Benefits of an expensive reel
To go along with my question about putting your reel in the water, what do you think the benifits of an expensive reel are. I rarely play a fish with a reel and I think I would just be more reluctant to beat it up. My 35 dollar reels suit me just fine. I do have one nice Phlueger, but I rarely use it for fear of beating it up and it's not much smoother anyway.
BH,
IMHO, for trout (not salt), after a certain $$ or quality, there is NO real difference in the fonctionality of a reel.
Some will be lighter for more $$, but not always.
Some will have a better garantee, but not always.
Some will have a fancy paint job, ... there are some works of art out there, (but I prefer black or silver.)
Even my reels for salmon are relatively "low end" things. They are quite servicable for my needs.
I use Sage reels for trout, 'cause I WANTED them. Not because they help me catch more fish.
If I didn't use a piece 'cause I wanted to keep it new, I wouldn't buy it. Same as when I lend stuff, if I was affraid it could get broken, I wouldn't lend it.
My 0.02 $ anyway.
ps, the Phlueger will take an absolute BEATING and keep on running smoothly.
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Christopher Chin
Jonquiere Quebec
[url=http://www3.sympatico.ca/chris_chin/:fc953]http://www3.sympatico.ca/chris_chin/[/url:fc953]
[This message has been edited by fcch (edited 21 April 2005).]
Christopher Chin
whatever floats your boat, personally, not over a hundred bucks!
first and foremost it feeds my ego.
seriously...silky smooth operation, high quality machining, very light in weight. may as well mention the smooth and easily adjustable no maintainance drag.
oh yeah...some of them look pretty cool too.
mgj
A better reel will do a MUCH better job of protecting light tippets.
The man who coined the phrase "Money can't buy happiness", never bought himself a good fly rod!
That's like asking "what's the benefit of a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren over a Hyundai Accent". I mean they've both got an engine and 4 wheels right?
Until you've had a drag freeze up on you and you lose a large fish, or a reel literally blow-up in your hands as a 5 lb rainbow takes you down stream in fast water you'll never understand why some people choose quality over price.
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Dan S
The poster formerly known as Outrider
Dan S
"I still don't know why I fish or why other men fish, except that we like it and it makes us think and feel." Roderick Haig-Brown, A River Never Sleeps
I keep seeing this thing about silky drag making a reel worth the money, but in my opinion a drag is an extra you can do without for trout. I have landed trout to over 13lbs and always play the fish by hand instead of off the reel.
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Work is a means for people to afford their fishing.
You have the quiet satisfaction of knowing your reel is better than mine.
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Fishing the Ozarks
The point of flyfishing is to enjoy yourself. If you like the idea of a $300 reel, then you should have a $300 reel. I know for a fact that the Ross I usually use is overkill for 99.9% ofthe fish I catch, but hey, I like it. I like the feel, I like the look, all that stuff. Would a $30 rell serve me just as well? Yup. Will I catch more fish with my Ross? Nope. But I like and I'll have it for years, and when I'm done with it, my son will probably be able to use it. Get want you want (and can afford) and don't worry about the next guy downstream! Oh yeah, if it can't get wet. don't buy it!!
The big problem with expensive reels is no one wants to use one when they own one; as a result, the reel always looks new and never acquires the "character" and dignified "wear" a fine reel should receive. Several years ago, a couple of friends and myself formed "Patina Incorporated."
Send your expensive reel to us and we will fish with it for a year and give it the "finish" it so richly deserves and return it to you. You can then proudly fish it with grace and panache, in a grand style you never knew you had!
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