is anyone here a fly fisherman? familiar with the reels?

Started by alantani, April 03, 2020, 04:55:24 AM

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Rivverrat

Quote from: oc1 on April 03, 2020, 05:03:31 AM
Not me, but want to learn.  I take up fly dishing about every fifteen to twenty years.  Never get to first base and never fall in love.
-steve

   My feelings also... Jeff

alantani

if this board becomes active enough, it's very easy to expand.  for starters, i did a keyword search on "fly."  i got surprisingly few hits.  maybe now that will change. 
send me an email at alantani@yahoo.com for questions!

ClintB

Absolutely!

I learned to tie flies when I was about 14, my brother had taken a class then showed me what he knew. I fished flies with a spinning rod and knocked'em dead. About a year later I bought a cheap fly combo because, hey flies knock'em dead! Well, it was about a year of self teaching before I ever caught a fish........

I really got into the entomology side and refined my tying technique. I found fly fishing to be my favorite and most satisfying.

Rancanfish

I just pick out something I like and throw it.   ;D

When I finally get moved and can start to fish again, I'm going to whip out my fly rods and hopefully get proficient.
I woke today and suddenly nothing happened.

jmbnv

Hi guys, I've been around flyreels for a long time.
None of them are complicated but many are expensive.
Anyone who can shift gears in a two speed conventional real probably can take apart and fix any fly reel.
So maybe a section about fly reels is warranted, because it would then include even idiots like me who could never work on a real reel.
On another note, I was scheduled to go to Cedros  right before your trip, but it was canceled because of Covid.
Did you guys go? We took a friends boat out of San Diego instead, part of the results will show in this picture.
      jmbnv
"I got a smile
for everyone I meet,
'Long as you don't try taking my baby
or droppin' a bomb on my street"

alantani

we went and it was fine.  which lodge were you going to stay at?
send me an email at alantani@yahoo.com for questions!

jmbnv

Cedros sport fishing
Some of their staff came down with Covid and our trip canceled the day before it was going to leave.
Glad you guys had a good trip. We are hoping to go back next year at the same time. It's nice to hear from you Alan, I hope all is well with you.
     Joe
"I got a smile
for everyone I meet,
'Long as you don't try taking my baby
or droppin' a bomb on my street"

Gobi King

Check out the drag stack from my cheapo Okuma fly reel.

Okuma has:
1. Felt
2. Carbon fiber
3. Cork


why?
Shibs - aka The Gobi King
Fichigan

jurelometer

Quote from: Gobi King on September 09, 2021, 04:50:40 PM
Check out the drag stack from my cheapo Okuma fly reel.

Okuma has:
1. Felt
2. Carbon fiber
3. Cork


why?

Jeez,,

Probably because most reel comapanies that make fly reels as a minor side business don't have a clue when it comes to fly reels.

Which is kind of sad, as  fly reels are as simple as it gets.  No casting, no gears, and not much  drag needed.  They  just need to get the dimensions  and weight right, keep the mechanics simple/reliable, the drag, smooth,  and  the spool release from accidenty disengaging.  Most modern freshwater fly reels from the big reel companies fail on at least two of the the above.    The  fly reel specific companies usually have  (marginally) better product, but $$$

In terms of  drag materials on this particular reel:

1.  Felt is cheaper than carbon fiber, and you don't need a 4 stack carbon fiber disk system for a freshwater fly reel. The felt washer can also handle a crooked stack.

2. Cork is good for absorbing vibration and is more forgiving of misalignment.   But it has to be frequently lubricated, or it will stick and fry.  Cork will also supply some springiness, helping with drag setting.

Realistically, all that is needed  from a design standpoint is a single greased carbon fiber washer  and something metal to rub against on at least one side of the fiber washer, plus maybe a Belleville or two.

No point in speculating  what  percentages of poor engineering, raiding existing parts from other models, and goofball marketing ("carbon fiber AND cork ") were cooked together to come up that Okuma stack.

