fly reel Sportcraft No 60

[steelfish]

hey guys, got a fly reel that came in a box along with some feathers, wild rooster tails, rabbits, I bought few months ago.
wondering if it worth fixing it, but mostly want to now how do you do a service to a this old fly reels.

reel is really tight to turn even with the screw backed up a little bit, I dont know if its broken or just need some kind of service to be fishable again.
any input from fly guys here?

[theswimmer]

Probably just old grease turned solid.
Not to much to go wrong inside. I don't believe that model even has a drag.
Highly prized among the ultra lite fly fishing crowd, definitely worth fixing.

http://classicflyrodforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=72&t=76521

Best,
Jonathan

[steelfish]

Probably just old grease turned solid.
Not to much to go wrong inside. I don't believe that model even has a drag.
Highly prized among the ultra lite fly fishing crowd, definitely worth fixing.

http://classicflyrodforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=72&t=76521

Best,
Jonathan

thanks Jonathan, I did some research and found some guys like this model so it will worth the time to bring it again to a decent shape but Im not ultralite person even with spinning reels and have never used a fly reel before so, I might just clean this reel and put it with my small collection of vintage reels I have in my desk.

[theswimmer]

Your reel would likely be paired with a 7.5 - 8 ' rod that was a 3 or 4 weight. Made for fishing what we call skinny water.
The Sierras have alot of very small creeks that hold both wild fish , not native but not planted and native Rainbow and Golden Trout.
Most of these creeks are less than 5 feet wide and the fish are very skittish. Many times just the shadow of the fly line passing overhead is enough to scare them off. Very challenging fishing to say the least.
The holy Grail of the Sierras is a Grand Slam , Rainbow , German Brown , Brook Trout and a Golden Trout all in one day.
I've been fishing here since I was 4 years old and I am  now 58 and never accomplished it. Gotten close but no cigar.
Guy I fish with did it not once but twice in the same day with just this kind of setup. I know it happened because I was with him, no fishing tale😎  
Took some work to get there, about 22 mile hike ,one way and a 4000 ' elevation gain. Probably take me two days to get there in the shape I'm in today .

[theswimmer]

Here is a similar little gem I got from one of our Ohana.

Pflueger Progress  # 1774 ,needs a good cleaning and some new line .
I think about 70 - 80 years old!

Edit....
Sorry pic didn't take the first time......

[El Pescador]

The holy Grail of the Sierras is a Grand Slam , Rainbow , German Brown , Brook Trout and a Golden Trout all in one day.
I've been fishing here since I was 4 years old and I am  now 58 and never accomplished it. Gotten close but no cigar.
I know it happened because I was with him, no fishing tale😎  
Took some work to get there, about 22 mile hike ,one way and a 4000 ' elevation gain. Probably take me two days to get there in the shape I'm in today .

Jonathan!

22 miles in, one way, 4,000' elevation gain, that was a normal hiking day for me between ages 16 - 25!
Now, you and I would need, and let's be generous, 2+ days to get there,  are you able to name the area of the High Sierra you hiked to?  Stream or Lake???

And we need to fish together, my version of the High Sierra Grand Slam is a shot of Jack, a shot of Wild Turkey, a can of Bud ....

This summer Buddy Boy!!!

Wayne

[theswimmer]

Wayne ,  you have a pm😁

[steelfish]

Your reel would likely be paired with a 7.5 - 8 ' rod that was a 3 or 4 weight. Made for fishing what we call skinny water.
The Sierras have alot of very small creeks that hold both wild fish , not native but not planted and native Rainbow and Golden Trout.
Most of these creeks are less than 5 feet wide and the fish are very skittish. Many times just the shadow of the fly line passing overhead is enough to scare them off. Very challenging fishing to say the least.
The holy Grail of the Sierras is a Grand Slam , Rainbow , German Brown , Brook Trout and a Golden Trout all in one day.
I've been fishing here since I was 4 years old and I am  now 58 and never accomplished it. Gotten close but no cigar.
Guy I fish with did it not once but twice in the same day with just this kind of setup. I know it happened because I was with him, no fishing tale😎  
Took some work to get there, about 22 mile hike ,one way and a 4000 ' elevation gain. Probably take me two days to get there in the shape I'm in today .

