REEL Confused

Fishing Saltwater Fly Fishing
1

I am interested in knowing what FAOL members consider as ESSENTIAL components or characteristics of a decent saltwater reel. I plan to do a little bonefishing, but I need a new reel. I don’t want to waste my money. There are so many reel components and materials that I find myself confused. Manufactures display many claims such as the following:

Disc Drags
Cork Disc Drags
Teflon & Cork Disc Drags
Conical Disc Drags
Click Pawl Disc Drags
Spring Disc Drags
Graphite/Composite Disc Drags
Offset disc drag
Advanced space-age disc drag system

Brass gearing
Stainless steel one way roller bearing
Oil-impregnated bronze bushings

Cast-aluminum frame
Machined 6082 marine alloy aluminum
Machined bar stock 6262 T6 aluminum

Titanium anodized finish
Gold anodized finish

As you can see there is a lot being said!?!? What are the basic characteristics needed in a reel for saltwater on a species like Bonefish?

Thanks,
ac01

2

Backing capacity, designed for salt water, a good disk drag. Drag needs to be consistent and able to handle long runs. I like cork drags. There are alot of great inexpensive reels that can be used for bone fish.

One of the most inexpensive is the Orvis Mid Arbor tons of backing, good quality, and only $119.

Albright is discontinuing their Tempest reel and they can be found for half price $175. Ross BigGame is also being discontinued with large discounts to be found.

3

What I consider essential is backing capacity,disc drag and good anodising.A good,reasonably priced reel would be a Teton Tioga.Cork drags are nice but not essential for bonefish.Think of how many record fish were caught using a Pflueger Medalist and go from there.And by the way,a Medalist can still get the job done.

4

Get the best reel you can, preferrably with cork or cork to composite drag, because bonefish will probably do more damage to a cheap reel quicker than a tarpon will because there’s not too much swimming that’s going to peel backing off the reel any faster than a bone… 8)

5

Get the best reel you can afford. Bauer, Nautilus, Ross, Tibor, Islander. You could use the Medalist but you could also use a horse and buggy to travel across the country and not you car. Ive used the Medalist for a few years and no matter how good you are about keeping it clean It will rust out. Talk to the pros who catch alot of bones and they will go on and on about the better reels and the plusses to getting a real good reel.

6

Regarding the drag on a fly reel an acquaintance on another forum that tests fly fishing gear said, “They use cork in the clutch of a Rolls Royce”.

'Nuff said, I think.:wink:

7

With some of the prices I’ve seen, you should be able to drive a few of these reels home after a day on the water!!

ac01 :shock:

8

Your right they can be pricy go to waterworks web page and look under clearanc. I you can’t afford one of these on sale you may want to put off salt fly fishing a bit. No offence but it would be better then being frustraded with an inferior reel. Welcome to The Waterworks / Lamson - Premier manufacturer of state-of-the-art fly fishing reels.

9

Not that I’m suggesting it but I started out in the salt with a medalist.
I picked up some valuable skills that way.

Don’t let anyone tell you you can’t fish the salt unless you have THIS gear or you can cast THIS far or can make THIS cast.

Like that sneaker company sez; “Just do it”

10

I started the salt with the medalist also and one of the best lessons I came out of it with is get the best you can afford cause the cheaper stuff does not last long and can make it frustrating. For about 100 or so the battenkill would be better then the pflueger.

11

Considering my profession, Machinist, I often find myself pawing over reels in an effort to determine the best bang for the buck on the market.

I have looked over many reels. One thing is consistent, consumers are paying major money for the surface coatings like anodizing. That is the single most costly part of most if not all reels.

I would not get bent over what its actually made from. Be it Magnesium or Aluminum it matters little since the mechanical properties are so close between the two. The only exception to this rule would be Titanium. Strong like steel, light like Aluminum, impervious to the salt. The problem with Ti reels are the cost about the same as a decent used vehicle.

I think first and foremost in importance is a sealed drag made from carbon fiber. Next is fit and finish. Followed by backing capacity.

The one reel that passed my test and landed my business is the Nautilus 10 CCF made by Old Florida reels.

12

The Nautilus is the reel I use now for all my saltwater flyfishing I have a 10 and I am getting ready for the larger 12T. Darn good reel and company. Bauer is my second choice and only because the are more expensive then the Nautilus.

13

DO NOT use a magnesium reel in saltwater ! Even if it it cleaned religiously after use the reel will not stand up to the chemical reactions of saltwater, or so I was told when purchasing an Orvis reel years ago. Discussed the new $10,000.00 Hardy Zane titanium saltwater reels today at a fly shop. Impressive, but then again for that price one could fish just about anywhere 10 times over at that price! 8)

14

While Magnesium is the most Anodic take a look down the list a few places and you’ll find Aluminum. Way down at the Cathodic range you’ll find the various Titanium’s. I call that the $10,000 reel range.

Magnesium has been used in reels for a long time. Primarily for its strength to weight ratio and ease by which it can be cast into intricate shapes.

So the key lies in the surface coating, i.e. Type 3 Hard Anodizing. Unfortunately that is also what drives the cost up. Yes untreated Magnesium would erode pretty fast but Aluminum would be not too far behind it.

The following Galvanic Table lists metals in the order of their relative activity in seawater environment. The list begins with the more active (anodic) metal and proceeds down the to the least active (cathodic) metal of the galvanic series. A “galvanic series” applies to a particular electrolyte solution, hence for each specific solution which is expected to be encountered for actual use, a different order or series will ensue. In a galvanic couple, the metal higher in the series (or the smaller) represents the anode, and will corrode preferentially in the environment.