Since the demands are low, I would just grease the carbon fiber and cork with Superlube. If I though that I needed it to perform a bit better, I would switch the stack to a couple bellevilles, a and a couple metal  and lubed carbon fiber washers. And jettison the rest.

Most reels in this  design  style  have a semi-exposed  roller  clutch (AKA one way bearing). It is worth keeping an eye on it, and expect it to corrode pretty quickly if it gets near the salt.

-J

philaroman

#54
Quote from: Gobi King on September 09, 2021, 04:50:40 PM
Check out the drag stack from my cheapo Okuma fly reel.
Okuma has:
1. Felt
2. Carbon fiber
3. Cork


why?

so you stay involved: follow 3 different protocols for drag-washer maintenance

then, give up & buy 2 more reels to shuffle washers around & fix the silliness

Gobi King

#55
Jure,
lol, I see okuma is trying to impress the drag queens/kings ;-)

I read here (phil was it ya?) that felt washers are good for really low drags like 0.01388 oz for the purist

Phil, I am not sure if I can find cardon drags with ears like the one okuma has in the aftermarket ...
I will give okuma in rancho a jingle.

Danke!
Shibs - aka The Gobi King
Fichigan

jurelometer

Quote from: Gobi King on September 10, 2021, 05:57:49 PM
Jure,
lol, I see okuma is trying the drag queens/kings ;-)

I read here (phil was it ya?) that felt washers are good for really low drags like 0.01388 oz for the purist

Phil, I am not sure if I can find cardon drags with ears like the one okuma has in the aftermarket ...
I will give okuma in rancho a jingle.

Danke!

Hey Shibs,

I have saltwater fly  reels with a single  carbon fiber disk sliding surface, so this drag with five friction surfaces is  beyond overkill in that regard. Remember that this is not a star drag where the gears give the fish a mechanical advantage. This drag will be 5x stronger than the same stack in a conventional star drag with 5:1 gears.   

But what appears to be  missing is any sort of spring/belleville.  Not that you don't know this, but for the other folks reading this, the point of a spring in a drag stack is to require more turns of the drag knob to get the same amount of clamping pressure.  This allows for better fine tuning of the drag setting.

I suspect that the cork disk is providing what little spring compression is available in this stack.  OTOH, the ears would tear right off the cork under any significant load.  OTOOH, the drag wound never be set that high, and something else is provably going to break before the cork ears shear off.  OTOOOH,   there are so many drag surfaces on this reel, it probably wouldn't matter if the cork ears came off.

Since that bottom felt is against the cork weave, it is simply acting a compressible spacer. Removing it requires that  the mating  surface underneath to be level and smooth, neither if which may be the case.

For a freshwater fly reel, you are talking about 3lbs or less of drag required.  The fat diameter of the  fly line itself generates tons  of drag against the fish in a current and/or if the fish is moving fast. Smooth is all that we are really shooting for in this drag.

Unless you have too much time on your hands, I would just  get in there with some drag grease on the cork and carbon, and fish the reel for awhile.  It could be fine as it is (or something else could be wrong with the reel).  And having a performance baseline and knowing what needs to be fixed before fixing anything can help with making progress.

-J

philaroman

#57
don't really understand your stack -- not in that order...  the only way I can see is:

eared steel (for structural support, only -- no friction) AND eared cork (for spring/level action, only -- no friction)
are sandwiched between the 2 eared CF -- that way, no ears get torn off & better longevity for "cork spring"
only 2 out of 4 CF surfaces are functional, but that's plenty for fly & if they glaze you just flip

the above 4-decker goes between 2 keyed steel & sits on top of the felt for low/start-up smoothness
the "oiled thing" is in the bottom of drag-well & the "greased things" sit on top  ;D
figure out the right Okuma spinner to upgrade to CF & get free felt for life  ;)

oc1

I am skeptical of all eared drag washers (except for the metal ones).  The ears are a weak link.

philaroman

ditto...  that's why I think you have to stack them all together into an ad hoc assembly w/ eared metal sandwiched in