I have a chance to fish for reds in the Gulf in a few weeks. I have never fished saltwater, so I don’t have any saltwater specific equipment. I don’t want to buy any new equipment if possible. Will the salt ruin my existing 8wt. reel (Ross Flycast) after only 1 trip? Any suggestions on cleaning?
If the salt will wreck my stuff any suggestions on reels in the $100-$200 range?
Thanks, I appreciate the help.
The salt will not harm it if you rinse well and lube after “each” use. Don’t wait til the end of the week long trip to do this. Even saltwater specific reels should get this same treatment each and everytime they are used. I have had zero problems with my stuff.
Thanks, I really have no idea when it comes to saltwater fishing.
sdflyguy,
Sent you a pm.
TT.
The Flycast reel will not be ruined, however you may want something with a beefier drag. Follow the manufacturer’s maintenance instructions. If you lost the instructions that came with the reel you can find them here
www.rossreels.com/images/tech_help/files/Cleaning-Care-for-Your-Flycast-Reel-(2007-Model).pdf
If you are hiring a guide, he should have appropriate gear for you to use.
Some good reels for less than $200 and suitable for light to medium duty saltwater usage include the Sea Level Tempest, Orvis Battenkill Mid Arbor, Pflueger Trion, Redington Rise, Scientific Anglers System 2, Lamson Konic, Sage 1800 series, G Loomis Eastfork, Okuma Helios, and Cortland Stirling reels. Also the recently discontinued Redington Titanium CDL reel can be found for less than $150 at at least one source right now.
Your Flycast should be fine for limited saltwater use. Just rinse it lightly after each use and when you get home give it a good cleaning. I would even strip off all the line and backing and soak it in freshwater.
If you want to get another reel for salt, Orvis is discontuning the Battenkill Mid Arbor and you can pick up a IV for $109 or a V for $114 on their web site. This is a great deal for a solid reel that is saltwater tolerant.
You will be fine if you rinse your gear in fresh water at the end of each day fishing. Your reel’s drag will be more than adequate, just learn how to palm the spool rim, WHICH IS WHY ALMOST ALL REELS HAVE A PALMING RIM, and everything will be good.
If you listen to folks who say you just can not wet a line in salt water unless you have a reel with a super-high-tech wonder-drag which can stop a freight train, then that’s OK too. Drink the Kool-Aid. I did a fair amount of fishing on the Gulf Coast when I lived there and never could afford salt-specific tackle. I took good care of my gear, caught a whole bunch of nice fish, and never had any major problems. I highly recommend you read Lefty Kreh’s “Fly Fishing In Salt Water” especially the parts where he explains drags and how to fight fish.
Your gear will do just fine.As stated,rinse your reel in fresh water after use.Remember,at one time the most used reel in the salt was the Pflueger Medalist and it set many records.Lots of people still use them.
When I first moved to south Louisiana in 1989, I joined the local FFF club and at one my first meeting, i purchased a well-used, old Martin reel for 5 bucks. I used that reel in the surf and marsh for several years - It caught a bunch of reds and specks, was beat-up in the bottom of boats, and most of the time it was rinsed-well at the end of the day or after the trip. We can’t wade in our marsh, and our equipment is subjected to harsh boat rides and other abuse. After several years of such abuse, the spool got slightly bent and the foot is rusted… Maybe I should write Martin and complain… NAH!
You’ve gotten great advice above… If you’re still worried, then just use a “sacrificial” reel. I bet you’ll be surprised how well it looks after you trip is over!
Use what you’ve got and move up to more durable equipment as you can afford to do so.
Bowfin47
Thanks for all the advice. I’m going ot use what I have, and not worry about it. Should be an exciting trip with some good friends. I always enjoy new experiences no matter the outcome. Thanks again.
Danged, cheap old Martins and Pfluegers! I recall seeing one of the old fly fishing gurus wearing down a huge Tarpon and glancing at the reel saw it was one of the early System One SA reels. Wash, clean and dry and keep out of the sand as much as possible and things will go fiue.
Exactly. You’ll be fine. Don’t buy the hype. I have landed many a 30" Redfish without ever testing the drag. They’re drum. They pull like a carp, but don’t make lightning fast long runs or anything like that. They’re just bulldogs. If you know what you’re doing with a big trout you can handle a Redfish with no problem. You’ll be using 14-20 lb test leader. You just keep the pressure on them and don’t let them rest. That’s all. Always, always, always rinse your gear thoroughly after every day in the saltwater environment: boots, waders, clothes, rods, reels, lines, flies, glasses, and anything else that gets wet…even from spray or splash. Takes 5 minutes w/a garden hose after fishing and will save you TONS of money.
The only exception to this rule is this: if you somehow get sand (grit) in your reel, STOP…and take the spool off and rinse (even in saltwater is fine) out the mechanisms before any line is pulled out. This is how many a reel gets locked up in the salt. It’s not the reel’s fault or the saltwater. It’s the suspended sand particles on beaches/flats, and when the reel turns in reverse it will seize up with debris in there.
When fishing saltwater I always carry reel lube and line dressing with me. If you had to rinse the reel by dunking in saltwater and shaking, and then it dried out during a period of inactivity, it will get crystalized salt in it. You’d have to dunk it again before using. If you cleaned it thusly and lubed it a bit internally, you would have less of a chance of running into a problem. But, by far, the best idea is to keep the reel out of the water and sand at all times. Then you don’t have to worry about it.
My 4 cents on this - I am trying to decide on an Orvis Battenkill Mid Arbor V or a Lamson Konic, both for 9 wt lines to go with my Orvis Trident 9’ 9 wt. Orvis is about $30 cheaper, if I buy line they’ll put it on with backing, paying for line.
Lamson is large arbor - for someone of little experience, what thoughts on which reel?
Thanks,
Mike
Between the 2, the most important differences to you will likely turn out to be the swing weight of the rod/reel combo and the maintenance issue. Maintenance goes to the Lamson Konic. It has a sealed mechanism that needs virtually zero cleaning beyond rinsing. Swing weight is totally up to you.
Put each reel (preferably loaded with a 9wt line) on the rod and string it up. First, find the natural balance point by balancing the rod on a finger until it doesn’t fall either direction. It should balance just behind to just in front of the spot where the grip meets the blank. That is ideal. So the one that comes closest is the winner of this test. Next, give the rod a few false casts with about 30’ of line beyond the rod tip with each reel (the lines have to be the same for this to work well). Which one feels lighter? Which one do you not have to squeeze as hard? That’s the winner of this test. Finally, using a very loose grip, extend your arm with the rod, reel, and line strung up straight out in front of you and elevate the rod tip a bit above 90 degrees. Now hold it there and time with a stop watch. Note the time at which it starts to become uncomfortable. Wait at least 5 minutes while changing the reels and restringing the rod. Repeat with the other reel. The one with the longer time wins this test.
Swing weight is the weight you will FEEL when fishing with a fly rod. It isn’t the weight of just a fly rod when measured on a scale, which is what the mfg’s advertise. And swing weight is so heavily influenced by what reel and line you put on a fly rod that the weight of the rod is darned near irrelevant…because it is all about BALANCING the tackle and the size/shape of your grip. It is swing weight that will cause fatigue, and it is fatigue that will cause discomfort. It is discomfort that will cause you not to enjoy using it, to stop fishing, or to change your stroke and end up with tendonitis, tailing loops, and broken rods.
Bet they didn’t teach you that at the fly shop, did they? 
No, they didn’t teach that!! I’ll print this out and learn it!!
Thanks flyguy66!!! That is what this rookie newbie needs!!
Mike