A good fly reel? / Topic veer - hammers

Started by Rancanfish, May 09, 2020, 01:55:49 AM

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Benni3

#30
I went to a orvis 101 fly fishing class,,,,hehe,,,, ;) and it was funny,,,,, :D the instructor then started selling us on the mirage fly reel $800,,,,, :o but he couldn't tell me anything about the drag set up or what type of metal the parts was made out of,,,,,, >:( for freshwater the line is more important and having your rig set up right,,,,,, ;D

jurelometer

#31
Quote from: Benni3 on December 09, 2020, 12:16:24 AM
I went to a orvis 101 fly fishing class,,,,hehe,,,, ;) and it was funny,,,,, :D the instructor then started selling us on the mirage fly reel $800,,,,, :o but he couldn't tell me anything about the drag set up or what type of metal the parts was made out of,,,,,, >:( for freshwater the line is more important and having your rig set up right,,,,,, ;D

And he KNOWS that if he can talk you into a $800 reel, he is that much closer to talking you into a $900 rod to go with it ;).

Agree with you on the fly lines.  If you can't get the fly to the fish, it doesn't matter what type of reel that you are using.

The next video that popped up from Galloup was on fly line selection.  After he said something along the lines that distance doesn't matter, and that being able to cast 60 feet is unnecessary, I quit watching.   If you cannot cast 60 feet in normal conditions from the bank, you are not close to being in the game for saltwater.  I think it is important to not project  the demands of one fishery onto another. It is like the guy on the mini-golf course telling you that you only need a putter  ::)

If you talk to ANY saltwater guide, the number one, two and three issue with clients are that too many do not have the distance casting chops to be in the game.  If you can lay out a good long cast, it is never a disadvantage, and will make your short game better.

-J

Tiddlerbasher

If you are sight fishing small streams and rivers accuracy is everything distance less so. If you can't put the fly in front of the trout's nose you are on a looser.
But I agree with Dave - of course distance is important, not just for saltwater. No rising fish and a large lake means you are fishing blind, searching for fish at various depths and speeds with a variety of lines and flies. Being able to lay out a long cast means you cover more water and hopefully fish. To cast a long line requires technique combined with a matched rod and line. Just because both the rod and line are #6 wt doesn't necessarily mean they will work together. Finding the right combination will improve distance and accuracy. When I purchased a new expensive rod, 2 years ago, I stuck on a reel and line I already had. I nearly sent the rod back - everything felt wrong - the line/rod felt like #6wt line on an #8wt rod - and the reel felt very heavy so I couldn't 'feel' the rod. I changed lines a few times until I found one I liked. Then, inevitably, a new reel ::) For me the reel needs to 'balance' the outfit. I use both click/pawl and disc drag reels - horses for courses ;D. JMHO

Benni3

#33
Yes getting to the hot spots is best,,,,,, :o I'm working on a 9wt after getting a used thomas & thomas rod $60 jeff is restoring the guides the top shot $50but with uncle sal's giftcard=$25,,,,, :D he will be forever helping me catch fish,,,,,,, ;) reel,,,,I could have gone with a carlton,,,seamaster,,,bogdan but missed out on a 1912 hardy on pbay,,,, ::) but that's ok,,,,,, :-[ could have gotten a abel but there all sock drawer reels,,,,, ;) just went with a sage spectrum c with the backing $138 the rod is most important here,,,just got to catch a fish on it,,,,,,, ;D

Tiddlerbasher

Benni - you need some backing under that fly line ;)

CI_Seawolf

Even in the light applications for trout, a smooth drag is important.  I landed a 24" rainbow on the Clark Fork with a 7x tippet, kept my palm off the rim the whole time and let the reel's drag do the work.  Rod was the guide's 9' 5wt Powell, reel was a Ross, don't recall the model.
Stay Classy!

jurelometer

QuoteEven in the light applications for trout, a smooth drag is important.  I landed a 24" rainbow on the Clark Fork with a 7x tippet, kept my palm off the rim the whole time and let the reel's drag do the work.

I personally don't think much about the drag mechanism in small fly reels. I am more in the "palming is an important skill" camp.  You will have the smoothest and most dynamic/responsive drag system by using a combination of your brain and your palm. "Click-pawl" reels with no drag at all make up a non-insignificant chunk of the the higher end trout reel  market.

While there is never a downside to having smooth drag, the fly line will wedge and jam a bit until the fish takes all of it off of the spool, causing more stickiness than most drag mechanisms at lower settings.

A 7x tippet is probably somewhere around 2lb test at the knot. IMHO, the best drag setting in this situation as close to zero as you can get without over-spinning on a run, and then dynamically adjusting the drag by palming,  based on whatever is happening at the moment.

Palming with light tippet can lead to more breakoffs if you are learning or haven't fished this way in a while, so I could see how palming is something that a trout guide might not encourage.

