Just what is it that makes a flyreel better than another?
I am about to purchase one shortly and would like someone to give me an honest answer.
Some people say all they do is hold your line.I know they do more than that but,what exactly makes one better than another??I was thinking of spending somewhere in the area of 100.00 for a reel.What is a good reel in that price range?
Thanks in advance.
Rich
We need to know what size line and what fish you are after.
Sorry I should have posted this in my previous post.
Its a 5wt and it will mostly be used for trout fishing in MO in the trout parks and some small rivers for panfish as well.
Thanks.
Rich,
I have always preferred reels that are machined barstock, such as the Teton reels & Orvis Battenkill barstocks…they are more durable than the cast aluminum. Both are around your price range, although you can get the Teton Tioga for under $100.00, & I don’t think you can get more “bang for your buck”! They are truely super reels.
Mike
You can call me Mike & you can call me Mikey…Just remember that this site’s about sharing!
For trout fishing, reels are like watches.
My $49 Orvis watch tells the time correctly enough that I don't need a mega-bucks Rolex but I understand those folks who do own one.
A machined reel is best, buy the best you can afford and don't look back.
Joseph
Major surgery is ‘what happens to me’; minor surgery is ‘what happens to you’. Same thing with reels. It is just a fact. Mine is better than yours. Remember to buy a really snazzy one as most other fly-fishers will judge you by your choice of rod & reel. Pay attention to; color (colour), sound (both in and out), the number of ‘holes’ (the more holes the ‘better’) and how long it will spin when you give it a really ‘big spin!’
Hope this helps. If not, try this… [url=http://www.flyanglersonline.com/cst/cst111297.html:30f62]http://www.flyanglersonline.com/cst/cst111297.html[/url:30f62]
QFT, JC.
Don’t forget about how loud and how ‘English’ sounding the click is.
Hey, don’t knock loud reels. I love hearing the reel singing.
I’m sure there are many reels within your range and the two already mentioned are excellent choices.
Allan
Get an automatic fly reel…you will be able to zip the line in faster tha J.C.s Kusse. If you can find an old Ocean City Model 90, it is both auto-spring loaded and optional crank retreive. Of course you will have to get a huge Shakespear Wonder Rod to balance the whole thing…but you will be noticed on the river.
Hi Rich,
When I bought my gear I asked around for similar advice. I ended up getting a BFR (British Fly Reel) Dragonfly. I was very pleased with it, and now have 3! They run about $150 NZ, so that would probably be around the $10 US range? ha! Seriously though, I’ve found them to be reliable, and in a recent magazine write up they were listed as the best “value for money”.
I’m not saying it’s the only reel to look at, of course, but it is one to check out.
These are my opinions after fishing for 53 years, the last 10 years fly angling exclusively.
a) Needs: What are you fishing for, you will have different equipment (rod, reel, line, flies) depending on where and what you are fishing for. You do not need a 7 weight rod/reel/line setup for small fish! You should not use a 3 weight rod/reel/line setup for big fish. Start off with a rod/reel/line setup, that will cover your basic category of fish, which you will be fishing.
Want’s: Prices range from inexpensive to costing an arm and a leg. Somewhere in between is where you will end-up (unless you are, thee “Bill Gates”)! Fly Line and Rod are the most important. Reels are important also, but unless you are going for “Big Fish”, a disc brake reel is not really needed. I have a 9 weight “Click and Paw” Reel that does just fine for Muskie and Steelhead fly fishing. I use this reel on a South Bend Fiberglass fly rod that is about 40 years old. The fly line is SA 9 weight.
I have a couple of Korean made fly reels, that work just fine on my 5 & 6 weight fly rods. I also have a Teton Reel for my 3 & 4 weight fly rods.
Get’s: What you have to spend for the rod/reel/line combo will determine what you end up with. It is a balancing act, to get the best rig with the amount of money you have to spend. You can upgrade later on, right now you are just wanting to go fishing. Fly Fishing is not a investment portfolio. Most of our fly fishing stuff will end up in a yard sale, after our funeral. ~Parnelli
[This message has been edited by Steven H. McGarthwaite (edited 25 May 2006).]
