My son’s friend, just received a fly fishing outfit from his father for his birthday. It’s an inexpensive outfit, but for a kids first rod and reel it will serve him just fine. He brought it over to ask what I thought about it. Of course, I wouldn’t say anything negative about a guys first fly fishing outfit and the little Cahill 8’6", 5 wt rod and reel will be the source of much fun for him.
Even though his dad fly fishes, it is like learning how to drive from your father. Some can pull it off, but for many it can be a frustrating experience. We went out in the yard and I helped him cast some. Then he asked me about the two dials on the reel. Bluntly, I don’t know. It is a very basic click and pawl design. I have never owned one of these types of reels since I came into the hobby when a good disc drag was what most expensive reels had to offer.
Anyhow, what the heck do the two knobs do on this reel? I tried the Cabela’s web site, but this reel isn’t the one pictured under the current Cahill reels and even the rod is a three piece and what is on the web site now is the 4 piece rods. This very well was a discontinued product.
I noticed no difference in drag when turning both of the knobs within their adjustment range. So can someone help me so I can help this kid? Thanks in advance.
They are not counter weights. There are two small dials mounted like this. I couldn’t find a picture of the reel, but the dials look very similar to the one that I “X’d” out but are in the location of the two red circles that I put on the reel.
I have Cabela’s Reel I got a few years ago when I bought a 3 Rivers combo, I has the 2 dials on it, they are just below center toward the bottom of the reel when mounted on the rod. They seem to be drags on this reel to me. Can’t find my paperwork on it but it appears to me the “duel drags” are for using either right hand wind or left hand wind. Hopes this is some help.
Mark, you very well could be right on the placement of the dials. I might have had the reel off of the rod when I was thinking that it was toward the top. When I moved both of the dials, I didn’t get much if any difference in drag setting. I have done searches on Google and other sites for an owners manual. I might have to contact Cabelas. Thanks for your help.
I had one of the old Cabela’s graphite reels that was set-up like that.
The two dials moved pawl springs that were on either side of a single pawl
By turning the dials you adjusted the resistance of the pawl, either as drag or as a clicker
Never work well and the sprocket on the spool wore out, causing it to free spool.
Piece of junk
I’m not really sure, but I think generally the “click and pawl” type reels are not intended to produce drag as such, just to put enough tension on the reel to keep it from over running and creating a mess / tangle of the line still on the reel. “Drag” with a click and pawl reel is affected by palming the rim.
I’ve got a $225 Abel TR1 ( bought it on closeout for much less ) that has click and pawl, and the drag it produces wouldn’t stop in a minnow in stillwater.
John
I’m not criticizing click/pawl drags systems in general. In fact, for the most part I prefer them over disk drags.(see my signature )
My little Cabela’s Cahill 0 reel has a well designed click/pawl which is what drew me to this thread in the first place
The click/pawl design on this reel, if it’s the same as one I’m thinking of, is a ‘reel’ looser
Thanks for the feedback guys. I have never owned a Click and Pawl style reel and much prefer something with a drag for my own fishing. Again, I think that this whole outfit was around $50 and I just wanted to tell the kid how to operate his stuff. The important thing is that he has a fly fishing outfit and can start to grow in the hobby. I’m still sure that he will have many memorable times with his new equipment.
I sent the kid home with 6 DVDs on fly fishing yesterday. Even though it is late in the season, I look forward to fishing with him some before all the water gets hard around here (ice).
Hold on here folks… Yep what you guys are saying is what there for, to keep the reel from over running (backlash), and yep, left or right wind. Yeah those spring clips in there do get week and need bending in some after some use, but don’t knock the reel. I’v owned 2 of them. The first having the drag adjustments and the Cayhill i have now doesn’t have them. That was one of the first reels I owned (I have had reels fall apart in my hand completely, south bend I think) , I used the first until about, oh maybe 3 or 4 years ago, then gave it to a boyscout who needed to earn a flyfishing badge with a crystal river 8’6 5wt rod. I now have a Cayhill reel with a crystal river 8’6 5wt that stays in my jeep ALL the time. I enjoy
it, no it don’t have the same feel as my other rods, but it is there and ready to go when I am. The reel being plastic, I don’t think it would handle a Marlin sail fish hook up…lol But todate, I have had one on had for over 10 yrs. Yes it has been used and abused alot… So tell your friend there’s some old guy in Va. that likes his alot…
PS: Just went out in my jeep to check, yep no Y in Cahill, sorry bout that…
OH Hey one more thing, if that reel came with a white line, I would sujest getting that off of there, I think mine came with a white line, (i know it came off some reel) any way, that line is like cloths line, I put a cheap line on it, (crystal river i think too, green line) and that made a world of difference for me, i ain’t no casting pro but that simple change made a big dif. in that combo for me…
)
Yep what you guys are saying is what there for, to keep the reel from over running (backlash), and yep, left or right wind. Yeah those spring clips in there do get week and need bending in some after some use, but don’t knock the reel. I’v owned 2 of them. The first having the drag adjustments and the Cayhill i have now doesn’t have them. That was one of the first reels I owned (I have had reels fall apart in my hand completely, south bend I think) , I used the first until about, oh maybe 3 or 4 years ago, then gave it to a boyscout who needed to earn a flyfishing badge with a crystal river 8’6 5wt rod. I now have a Cayhill reel with a crystal river 8’6 5wt that stays in my jeep ALL the time. I enjoy