Reel Repair by Alan Tani

Hi Guys - This is a very simple reel that performs really well if given some attention.
I currently use a couple of these in #3/4 and #7/9 sizes.
Out of the box it works ok, but the drag can be improved - made much smoother.
I also fly fish for sea bass and mullet so a good coating of marine grease is very important.



We are going to strip and clean the reel - replace original drag (gasket type material) with a greased cf drag washer - re-grease and re-assemble.
Spool removed - arb and drag assembly exposed.



E clip removed (no fly zone warning ;)) giving access to the internal drag parts and arb



Remove screw from drag knob (left hand thread) remove drag knob (righ hand thread), clicker, plate and transmission pins (push rods).
Not much grease here but some.



Drag knob and components greased for assembly





Transmission pins and clicker fitted - eared drag washer, cf and drag cover/plate greased (teflon based marine grease throughout).





Drag assembled, arb and E clip fitted - all greased.



Spool bearing and spindle sleeve greased.



Back to where we started :)



This is a budget reel that performs well above its modest price.
Fitting the cf drag transforms the performance of this fly reel. It is now silky smooth with no start-up 'snatch'
I would be happy to use 2 or 3lb tippet with this reel. It has a curved almost 'U' shaped spool which allows for a lot of backing.
I have used much more expensive fly reels but this gem ticks all my boxes ;)

Trying to photograph something that is basically all black is not without prblems ;D

Looks like a winner; thanks for the post.

Frank

TD ,
Were can we buy this reel?
Nice tutorial ,hard to photo all black for sure.
Best,
JT

Nice write up Chris! Pics look fine too. She ready for a workout, and, slay the beast now!!!

............Regard's,  ..  Lou

Lou - the 3/4 weight version had a workout last year - no monsters but a decent 4lb rainbow from a Hampshire chalk stream  water :)

The 7/9 weight reel will get a workout soon (when the sun is on my back ;D)

JT - as far as I know these are a Scierra US reel (probably PRC :-\) that are available pretty much anywhere.
For the price I'm quite impressed.

I, hopefully, will give one a GOOD workout on bonefish in the Maldives next year - my wife is currently arranging the fishing trip, I mean holiday, yes :D

Having used a Hardy, Orvis, Battenkill, Wychwood, Greys etc - these cheap, very light weight, capable reels have impressed me.
I've just purchased an Orvis Helios 3D (8 weight) - This reel and a WF8 line balance the oufit beautifully :) It just feels right in the hand.
I've got a trout fishing trip planned for this May - 10lb plus Browns and Rainbows are possible 8) If that doesn't happen I'm sure looking forward to the Maldives ;D ;D

Thanks Chris , looks like a great reel for the money.

Yay!!!   Fly reels!!!

Double bonus points for including a schematic.

Thanks for the nice tutorial.   A nice simple design.

One question:   It looks like the one way bearing is pretty exposed to water entry, so I understand why you need to grease it for salt water use  (the rollers in one way bearings have to be heat-hardened,  so even the stainless rollers are not very corrosion resistant).    But since greasing the one-way bearing compromises  the ability for the rollers to jam and unjam,  I was wondering if you are happy with it so far,  and what type of drag settings you use.

J - I understand what you are saying - I have concerns about the reel if tested to distruction - but it's cheap and if I wreck it so what. I have yet to test the drag under extreme conditions but I will give it a test sometime before my Maldives trip - I am assuming it will need some palming (to aid the drag) in the salt :-\  I have read some reviews on salt  ready reels that weren't very complimentary - considering some cost $200 to $500 :o The most dissapointing thing was the lack of drag - VERY few managed more than 6/7lb of drag - only a couple broke the 10lb barrier. I suppose if you consider the strength of a fly rod do you actually need that much drag :-\
I will be doing some tests (on a couple of reels) but not on the rods - far too expensive ;D

I have worked out a fairly simple way to fit multiple discs/washers in a couple of reels - which can really improve the drag (I just don't know if the rest of the reel/rod can take it ???)
I'll have to work on that one.

As regards my Maldives trip I'm not expecting monsters so my standard gear will probably suffice :-\

Nice reel! Just ordered one.
Whick diameter is ghe cf disc you used?

What do you think about using pure teflon sheet as disc material?

cf disc should be 22mm diameter (I used 20mm because that is the size of punch I have) 8mm i.d and .5mm thick (.7mm might be ok). Teflon is very 'slippery' and doesn't posess the drag coefficient of cf - it does, however, provide a very smooth drag. Greased cf is both smooth and more powerful. For a small fly reel teflon may be fine - you don't need much drag for a 3lb tippet ;) ;D

Thanks for the info! I ordered a cf sheet on ebay so as soon as it arrives its time to mess around  ;D

Thanks for posting this Chris, very interesting, cheers Don.

I actually tried teflonsheet/disc for fun and omg its soo smooth. I grew up with Danielsson/Loop original with handbreaking only, this is awesome, its not very powerful at all, but for me salmon and seatrout fishing here in Sweden I dont really need power but smoothness.

Lovely thread that inspired me! Thanks :)

Do you know what material the original disc is made of? It felt like some kind of paper with plastic in it.

My washer was like common gasket material - a bit like cardboard.

This is good news I have a small collection of fly reels I can break out and go through including a 12wt.

Hi Chris,

How did the Maldives trip go? And did you give this reel much use? How did the A/R bearing hold up?

Unfortunately the Maldives trip didn't workout - maybe next year :-\

Follow up to the original post.
Although I have moved on and I gave the reel to a friend I have had reports that it's doing fine (freshwater only). The drag is still smooth apparently. He uses it for fly fishing for carp with an 8wt outfit.

Quote from: Tiddlerbasher on March 18, 2018, 03:10:39 AM
few managed more than 6/7lb of drag

Chris, I don't know anything about fly reels but I do know that medium-large bonefish will not need more than about three pounds of drag.  They'll pull the hook if you crank down too tight.  Don't know why.  Maybe it's those rubber lips.
-steve

Steve -that's also what I have read. I was loosely quoting a review on 8wt reels suitable for general salt fishing. My fly reels give a practical max 4lb drag - suitable for the tippets I would use - 10 to 15lbs. Also I only fish a max 8wt rod.

Thanks for the tutorial and the following info Chris, this fly section was dormant, for a few weeks, so its great to see some recent info coming through.
     I brought a DAM fly reel through the week, fully loaded, should arrive in the post this week, only cost me AU $35.00, including postage, so maybe I can post something about it later in the week, after I strip it.
     Please everone keep this fly section going, to justify Alan starting it for us, stay safe, keep well, cheers Don.