Palming is an important part of my (mostly saltwater) repertoire.  I usually am running a much higher drag setting than most, but still end up palming a bit on just about every fish that I get on the reel.

BTW- Enjoyed your recent trip report.  I got a contact "stoke" from reading it :)

-J.


CI_Seawolf

Thanks for your feedback on my Madison trip.  I agree that in most cases, palming the reel is a great skill that takes time to master.  I have had skin burned off my hands on a hot run by a bonito or Alaskan salmon.  Also fanning the reel to pick up line to get the fish to play off the reel is a skill that is good to learn.   
Stay Classy!

Rancanfish

I've got a few small collectable fly reels.  I hope to get them out in the new boat soon.
I woke today and suddenly nothing happened.

jurelometer

Quote from: Rancanfish on May 22, 2023, 07:58:41 PMI've got a few small collectable fly reels.  I hope to get them out in the new boat soon.

Last time I was up in your neck of the ocean, there was a healthy black rockfish population.  It is a fabulous fly rod species if you ask me.  They usually hang around higher in the water column, and even on the surface some times.  A heavier clouser on a sinking line, and you are golden.  Even poppers on occasion.

-J 

jurelometer

#40
Quote from: CI_Seawolf on May 22, 2023, 05:18:33 PMI agree that in most cases, palming the reel is a great skill that takes time to master.  I have had skin burned off my hands on a hot run by a bonito or Alaskan salmon.   

Gotta wear gloves to palm big fish, and not those frou-frou fly fishing specific gloves with no  palms.  Buff makes some decent ones, both with and without the psuedo-suede palms. Either will work.  Skin and gloves were both intact after this 20 kilo yellowfin:




-J

MarkT

But you need a $200 Stiletto or Martinez hammer! I have a couple of Estwings for demo... I prefer a wood handle for actually pounding nails.
When I was your age Pluto was a planet!

Rancanfish

I have a 10 gallon bucket (really) full of hammers I bought at a garage sale for 5 bucks. I now have a dozen different stout wood handled hammers. Smooth and checked face. A couple are definitely made for spikes or demo.
 I also got a $700+ Greenlee metal punch kit at the same sale. I paid $50. I always had a set of the smaller punches I used for work.  I keep forgetting I'm retired and will probably never use stuff.

But by next week I will have one of the boats ready. And J-man that is a great idea. Fly fishing for blacks out of the low gunnel Whaler sounds like a bunch of fun. And I can't get tangled in tree branches, lol.
I woke today and suddenly nothing happened.

dlrider

I've noticed this also.  And if you put it on the top shelf, just out of reach....



Quote from: foakes on May 09, 2020, 03:01:17 AMOne thing that I have observed over the years, Randy --

Having been involved in 50 years of retail during my working career --

And this is counter-intuitive to most of us on this site --

If a good quality product is not selling well -- nine times out of ten, just raise the price to a level you think is ridiculous -- then it will get more attention, activity, and a more well healed buyer who thinks that because something costs more -- it must be better.  And you will make more money and not have to work so hard to sell as many items.

Plus, the buyer will be able to brag to all of his buddies how much his reel cost.

Fly reels should be of a good, solid quality, function well, etc. -- but at the end of the day, it is really the rod, the skill of the angler, and the presentation of the proper fly or streamer -- the reel is merely a simple line retrieval mechanism.

This is only my opinion -- based on personal experience.

Others may/will have different thoughts.

Best, Fred

DougK

#44
Quote from: jurelometer on May 13, 2020, 06:15:38 PMThe fanciest two speed conventional reel is less complicated than a 1960's Plymouth Valiant one barrel carburetor

The thing that makes reels interesting to me is that they are simple enough that any mechanically inclined person can design one, and complicated enough that there can be lots of variations in the design.   Plus there are a ton of different designs out there, many of which you can get your hands on for just a few bucks.  It is a game that any interested person can join.

+1

rebuilt several carburetors in my misspent youth, I'm never doing that again..

the second point is also why I like bicycles.. simple enough to tinker on at home, complex enough to be interesting.

for me fly reel evolution ended with the Orvis CFO, to me that's the perfect trout fly reel. A palming rim, zero startup drag with the click/pawl to handle light tippets and strong trout, light and handsome, strong enough to survive me falling all over the freestone creeks with it. Pretty much everything since then has over-complicated the trout fly reel for show and selling points, without adding functionality.  A Medalist is the perfect warmwater fly reel, though I'll admit to a weakness for lever-drag reels like the Abu Delta for carp. There isn't a perfect saltwater reel yet, drags and corrosion resistance aren't solved. I have stuck with my 1990s SA System 2 as I haven't seen anything better since then. 

None of this stops me from acquiring new-to-me used fly reels though..