The History of Australian Game Fishing Reel Maker L. T. Willis – by Reelpedia®
  L. T. Willis, a Sydney-based engineer, was a notable Australian game fishing reel maker. From 1931 through the 1950s, he produced game reels, as well as centre-pin release latch reels and Nottingham-style fishing reels. One of his earliest designs was a multiplying version of the Barrier single-action game reel, originally introduced in 1931 by fellow Sydney-based mechanical engineer E. W. (Bill) Fitch.
  According to Bob Dunn, in his 1994 book Australian Fishing Reels, a multiplying version of the Barrier game reel was made by Sydney-based reel maker Leo Willis. Willis formed close associations with Cowles & Dunn, Sil Rohu, and others. More an engineer than an angler, he was frequently approached by the fishing tackle trade with overseas reel samples and asked to replicate, modify, or improve them. This may have led him to apply for a patent for his own reel in 1931.
The patent covered a single-action, non-reversing reel featuring a multi-disc clutch located in the crank handle. Drag pressure was applied through a brass star drag wheel via a thrust ball race, while the anti-reverse mechanism consisted of a fixed ratchet and pawl device within the crank handle. The reel, eventually produced under the Landem brand, was similar to many other single-action game reels of the period, including the Barrier and Samson, both of which were also likely made by Willis.
Another game reel from this era, available in both single-action and multiplying models, was the Atalanta. It was promoted as a reel designed and used by renowned game angler Errol Bullen and named after his boat. Expert opinion is divided on its maker. Bill Fitch Jr. recalled the Atalanta as a Willis reel, while Peter Goadby noted that some versions incorporated a level wind—a rare feature in game reels and not found in other known Willis designs. In An American Angler in Australia (1937), Zane Grey wrote that “the two new handmade big game fishing reels made for Fagan and Mullen are just about as good as any reels I own,” likely referring to the Atalanta.

  Unlike the more expensive Fortuna, Australian single-action reels of this period did not include a free-spool mechanism. Instead, the star drag had to be backed off to release the line when not under tension.
Willis also made a range of game reels sold by Sydney tackle dealer and game fishing identity Sil Rohu. These included the Swordfish, Undover, and Makoora, as well as a 1934 model simply catalogued as the Sir Rohu Big Game Ball Bearing Reel. Another group of game reels, sold under the Tarpon brand by Sydney Fishing Tackle Supply in the late 1930s, were most likely Australian-made and exhibited characteristics typical of Willis reels.
  The use of Americanised names for Australian reels was common in the 1930s, particularly for game reels. One example was the Imperial Montague (sometimes spelled Montagu), produced in limited numbers—fewer than 50—by R.R. Taylor & Co. in Sydney around 1936. At the same time, the Montague Rod & Reel Co. in the USA had a completely different reel also named Imperial. However, the name Montague held special significance for Australian game fishers, as historic catches by Roy Smith, Reg Lyne, and later Zane Grey in the early 1930s took place near Montague Island on the New South Wales south coast.
Dunn also speculated in Australian Fishing Reels:
"If indeed Leo Willis was responsible for all or most of the mystery game reels of the 1930s, we can only wonder why he never put his name on them or insisted on Willis identification in the many advertisements placed by tackle dealers in fishing media and catalogues. Certainly, his reels were highly regarded in engineering circles. Perhaps the explanation lies in his nature. He seems to have been a very private individual who worked mostly alone in near seclusion."

  John McIntyre described his first visit to Willis’s Sussex Street workshop in Sydney as “like stepping back into the nineteenth century.” All early Willis reels were handcrafted, and many were customised for individual anglers. His clientele included leading game fishers such as Errol Bullen, Max Lawson, Bob Dyer, and Jack Davey.
Unfortunately, Willis remained reclusive and, despite his significant role in Australian reel-making history, never gave interviews. No records of him appear in fishing journals from the 1930s until his death in 1978 at age 83. He left no children or known contemporaries who could clarify many unanswered questions about his work.

  In the later years of his career, during the 1940s and 1950s, Willis finally produced two highly successful game reels, the Tasman and Neptuna, which bore his name on the end plate. One possible reason for his earlier anonymity may have been concerns about patent infringement. A series of game reels believed to be Willis-made, branded as Marlin, included a multiplying model nearly identical to the Hardy Bros Zane Grey reel—but sold for less than half the price of the English import.
Imported reels and cheaper local imitations were often advertised side by side in catalogues. Even Hartley’s, the Victorian agents for Hardy Bros during the 1930s, promoted Hardy lookalikes alongside the original, more expensive models. When Hardy Bros discovered this, Hartley’s lost their agency—further highlighting the complex market Willis operated in.