I am trying to choose a reel for my new 6 wt streamer rod.
I am essentially down to a Lamson Konic or an Okuma SLV. The problem being that for the price of the Konic I could get two SLVs.
Is the Konic twice as good?
PS, i am not really looking for alternative recommendations.
Thanks
Joe
That depends on what you want or expect from you reel I guess. I don’t have a Lamson Konic but I do have an older Lamson reel for my 3wt rod. The only reason I have it is because I got a great deal on the used reel. A 3 wt doesn’t need a reel for anything other than holding the line…in MY opinion…so I wouldn’t go looking for a higher end reel for it. I do have to say that it is by far, the nicest feeling and sounding reel I have…and certainly the best built.
I also have a couple of Okuma SLVs, mainly because the price falls where I like it to for reels. They do the job. Are they as nice and the Lamson? No. BUT they do the job…the very same job, and without problems.
Now the thing is…your talking about a 6wt…and that might mean that you will be playing a fish on the reel…a nice fish… and that is were the question of quality versus quantity IS a factor…especially if you are pushing the limits of your rod. You may want to pay more for reliability, better gears, housing and drag systems, IF keeping that off chance trophy is really important to you. It doesn’t mean you can’t get a nice fish on a cheaper reel…because you certainly can. The thing is… more can go wrong at the wrong time with a low end reel especially if you rely on your reel a lot.
I can’t think of a time that I have ever lost a fish because of my reel. In fact, I caught a nice carp on a vintage Martin with a click pawl and a palming rim. Unless you are going after tarpon or something like that, I really don’t think it is worth the additional money.
I laughed in Alaska as my son was pulling in silver salmon on the $50 reel I bought him and the other fisherman were trying to get their $500 reels to work properly.
Sometimes a reel is worth the extra price, sometimes not. I fish for salmon a lot with my cousin. Last year he finally got fed up with busting his knuckles and loosing fish. He took a step up and bought a reel, while more expensive wouldn’t break the bank, that would last him years of hard use. After the first fish he thanked me for talking him into it.
I’d rather have more drag and not need it than need it when I don’t have it. Once in a lifetime fish usually only happen once in a lifetime.
For what it’s worth, I have an SLV by Okuma. While the tolerances aren’t as good as the high end reels, I’m very impressed with how smooth the operation of the reel is. Including the drag, (very smooth.) And, the capacity is more than adequate.