Well the only freshwater in this part of baja Mex, you find it in the supermarket
No trouts, salmón or anything like that over here
So, Grand Slam is outta the question
But Im open to try Wayne GrandSlam

[Gfish]

Just a "modified Slam" for me would be a Golden Trout. Last time tried was in a lake in the Beartooth Mts. in Wy. but probably to close to ice-out, though.

[steelfish]

well, I was bout to ask for a cheap fly reel to try to learn how to cast fly fishing, then I remembered I had this reel somewhere in my pile of reels, found it and cleaned it.

it was pretty hard to turn or spin because it had some aluminuim surface corrosion on the hole of the spool, so I used a small file and some sand paper to polish it as well as the shaft where it rides.
also put a delrin washer as Bearing or bushing where the clicker star meets the sideplate and some grease  and now it spins really freely and smooth.

now I need to take all the old line and find the correct line for the reel, also, whats the difference of using this reel with no drag at all versus a fly reel with drag ?

does the fly reels have antireverse or all of them are nuckle busters?

I know nothing about fly fishing but its something I would like to try, I have this reel and a 5wt eagle claw 8.6 rod and bunch of different kind of flies that a friend from Colorado gave me 5 years ago.


PS: I dont recall where or when I got it, but also found in my miscellaneous box a nice Phenix reel cover for a fly reel, how cool is that?

[Gfish]

Cool Alex! Imagine gettin a triggerfish to take your fly, what a fight!
It looks like the clicker would be your drag. Can't see from the pictures if it's adjustable on the flat-frame side, some are(that is they increase or decrease the clicker spring tension).
You may be able to use a finger on the rim of the spool. Then again, the knob is pretty close to the edge...
I been outta the game too long now, but I remember some expensive reels were AR, with adjustable disc drags. Others prolly know better, but a less expensive option would be a reel with a spool that sticks outta the frame and has a fat lip on the edge for palming.

[steelfish]

Cool Alex! Imagine gettin a triggerfish to take your fly, what a fight!

thats the plan in my dreams amigo, thats exactly what Im after, a big ugly and mad triggerfish on the fly.
some years ago I had a big triggerfish on a light bass rod and 10# mono line and it was a memorable fight, I won but I released it to fight another day.


the guy in the next pic  this could be me in a short future, with the green vegetation I imagine that pic happened on your playgrounds or in the flats of florida.

It looks like the clicker would be your drag. Can't see from the pictures if it's adjustable on the flat-frame side, some are(that is they increase or decrease the clicker spring tension).

I actually tested the clicker and indeed works, it might add 1# of resistance LOL, but I should be able to activate it and know for sure if a fish is taking line.
for practicing purposes I will use this reel, I have already too many rabbits holes.

[jurelometer]

Baja triggers love flies.

No drag needed.  Just use a straight shot of hard mono leader, at least 12 lb test.   6 feet or so. Baja triggers are not leader shy.  When you get bit, strip strike, and hang on to the fly line, and enjoy the rodeo.  As you know, triggers are just going to go around in circles or dive under the nearest rock, so giving them line is usually not a good idea, and you have  all the loose line from stripping the fly to deal with.  I never use the reel when fishing shallow around rocks, even with big fish.

If the flies you have are trout flies, the larger streamers will get bit, but the hooks will probably bend straight.

Just wrap some white or tan hair from a  dog, goat, horse, etc onto a strong size 4 hook, preferably medium or 2x length shank,  a couple shiny threads threads of Mylar from an old  balloon or old sabiki,  or similar.  Make it sparse so that the fly  will sink well.  Less is more.  The whole fly should be no more than twice as long as the hook.  Look at any of the photos of rockfish shrimp flies on this site.  That is the look you need, except a little more flaco.  Sort of like a heavy duty sabiki.

