Ok, I bought a 7 foot 3 weight back in December and research as I might, I was having a difficult time finding a reel that A) wasnt way too heavy to balance with the rod and B)didn’t cost a prohibitive amount of money. An attractive line holder never hurts either. I found lots of variations of one or the other. The Sage Click for example is light but also $300.
Anyway, I found my reel today and it came home. The Cortland Retro is a little sweetheart. Fully machined, well built and has a lovely anodized finish. The tolerances rival that of any reel I have found at even twice the $130 asking price. The 2 7/8" model weighs in at 3.1 oz. Perfect! It looks great on my new rod as well, just in time for the blizzard to hit tomorrow.
If anyone is looking for a nice, light trout reel, be sure to give these little guys a look!
The Loomis Venture 3 seems to fit your requirements well. I don’t know the exact weight of the reel, but it works perfectly on my 4-wt, and it’s a well-made, good-looking reel that’s a true bargain at around $100.
I have an Orvis BBS1 and a White River Classic 3 wt. Also an old Hardy made Sage 4 wt. All are small, light, reliable, and cute. All are $100 or less when I bought them. I keep 4 wt. DT on both the Sage and the Orivs and use them interchangeably on 3 and 4 wt. rods. I use the front half of a dt 6 wt on the White river and use it on a 5 foot 3 wt (stiff graphite) rod. You can use a hatchet cast and rocket tight loops up under the tags and cranberry with it to get to brookies holding tight. Mends like a champ too. Strictly a little bitty stream tool though.
Don’t get too hung up on balance though. 3 and 4 wt outfits are so light that balance becomes meaningless. Not that it is really that important anyway.
(Coach)Bob, I also own several of those reels, but it just didn’t look right on the rod. And I don’t really want another clicker because I don’t really like listening to the things. I am in no hurry to buy a reel, will be a couple months before I fish it again anyway, and I have reels that will work just fine on it.
Smallie, I appear to have hijacked your thread. My apologies.
You actually using that reel? Know several that bought one but never use them.
I agree on smaller/lighter reels and smaller “LIGHTER” (which isn’t always the case) rods. that 3.1 lb is awesome. The BBS is 3.2. I have a couple of them. On my 2 wt I like the older Battenkill Large Arbor I that is tiny. Same diameter as the BBS. Doesn’t hold a lot of backing but with a 2 wt. and Trout, not needed.
For bamboo, nothing beats the classic look of Hardy or a CFO.
maybe someone will suggest your new reel, then its all good!
but never use them.