Anyone have any first hand info on this reel. Have an opportunity to pick one up for my new Bamboo 7’ 4wt. Looks like a nice reel that should look great on my boo. The web site says the 3 1/4 is for 4wt rods but I am thinking the 3" model would be a better choice…
Any info would be appreciated.
Thanks Bill
It is what my wife uses on her cane.
Hello Bill,
I have a Hardy Bougle MK IV, which measures 3 1/4" to the outside of the raised pillars. I use it on my 6 wt canes with 20lb backing.
I have a Hardy Bougle Baby, which measures 2 3/4" to the outside of the raised pillars. I use this one on my 3wt canes with 12lb backing, and on my 1 wt cane (with a spacer on the spool and 12 lb backing).
So I would recommend the 3" MK V Centenary for your 4wt cane.
Cheers,
Richard
Plano TX
The 3 1/4" Bougle balances well on my 7’ & 7 1/2’ 4wt cane rods. Cheers.
Bill,
As I write this I am looking at a MkV 3" and a 3&1/4" Either one would be fine on a 7’ 4wt. cane. Also, either one could handle a 4wt, although it would be tight on the 3". If you wanted a decent amount of backing, you might want to clip off the last 15’ of fly line running line. It is extremely unlikely you’ll miss it on a 7’ 4wt. and I wouldn’t hesitate to do this. Reel manufacturers however are hesitant to encourage this sort of thing and most places would just sell you the 3&1/4 to be safe. One way you could probably avoid this would be to use the Cortland Sylk line. It is smaller in diameter and should fit well on the 3". You can’t go wrong either way, it’s just depends on, would you rather have a 2,3,4 or a 4,5,6. Both look nice and will do the job.
Bill Oyster
Bill:
I have a 3" Bougle Mk IV that is spooled with a DT4F Rio Classic and 20lb backing although I have no idea how much. The line fits just fine on the Mk IV. I use this reel on a couple of 7’0" and 6’6" cane rods.
I’m not sure about the difference in capacity between the Bougle Mk IV and the Bougle Mk V but an e-mail to Hardy should get you an answer.
Nice reel BTW!