Where did you get a reel and line for your rod.
I just ordered the stuff to build a 1 wt.
I need to start looking for the reel and line so help me please.
Rick
I use a ross rhythym reel. the smallest one. I bought an extra spool for the one wt line (other spool holds 3wt line). the reel nicely balances each rod.
orvis wonderline has 1 wt line. some folks think that’s a dirty word. I also picked up an airflo 1 wt line in trade for a couple dozen dry flies on the for sale board here,
you will really enjoy your one wt. gills are a flat out hoot on them.
mgj
I’ve got a little Battenkill BBSII, and a 1 wt line from Orvis. Wait till you tie into a little brookie on that rod … it’ll feel like a whale!!
Trouts don’t live in ugly places
I recently finished a 1 wt with a blank from Dan Craft. A really nice rod by the way!
I wanted a nice light reel to match it but I don’t like the small diameter reels that are made for light rods, like the 2? dia. ones. I feel like I’m winding fly line on a thread spool. Tiny coils and lots of winding to pick up line.
I decided on a Battenkill LA I. Shortly after I got the Orvis reel I saw the new one from Elkhorn, their MA-0.5 and I was sorry I got the Orvis. The Elkhorn MA has the same design characteristics that I liked in the Orvis Battenkill LA, a larger diameter reel available in a size suited for a 1 wt. The Elkhorn MA-0.5 is very well made and is, in my opinion, a better reel that the Orvis Battenkill LA.
Joe
ross colorado 0 would be great too, if you can find one. I have one on a two wt rod and love it as well. the rod goes to my nephew once he catches and releases a trout on a fly he ties. he can keep the line, but I’m keeping the reel.
a battenkill large arbor reel on a featherlight whisperweight rod is just plain wrong. like a lift kit and huge tires on an isuzu pick up.
mgj
mikeytwoshoes, you obviously don’t know what the Battenkill LA I looks like!
It is a perfect match for a 1 to 3wt rod, which is what it is designed for. The Ross Colorado you speak of was also designed for a 1 to 3 wt rod. And, at 3 oz., I believe the Battenkill is lighter than the Colorado was. To me that makes a better match.
Joe
I realy like the little Hardy Flyweight. I used to fish one on a little 7’9" 2wt. and I just loved it on those tiny streams when you hooked into a giant 10 incher. Nothing screams “fish on!” like a good old fashioned click and pawl.
Bill O.
[url=http://www.oysterbamboo.com:f86c7]www.oysterbamboo.com[/url:f86c7]
I coupled my Dan Craft 1wt with Forbes Magnesium from overstock.com ($75). At 2.2 oz seems to work great. Also the Rio Pocket Water line was recommended to me and casts quite nice, although does have some memory issues to work around. It can be found at Sierra Trading Post pretty cheaply.
Good luck with the one weight… I love mine.
Hope that helps,
Kelvin
mikeytwoshoes, you obviously don’t know what the Battenkill LA I looks like!
hmmm…I have one spooled w/ a five wt line and a spare spool w/ a sinking line, so apparently I do. it’s great for big brawling water or stillwaters. neither of which make it a candidate for lightline fishing. bearing in mind that this is only my opinion and I’ve been known to be full of shlitz a time or two.
mgj
Which Craft rod did you buy, Rick?
Rick,
If you want cheap and light, check out the Basspro White River Classic-UL. 2.2oz for $90. I’m using one for my 6’6 2-wt rx7 and its a perfect balance. Basic click-n-paw with a pretty nice finish. i’ll also be using it on my ONE when I finally get around to building it.
I also considered the Forbes for a little less dough, but you can’t get extra spools at Overstock prices.
mikeytwoshoes, are you sure you have a LA I reel that is designed for 1 - 3wt line? If you put a 5wt line on a size I reel I doubt you have any room for backing.
Now, I also have a LA II and that reel will handle a 5 wt line, because it is much larger than a I. Are you sure yours isn’t a II size?
KRC, the reason I don’t like the 2?" dia. small arbor reels is because they coil the line too much. I use the same Rio Pocket Water line on my reel, which has a 3" dia. and the large arbor keeps the line coiled at the larger diameter. I have no problems with line memory. I also have an Abel Creek #1 and it too has the larger diameter and keeps the line from being coiled too tight. I met someone with the BassPro Classic Ultralight, another 2?" reel that weighs 2.2 oz. The line came off looking like a corkscrew. While the light weight is nice, I think they are too small to store fly line.