Automatic reels… [url=http://www.flyanglersonline.com/lighterside/jackohman/jack24.html:f2b34]http://www.flyanglersonline.com/lighterside/jackohman/jack24.html[/url:f2b34] [url=http://www.flyanglersonline.com/lighterside/jackohman/jack21.html:f2b34]http://www.flyanglersonline.com/lighterside/jackohman/jack21.html[/url:f2b34]
Mike,
I have always preferred reels that are machined barstock,…they are more durable than the cast aluminum.
Interesting. Is this really the case?
Cheers,
Hans W
wondering how the bar stock the reel is machined out of came to be in the first place…
=== You have a friend in Low Places ===
http://www.danica.com/flytier
Hans,
The bar stock is rolled, not cast, and has greater tensile strength than a casting.
flyfisher,
I would be interested to see the data to that effect.
I have a natural curiosity (and healthy scepcis) about the many ‘absolutes’ which are stated and then repeated and repeated within our sport. This is one of them which may very well be accurate, but I have yet to see backed up by real life figures.
Can you direct me somewhere?
Thanks,
Hans W
=== You have a friend in Low Places ===
http://www.danica.com/flytier
Wow! My first fly reel was an old automatic.
My impression on what makes a good fly reel is the person or company making it. The anadized aluminum ones are nice because they are generally light weight and durable, due to the anadizing process.
Get a reel from a company that stands behind their products. A couple nice ones would be Ross’s Cimmaron and Lamson’s Radius. The Orvis reels were nice but i’ve stopped buying them because they’re made in Korea or China now.
Hans, get up on a ladder say 10’ up or so and drop a “machined reel” and drop a “cast reel” onto a hard surface such as concrete or better yet a big rock.
The results should answer your “real life figures”.
Rob
One thing you might consider is how many lines you might use on it. I like to try any and every kind of fishing and technique I can so I thought I’d be better off with a cassette reel to keep the cost of spare spools down and keep it affordable. I found out that in cold weather the cassette tends to stick and I actually bent the cassette side of the reel spool/frame while trying to remove it. Now its not as smooth- a bit out of sync… If I knew it was strictly a dry fly setup for a bit more money I would’ve bought a more solid barstock type reel, and it would have been a better value for me. The cost and bulk of spools is something to consider. As far as snob appeal goes- some pretty reasonably priced reels perform very well and from a respectful fishing distance, who can read the name on it anyway?
As you can see from many of the replys, reels are one of those things that folks can be pretty excited about. For myself, I agree about the right reel for the job thinking. After all when you come right down to it a reel is a tool. Like most other tools as you move up in price you move up in quality, durability, longevity, smoothness and features. Tho there are reels out there that are overpriced for what they are.
I am not all that excited by disk drag, but I understand the folks that do. I am partial to a palming rim, particularly if I am after fish that might run in to a bit of size.
There is also the " enjoyment of a well made instrument" thing. Like watches, shotguns and cars there is nothing wrong with going for the best you can afford and enjoying the ride.
While I certainly don’t know you well enough to make any recomendations of any real value I will say that if you are not certain of what you should buy, then maybe you shouldn’t buy anything that your own circumstances would call expensive. If you need to buy something now , buy something modest but of reasonable quality. Use it. Look at other reels on the stream and in the shops/ cataloges. Ask folks what thy like about their reel. Look arround a bit.When you find that one particular reel that you just gotta have, you will know it and your questions will be answered.
AgMD
J.C. I know I have told this story before, but when I first met my future son-in-law in 1992, I invited him and our daughter to our cabin in Sisters, Oregon to fish the Metolious. Dad “Do you fly fish” S.I.L “Oh yeah and I even have my own rod and reel” Dad “Great, bring it along”. They arrive, S.I.L. whips out old South Bend heavy glass rod his dad gave him and monster Perine auto reel, his dad gave him. Future Dad "Nice Mike, have you fished with this before? S.I.L. Oh yeah, isn’t it a great outfit? Dad, very nice…why doesn’t the line retreive when I pull it out? S.I.L It needs cleaning. We spent the evening taking the reel apart, dousing it in kerosene, lubing it back up after reasembly. On the Metolious, he was a vision in poetry. He caught fish, and those around him jaw’s were dropping. Moral…never underestimate a tiro, they will always surpise you. A reel is a reel is a reel, unless of course it is a Kusse.
I learn more about the world while talking to myself when fishing alone
[This message has been edited by Jonezee (edited 25 May 2006).]