he adopted the Nottingham design. A small advertisement in the 1935 yearbook of the Victoria-Saanich Inlet Anglers Association mentions "The Pacific Recorder." At 6.5 inches in diameter, it was to be the largest and most elegant reel ever produced on and for Canada's West Coast. The "Y" configuration of its brass strap provided considerable strength around a device that made this "The only reel that registers the length of line being used." Even at $10 it was an instant success. It probably didn't survive WWII, but the iconic "Recorder" did, in simpler six-inch (and a few five -inch) reels familiar to anglers today.

In 1935, Boris bought premises at 574 Johnston Street, where the factory would remain for almost four decades. He died in 1954, leaving the business to three of his children, Ivan, Judy and Bud (Ola, the eldest, was married and deemed to be self-sufficient)! Judy and Bud worked with Ivan, although Ivan and his wife Betty managed much of the family enterprise. They moved the factory to Rock Bay Avenue in 1973, and four years later sold the business to the current owner, Bill Hooson.

Bill kept his promise to Ivan and Betty (both sadly since deceased, as are Ola, Judy and Bud) to continue their conservative approach to product development. Nevertheless, when salmon stocks - and tackle sales - slumped in the 1990's he put a clock into a five-inch reel; for a few years sales of the Screamin' Reel Alarm Clock exceeded 30,000! Sadly, 2011 marks the end of the "Recorder." Like its magnificent predecessor, the "Y-strap," the reel has become too expensive to produce. But reel sales continue, with the traditional four-, five- and six-inch trollers in mahogany and brass, plus a splendid reel for the new millennium: happily, the five-inch stainless-steel "2000" bears many of the hallmarks of the early reels. It is unmistakably a PEETZ. But if you want a "Recorder," you will have to root around garage sales this summer. There's no rush - PEETZ reels can last a hundred years!

Read full article at:

http://issuu.com/seasidetimes/docs/seasidetimes0811forweb/41

TAG(S): Boris Peetz PEETZ Fishing Reels PEETZ Outdoors

Leave a Comment

Please note that comments are moderated by PEETZ. You will receive an email when your comment has been added to this post.
Home
Blog Index
Media Clippings
Latest Posts
  • PEETZ Outdoors Partners with McFly Fishing Products

  • Announcing the 2017 Artist Series Limited Edition Reel

  • PEETZ Artist Series Reels Raise Thousands for Salmon Enhancement at the 2017 Duncanby Auction

  • PEETZ Sponsors the 2017 Point Holmes Recreation Association Father's Day Raffle

  • Best Fly Fishing Lakes on Vancouver Island

Tag Cloud
Artist Series Boris Peetz British Columbia Fishing Derbies British Columbia lakes and rivers Bud Peetz Buy Canadian Fishing Reels Canadian fly fishing locations Canadian Made Reels and Tackle Capital Magazine Circle of Life Limited Edition Direct Wind Reels Discounted Fishing Gear
Contact Us

PEETZ Outdoors Ltd.

Toll Free 800.883.0221
Phone 250.383.5342
Email
Online Send a Message
Address
2740 Rock Bay Ave
Victoria, BC
Canada   V8T 4R9
Get Directions
Hours
Monday through Friday
9am to 5pm (Pacific Time)
Closed on Statutory Holidays
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
Toll free: 800.883.0221 | Monday through Friday, 9am to 5pm (Pacific Time)

Products

  • Fishing Reels
  • Fishing Rods
  • Reel & Rod Combinations
  • Tackle
  • Accessories
  • Swag
  • Gift Cards

Support

  • Your Satisfaction is Guaranteed
  • Free Shipping
  • Delivery & Tracking
  • Returns & Exchanges
  • Privacy Policy

About PEETZ

  • Our Mission
  • 90 Years of History
  • Giving Back

Communications

  • Blog
  • Media Kit
  • Contact Us

Visa Mastercard American Express PayPal

Online payments processed securely by Shopify
Shopify
PEETZ supports the Pacific Salmon Foundation.
Learn more
Shopify
PEETZ Outdoors Ltd.
Come visit our workshop at:
2740 Rock Bay Avenue
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, V8T 4R9
250.383.5342 | Toll Free: 800.883.0221

Stay in touch!

Subscribe for specials, product announcements & more...

Privacy Policy
Subscribe for Special Offers |
© 2015 PEETZ Outdoors Ltd.. Site developed by Fifth Gear.