Other than manually loading backing and fly line onto the reel does anyone have a powered way to do that?
Reel E Good has this but I have found it less than satisfactory.
http://www.feather-craft.com/wecs.php?store=feacraft&action=display&target=FX008A
This one I’m not familiar with.
http://www.feather-craft.com/wecs.php?store=feacraft&action=display&target=FX008B
Look up the Sato Line Winder kit. It runs about $370 plus you need a 1/2 in drill. Another $100 for a line counter. Best thing I have found for less than a thousand bucks.
There are some less expensive portable winders like the Cyclone but it may not work with some 2500 yard spools.
I found the Reel-E-Good system unsatisfactory.
Is it just me, or is that totally absurd for anything but a rather large fly shop? Duckster doesn’t say if he’s inquiring for personal or shop use, so I will ASSume it’s personal… How often are you removing and reloading backing on reels that it’s prohibitive to do by hand? A good half-inch drill costs $150 at least— so that’s $620… hell I volunteer to do reloads on your reels at $10 each 62 times!!!
The only powered way that would make any sense to me is to use a BBQ rotisserie motor - change some of the gears, or maybe something from a sewing machine. There is really so little line on a fly reel that I think one would spend more time setting up the spool than it would take to wind by hand. Isn’t this one of the tasks you are supposed to do when watching a game on TV?
Hardly absurd. Depends on his need. If just winding a fly reel or two it might exceed the need. If winding many reels, or hundreds and hundreds of yards of spectra, or winding lots of spinning, casting, or conventional reels the need may be there. I know many anglers who have line winders in their garage and many more who have pooled resources to purchase one to share. I spool or re-spool a about 40 times a year between my different types of reels so having a machine available is quite handy and since they are usually durable and will last many many years they can be a good investment.
I use an Anglers Image crank winder for changing fly lines. I have backing wound at the local shop. Many non fly tackle shops will wind backing on for a small fee if you bring in the reel and backing.
I goofed up. First link I posted is the cheaper link I had in mind. I figure you have already looked at the “Simple Fly Line Winder” here on FAOL.
Here’s where I’m coming from…had my fly reels stolen some time ago and in replacing them there was a lot of winding on so I became appreciative of power.
I happen to have a spare sewing machine motor and am thinking of setting up some sort of power winder… I like projects…used the Reel E Good loader with a drill as mentioned above and it is not very good.
I can’t come up with a relatively simple way to attach the power source to a fly reel or a fly reel spool…it’s easy to power wind off line and backing FROM a reel but to power ON is another matter…and yes it is not the end of the world to manually wind line on…been there done that…just trying to come up with that connection to the reel spool…and to further complicat things reel spools vary in design.
I’m just a Keep It Simple, Stupid kind of guy. In the time it takes me to research, purchase, set up, and earn the money for a whiz-bang whirlygig (or even better, design, purchase supplies, and build one) I can manually wind line/backing, unwind, rewind a whole bunch of times. But then again I get by just fine with a handful of reels and two handfulls of spools… I figure if I had the resources to buy so many reels I’d consider it “economical” to spend that much on a power winder, I’d have the money to just pay someone to do it for me.
Didn’t you mean Keep It Simple Sir?
Phil…do you have skype? Pls pm me iffen you do.
Jim
Sorry, Jim, I don’t
Yes, you are correct… quite often the word spelled s-t-u-p-i-d is pronounced exactly the same as the word spelled S-i-r.