Listed below is the latest galvanic table from MIL-STD-889 where the materials have been numbered for discussion of characteristics. However, for any combination of dissimilar metals, the metal with the lower number will act as an anode and will corrode preferentially. The table is the galvanic series of metals in sea water from Army Missile Command Report RS-TR-67-11, “Practical Galvanic Series.”

Active (Anodic)

Magnesium
Mg alloy AZ-31B
Mg alloy HK-31A
Zinc (hot-dip, die cast, or plated)
Beryllium (hot pressed)
Al 7072 clad on 7075
Al 2014-T3
Al 1160-H14
Al 7079-T6
Cadmium (plated)
Uranium
Al 218 (die cast)
Al 5052-0
Al 5052-H12
Al 5456-0, H353
Al 5052-H32
Al 1100-0
Al 3003-H25
Al 6061-T6
Al A360 (die cast)
Al 7075-T6
Al 6061-0
Indium
Al 2014-0
Al 2024-T4
Al 5052-H16
Tin (plated)
Stainless steel 430 (active)
Lead
Steel 1010
Iron (cast)
Stainless steel 410 (active)
Copper (plated, cast, or wrought)
Nickel (plated)
Chromium (Plated)
Tantalum
AM350 (active)
Stainless steel 310 (active)
Stainless steel 301 (active)
Stainless steel 304 (active)
Stainless steel 430 (active)
Stainless steel 410 (active)
Stainless steel 17-7PH (active)
Tungsten
Niobium (columbium) 1% Zr
Brass, Yellow, 268
Uranium 8% Mo
Brass, Naval, 464
Yellow Brass
Muntz Metal 280
Brass (plated)
Nickel-silver (18% Ni)
Stainless steel 316L (active)
Bronze 220
Copper 110
Red Brass
Stainless steel 347 (active)
Molybdenum, Commercial pure
Copper-nickel 715
Admiralty brass
Stainless steel 202 (active)
Bronze, Phosphor 534 (B-1)
Monel 400
Stainless steel 201 (active)
Carpenter 20 (active)
Stainless steel 321 (active)
Stainless steel 316 (active)
Stainless steel 309 (active)
Stainless steel 17-7PH (passive)
Silicone Bronze 655
Stainless steel 304 (passive)
Stainless steel 301 (passive)
Stainless steel 321 (passive)
Stainless steel 201 (passive)
Stainless steel 286 (passive)
Stainless steel 316L (passive)
AM355 (active)
Stainless steel 202 (passive)
Carpenter 20 (passive)
AM355 (passive)
A286 (passive)
Titanium 5A1, 2.5 Sn
Titanium 13V, 11Cr, 3Al (annealed)
Titanium 6Al, 4V (solution treated and aged)
Titanium 6Al, 4V (anneal)
Titanium 8Mn
Titanium 13V, 11Cr 3Al (solution heat treated and aged)
Titanium 75A
AM350 (passive)
Silver
Gold
Graphite
End - Noble (Less Active, Cathodic)

15

When looking at boating items, it’s easy to see why there’s so much rust on some of the stain-less steel. Wasn’t aware there were that many different types, so thanks for the neat info !

16

Acorbin,
If you want a good quality USA made reel that won’t break the bank try the Teton Tiogas.Same drag as the higher end Tetons actually the same reel but with less porting stick with the regular arbor spools for saltwater.I would agree with the others about the Battenkill and the Medalists reels but not since they are now both being made in China not sure if the quality will be the same.If you can find them used go for it.

Tom

17

The question then is how can one tell the qualitative properties of the anodized coating??

ac01

18

Good question.

Type three hard Anodizing comes in only one color, black. This is highly corrosion and scratch resistant.
The process of coating in type three is very costly with a high rate of rejection. Causing us consumers to be asked to pay outrageous money for reels.
It is inherent to the type three process to suffer color variations. Large batch Anodizing in a tank. Some parts are slightly lighter in color. Almost with a greyish look to them. Technically the coating is good but they get rejected rather than sent to the consumer. Driving the price up.
Type two Anodizing is much more prevalent. It is a more consistent and predictable process. Can be done in a multitude of colors including black.
The easiest way to tell Type 2 Black and Type 3 Black is this. The Type 3 will be polished to a very high sheen. If you place a black Tibor reel next to a black Tioga or teton reel you will see the difference between type three and type two. Now look at the price difference.

19

How about the Temple Fork Terry Hayden reels. They are much more reasonable than the Tibors. Do you think they use an inferior type 3 process?

http://www.templeforkflyrods.com/reels/ … ayden.html

20

When considering which reel to use for drag worthy fish I look at the reels that are used time and time again for catching those record breaking fish. Two US manufacturers top the pile; Tibor and Abel.

Purpose built saltwater reels, great warranties and I note both use cork in their drags. These reels are built on the feedback of experienced professional fishermen, who are on the water day in and day out. Some good video here going into the ideas behind the Tibor reel http://www.fishandflymagazine.com/video … IDEO_ID=13

They are at the high end of the market but worth every penny. Which is better? Well I think this is down to personal preference. I own reels from both manufacturers.

You buy the best because the best is what you deserve.

BTW - I also use and own reels from the following manufactures for fishing in the salt, but if I was on a trip of a lifetime I know which ones, I’d be strapping onto my stick.

Ross
Lamson
Sage
Old Florida
Okuma
Teton
Felty/Predator
Orvis
SA