Toss it out where the triggers are hanging.  Strip, strip, strip, stop.  Strip,  strip, strip, WHAM.     

If you decide you want to get into it more,  be on the lookout for an eight weight rod and reel with an eight weight weight forward  floating line.   Once you can cast the floating line, get an intermediate.  Any reel with an exposed rim on the spool can be palmed for drag, so you don't need to worry about how strong the drag system is.  An eight weight is the ideal shore based/light inshore fly rod for Baja.

-J.

[steelfish]

and you have  all the loose line from stripping the fly to deal with.  I never use the reel when fishing shallow around rocks, even with big fish.

thats the 1st thing it took my attention, why there is a reel but you move your fly pulling line with your hand  and fight the fish with holding the line in your hands also, looks like the reel is there just to storage the line haha, that or I need to watch more videos of fly fishing

If the flies you have are trout flies, the larger streamers will get bit, but the hooks will probably bend straight.

Just wrap some white or tan hair from a  dog, goat, horse, etc onto a strong size 4 hook, preferably medium or 2x length shank,  a couple shiny threads threads of Mylar from an old  balloon or old sabiki,  or similar.  Make it sparse so that the fly  will sink well.  Less is more.  The whole fly should be no more than twice as long as the hook.  Look at any of the photos of rockfish shrimp flies on this site.  That is the look you need, except a little more flaco.  Sort of like a heavy duty sabiki.
Toss it out where the triggers are hanging.  Strip, strip, strip, stop.  Strip,  strip, strip, WHAM.     

well the bad news is that all my different kind of flies are for thin FW hooks, so maybe good only for spotted bay bass and maybe small Seabass (corvinas ), but triggers will crew those hooks as breakfast

with the bunch of flies this person also gave me a lot of diffent kind of furrs, hair and feathers, I reconice bear hair, buck hair and bucktails, etc, and I think I have some long shank SW hooks 1/0 and 2/0 that I bought specially to fish triggerfish, I hate when the bite and eat the whole the small 1/0 hook because it dont give me chance to release the small triggers.

If you decide you want to get into it more,  be on the lookout for an eight weight rod and reel with an eight weight weight forward  floating line.   Once you can cast the floating line, get an intermediate.  Any reel with an exposed rim on the spool can be palmed for drag, so you don't need to worry about how strong the drag system is.  An eight weight is the ideal shore based/light inshore fly rod for Baja.
-J.

I already knew bout the 8wt is preferred for all-around saltwater rod, this 5wt feels like an UL spinning blank, looks like its good to test this style of fishing and upgrade if needed.

thanks buddy for your input

[jurelometer]

I catch triggers al the time on 2/0 flies, but that is bigger than optimal.   Size 2 long shank with the barb removed is the best for catch and release.  Removing the barb is always a good idea when you are learning, because you are going to stick yourself a few times on the cast

When you choose a rod/line, it is mostly about the fly size.  The weight of the fly line controls how big a fly that you can carry.  A 5 weight line is going to have problems carrying a heavy 2/0 hook.  One trick is to cut off 2-3 feet from the front taper of the fly line.  The line will land with more of a splat, but many species won't care, and you can carry a larger fly.  But a heavy hook on a five weight is still not going to be fun, especially if you are just starting out.  That is why I recommended  a size 4.

Yes, the retrieve is done by handlining.  The reel is just  a line storage device in the vast majority of situations.  If a fish takes enough line to go on a respectable run, palming the spool lip gives you better drag control, so until you get up to 20 lb tippet, the reel is mostly irrelevant.  There just has to be enough drag to prevent a backlash when you take your palming hand off the reel during a run.

Bucktail is great, but the triggers will shred it fast.  Same for other natural fibers. I actually try to move on when lots of triggers show up, so I don't have to tie a new set of flies for the next day.

-J