Joe
I actually have both the Forbes Magnesium and the BassPro UL model. Both seem like good reels although I haven’t fished the BassPro enough to give a good report on it. The Forbes has a much louder ‘clicker’ than the UL - could be good, could be bad depending on how you feel about such things.
Joe is absolutly right about the small spools causing line coiling. However, on my DC, anything over 3oz would be too heavy (in my opinion of course). Naturally this would depend on the rod blank, seat placement, etc. choosen. Right now at 2.2oz the rod balances perfectly at the grip on my application. I do think balance is very important in the lighter applications, so the line coil is a nessary evil I live with. There are things you can do to help: store the line off the spool in a ziplock (with the reel); plus do a quick stretch on the line before fishing.
If you are interested I would be glad to send you either reel to see how they work on your setup. I won’t be using them for a while 
Kelvin
Off topic -
Taoski - have you been able to find spare spools for the UL model?? My BassPro doesn’t stock them and the website does carry have them either?
I bought the FRSlll 7012
It is 2 piece 7 ft rod
Got single foot line guides. A frist for me in building. Also got he handle and reel seat from him. Told him I would trust him on which ones to get to work the best with the rod.
Rick
of course I have the LA II, it’s for a five wt. I haven’t looked too closely at the smaller size since I’m set up that way already. it’s a good reel, don’t get me wrong.
rick, is yer reel seat cork? I just broke the butt end off of my dan craft 1wt dropping it off the tail gate of my truck. make sure you install so that the blank goes clear to the end of the reelseat. I can fix it easily enough, but it’s a flaw nonetheless. on dan’s behalf not mine since he built it.
just a word of caution.
mgj
All this talk about going lighter I couldn’t avoid it.
Just purchased an H&H 6’6 2wt kit and line. I know it’s not as light as the 1 but it’ll do for me.
Should work nicely in the local park lakes. I like the idea you can buy the kit with the bag and tube - neat!
Rick Z - Couldn’t help but notice your ICQ number, looks like we have something in common besides our love for WW Fly Fishing.
Let No One Walk Alone
><))))‘>------<’((((><
Bill
I knew you were a great guy for some reason.
Rick
RickZ,
You may want to check out the CCS numbers on that blank ( [url=http://www.superbob.org/CC_Data.htm:2cf1f]http://www.superbob.org/CC_Data.htm[/url:2cf1f] - click on the Blanks tab at the bottom left) and build it before you purchase a line. There are two different FRSlll 7012 blanks in the CCS Data Site and both have ERNs around 3. One is 2.97 and the other 3.12. I’ve read other comments about that blank that basically say it is definitely not a 1 wt, and if it’s going to be fished at short < 30’ distances it definitely needs a 3 wt line.
You may want to check with Dan to see if it’s too late to swap it out for the 6’10" 3 pc. 1 wt which has an ERN in the low 1s.
[This message has been edited by mrp116 (edited 06 January 2006).]
I’m bummed. You used to be able to get spare spools for the white river on the BP web site. Looks like they discontinued selling spools. Well, its still a nice reel to use.
As for line… Line coil is definately a problem as Joe and Kelvin noted. I personally use SA-XPS for lighter weights. Its pretty coily in the morning but straightens out nicely after an hour or so. I would think Classic Sylk would be the way to go for 2.5" reels, but it only goes down to 2wt.
Hey Rick,
I am sure that you will totally enjoy the one weight experience!
I made one last winter; 8 foot 1 wt.
I put the cheaper orvis large arbor reel on it ( with exchangable cassettes ).
The reel has a lot of backing on it, because there are some really nice bass were I fish for perch, so you will want a nice and smooth drag system, just in case you run into a bruser.
The one weight rods have the power to handle some good sized fish; my personel best is a 5 pound bass on the one weight. But the key to these brutes is; taking your time, and not rushing things like we usaully did with a heavier weight rod.
The only set back with the light weight rods is, there ablity to cast in wind, and fighting fish in currents. They can take you a long way downstream!
Welcome to the light weight club, your are going to have one heck of a fun ride!!!
Wishing you screaming reels,
chris from canada