Well, If some of you have read my previous posts, I have little idea of what I am doing. doing a little comparison shopping I found two good, cheap deals. The first is a Plfueger Puris 1394 complete with some random line, 4x leader, and backing for $32. Next is a J.W. and Sons Reflex 1450 for $24, but with no line and such.
Which is the best, or should I keep looking for something better? I saw a Daiwa for $17 but the shopkeeper recommended the JW. Cheers!
Toad
I don’t usually but but the best you can afford. If you really like fly fishing treat yourself.
My advice for what it’s worth…
Make your own leaders out of top quality
material.
Buy the best line.
Maybe a medium priced rod? …try b4 buy.
A low end reel will do for now.
Regards
nam
“Buy a fly reel with your heart, not your head.”
Amen to that JC. When it comes to buying reels it seems buying with your heart is really the only way to buy with your head. I wasted a lot of time and money on cheap reels (most of them I would consider worthless since they haven’t exactly survived to the present day) when I started out in this sport. Each time I bought one I’d spend a little more money on a little less junky reel than the last one and ended up spending more than I would have if I had just bought a decent reel in the first place.
Okuma Sierra and Integrity are both good reels. I think you can get the Sierra for 40 bucks and the Integrity for around 60 bucks.
Here is a reel buying idea. You are new to the sport and could use advice and comradery. Visit your local shops if there is more than one and see which one has the nicest, most honest, sincere and most helpful staff. If you have only one shop, go there and see if they are helpful and friendly. Use this purchase to start your relationship with them. You will be buying advice and help that is worth far more than any reel. That reel sould not be an expensiave one, and it should be one that does tickle your fancy.
The reason most people are not placing alot of emphasis on reel quality is that for most fishing they are not critical. A minimal drag is sufficient for most fishing that you do with a 5/6 wt or lighter. When you go after bigger fish, then you want a reel with more capacity and drag. Then the quality becomes moreof an issue. So in most cases, the reel does little more than hold the line when not in use and serves to reel the fish in. Drag if needed can be provided by your hand.
Hope this helps.
jed
If you don’t mind shopping at Cabela’s, they have the Prestige Reels on sale for $30.00! They used to be $60 or somewhere around there. I have one and it’s quality is comparable to the Okuma. As a matter of fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Okuma made this reel for Cabela’s. It was my first and I haven’t replaced it yet. I’ve had it for about 4 years now and haven’t had any problems and haven’t been disappointed.
dw
‘Don’t know, what you don’t know.’
my vote goes to the Okuma in the thrifty reel category… cheap but good
make a rod, catch a fish
Another thumbs up for the Okumas’.I have an Integrity that I have used hard for five years with zero problems.
I’ve had an Okuma Sierra. I wouldn’t get another one, I’ve had mine seize up on me a few times on big fish when I really needed it and couple occasions. Most of the time it worked fine but the few occasions when it didn’t were enough to have me looking for yet another reel.
If I had to work with a really cheap reel, I’d probably take a Scientific Anglers Concept 2. On the other hand, the Okuma Integrity might be another story altogether.
[This message has been edited by Bill Blake (edited 19 March 2005).]
I gotta agree with the Okuma Sierra being a pretty decent reel for the price. A buddy of mine has one and I like it - it has bang for the buck. As a beginner this would be a nice reel for you until you can begin to personally appreciate what some features of more expensive reels will do for you.
Now if you get some birthday money or something and you want some REAL bang for your buck, the Orvis Battenkill Barstock reels are fantastic reels for the cost.
As for the Pflueger and JW reels you mention, I have no experience with either.
Tight lines…
Here’s a good solid bargain from one of the site sponsor’s
[url=http://www.cortlandline.com/factorystore/index.php?action=item&id=100096&prevaction=category&previd=22&prevstart=0:de509]http://www.cortlandline.com/factorystore/index.php?action=item&id=100096&prevaction=category&previd=22&prevstart=0[/url:de509]
Here is another idea, check out ebay for some good deals. Either of these older South Bend’s are great 1122 or 1133. Also a Shakespeare Russell Intrinsic is a good panfish reel.
I also think the Okuma reels are an excellent bargain. I have a couple of the airframe LAs for a couple of 4wt outfits of mine. They’ve hauled in some pretty big trout (20" +).
Fishing the Ozarks
I like the Okuma Sierra reels so much, I have 4 of them. I consider them to be the Pflueger Medalist of the 21st century. Come to think of it, don’t overlook the Pflueger Medalist. Both are good, stable, economical reels. I think I have 3 Medalists.
Lotech Joe
We too have three or four Pfleuger Medalists laying around here. We simply cannot afford to replace the 30-40 spare spools…well 20-something anyway. They have served us fine for all of our trout, steelhead, bass, pike, stripers and salmon. We have had to up-grade though for albies and dorado and sails and such.
…lee s.
check out reels from Global DorbeR, a sponser here.
Another vote for the Okuma Sierra. Great real for the price. I use mine for saltwater and it has held up fine (I rinse it each time). Of you wanted one reel with several spools of line for all your needs a Sth Mr Pop is worth a look. The spools are 10 bucks and the reel comes with two.
Greg