Micrometric

[MexicanGulf]

Hi crew, I often hear about micrometic clutch drag in the fishing reel. Almost always from the various European fishing tackle promoters. I would like to understand concretely what this term means!
Which to me seems like a term that is used inappropriately, just because it sounds high-sounding.   

[Bill B]

On the surface it sounds like a "word salad" by a manufacturer to make their product appear high tech.  I guess if it "sounds" high tech then it must be high tech.

If you ever figure it out let us know.  Bill

[oldmanjoe]

It sounds like a term used for micro fishing .

[OhReely]

I never heard of it before. Now I have something new to worry about. Grrrr!

[jurelometer]

On the surface it sounds like a "word salad" by a manufacturer to make their product appear high tech.  I guess if it "sounds" high tech then it must be high tech.

If you ever figure it out let us know.  Bill

Agree with Bill.  I think that it is probably just marketing babbblespeak that means that the reel uses a roller clutch (AKA one way bearing) for the anti-reverse mechanism. Which is quite common, especially in lighter reels. Roller clutches have very little backplay.

If we hold them to the actual meaning of the word, micrometric is an adjective that means measured in microns (0.001 millimeters).  It doesn't have a useful meaning for rotary clutch performance, as clutch backplay is rotary and not linear and therefore has to be measured in degrees, not microns or millimeters.

Out of curiosity, I just did a quick look on the web, and it appears that products that have very fine adjustment or movement control are sometimes marketed as  "micrometric", such as a "micrometric strap and buckle".  I saw "micrometric clutch"  used in third party sales literature for more than one reel brand. The term is probably used in reel advertising to imply that the clutch has very little backplay.

-J

[JasonGotaProblem]

It's probably an odd result of a multi step loose translation (translated from English to another language and back).

Seen some funny ones. "My hovercraft is full of eels" springs to mind.

[MexicanGulf]

I forgot to mention that specifically it was an okuma Alijos 5. reel which I consider to be excellent, but this is not the crux of the matter.

[boon]

Do you have an example? I think it's a mistranslation as mentioned by Jason. It doesn't appear in Okuma's US material for the Alijos.

[mikeysm]

I think it has something to do with there cast control.

[jurelometer]

Do you have an example? I think it's a mistranslation as mentioned by Jason. It doesn't appear in Okuma's US material for the Alijos.

Don't think it is a translation problem.  Not the Okuma, but in Italian - "Frizione Micrometrica con dischi maggiorati"

which google translate tells me is "Micrometric clutch with oversized discs"

FWIIW, the drag on a reel is technically a friction clutch.

It is in the sales material from retailers (not manufacturers), mostly in Europe.  There are fly reels decribed  with "micrometic" drag adjustments, spinning reels with "micrometric drives, coventionals with "micrometric" lever adjustment, "micrometric brake" (whatever that means), "micrometric clutch"
 , blah, blah, blah. 

Here's a French  retailer site with  with some micrometric gobbleygook describing an Okuma spinning reel :https://trek-expert.com/azores-6500-reel-okuma-blue-azores-6500-blue-silver-black-one-size

In the presamably native French: ""micrométrique avec cliquet pour des réglages plus précis.. " bla bla bla

As I noted earlier, the word is used for all kinds of products.  There are "micrometric" ratcheting buckles for motorcycle helmets - which do not tighten by the micron- aaargh!!!  and so on, ad nauseum.

Seems pretty clear to me that it is just junk marketing to mean something that has fine adjustments.   

I think it has something to do with there cast control.

Don't think that the Alijos 5 has a cast control. 

-J

[mikeysm]

Yes it does i read the information on it and it says that the cast control was mechanical not magnetic. So it does have some sort of cast control.

[JasonGotaProblem]

"Every reel comes with a set of micrometer calipers"
And it's no longer false advertising

[MexicanGulf]

Do you have an example? I think it's a mistranslation as mentioned by Jason. It doesn't appear in Okuma's US material for the Alijos.

   I wonder what the criteria are for being recruited as pro-staff. I don't have a good opinion of those I know in Europe. However, I agree, it's just a marketing lexicon used to highlight a precise friction, but then there are non-precise frictions? 

[jurelometer]

I wonder what the criteria are for being recruited as pro-staff.

I talked to some guides about this a while back.  It varies by company.  There are programs to recruit well known tournament anglers, guides, and celebrities to enhance the brand reputation. If you can get a recommendation from another pro-staff member, or your brother-in-law works for the marketing department, you might get in the back door.

 There are smaller programs that use recognized experts to provide product development opportunities and feedback.  While not technically pro-staff, some brands also provide pro-staff product discounts to tackle shop employees.

Finally there is recruitment of social media influencers- these folk generate content on fishing and promote the brand and its product in this context.  For this, you need to generate lots of content, have a large following and fulfill some sort of marketing need(age/gender/cultural group/personal style, type of fishing, type of content, species, region, etc.)

In the USA, there are enough people wanting to get on Okuma pro-staff that they have an online application focusing on social media credentials:

https://okumafishingusa.com/pages/pro-staff-inquiries

A lot of work just to get a product discount and a tiny bit of reputation enhancement. Plus you have to sell your soul a bit to promote products that you may not always believe in at 100%.

But there is no shortage of aspiring sportfishing "influencers" out there (just a shortage of expertise).

Yes it does i read the information on it and it says that the cast control was mechanical not magnetic. So it does have some sort of cast control.

Ooh you are right!  Thanks for the correction.

Okuma has a spool tension knob on the Alijos labeled as cast control (worst cast control possible- but at least it is simple and might be useful on a reel with a very heavy spool).  So they can claim both a micrometric clutch (adjustable drag lever)  AND  a micrometic cast control (adjustable spool tension), as long as they are willing to ignore the actual meaning of micrometric

My odds of making pro-staff with Okuma are getting smaller and smaller as I type...  Oh well.  As Groucho Marx once said:  "I don't want to belong to any club that would accept me as one of its members."    

-J

[boon]

I wonder what the criteria are for being recruited as pro-staff.

Being very general here, there are different tiers of sponsorship. There are "full ride" sponsorships where you're getting all the gear for free, possibly even being paid to use it, and you have all sorts of obligations around attending events etc. You're functionally an employee of the brand. These are very rare and generally reserved only for people who are sufficiently prominent that they add credibility to the brand.

Then you have what I'd call "pro-form" or "pro-staff" sponsorships, where you're getting the gear at somewhere between free and a significant discount on retail. This tends to be people like tackle store staff, guides/charter skippers, competitive anglers, things like that. You still have obligations to the brand, and some of them are quite painful, like "post x many photos per week featuring our equipment" or "Do not post any content featuring the following brands".

Then there are tackle testers, who tend to be highly experienced anglers that are fishing hard and often. They're getting the gear for free, and it's usually  pre-release tackle, but they have to provide feedback about it and it might be garbage. Generally comes without all the usual requirements like social media posts etc.

Last of all, the new breed, influencers. Depending on the audience, this could be anything from a small discount on some gear through to a full-ride or even being paid to promote gear. This is a pure advertising relationship; behind the scenes half of this stuff is completely faked, I personally know of influencers catching fish on one set of equipment then shoving Brand X's lure in the fish's mouth and holding it up for the photo that goes on Instagram.