crazy light fly reel

[k-bob]

most of us will never have a use for a superlight fly reel, but some very short fly rods (5'9" LLBean 3wt; some 6' 2wts; older 6'6" Cabelas 2wts) don't balance well (they are very grip/reel heavy) with even an orvis bb1 reel (3.2 oz empty).

you can cast rods that way of course, but I'd guess people might make better casts and enjoy fishing more w/o adjusting for reel-heaviness. (btw a short rod w/ superlight cigar and rings reel seat would be less prone to this. at the other extreme, a short rod w/ the same nickel-silver reel hardware used on longer rods, such as the old sage 6'3" txl 3 wt, might balance much better w/ a light reel)

I didn't buy a UK wychwood 1.7 oz clicker reel until they went on sale on ebay for about 90 british pounds (w/ shipping = $135 at current exchange rate; shipping took 2 weeks). they are as light as advertised and work fine. reel appears to save weight by using a shorter half-length "axle" for the spool.

with 45' of line, the reel weighs about 2 oz, making the above-named short rods balance in your hand without being seriously reel heavy. also makes for very light (4 oz) rod-reel-line combos, which to me is more fun when you usually catch small fish on the small streams where I use very short fly rod. of course I bring em in and let em go just as fast as I would w heavy gear.

with a lot of brookie fishing in PA, a light reel can be a plus at least on some very short fly rods....

 

[k-bob]

balancing rods is not always done I know. but while I can cast using my 2 oz wychwood reel on my 9 ft warmwater rod, I wind up fighting the tip's desire to whack the water at the end of each cast. if I put the 6 oz reel from the 9ft rod on my 5'9" Bean streamlight,...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apgf8PpVTvA

 

[lestrout]

Yo k-bo

In my young and foolish youth, I was smitten by the radically new (at the time) Orvis CFO, back when Ernie Schwiebert was field testing it. About then was the time when new polymers and graphite made their way into reel construction. The lightest metal reel I recall was the JA Forbes magnesium http://www.jaustinforbes.com/magreel.html at 2.2 oz.

I further experimented with leaving off most backing (weighs more than fly line at equal volume) and using half lines, or even level lines (cut down) and the level back ends of worn out WF lines. The lines would get very curly from the reduced diameter on the reel.

Anyway, since most of my short sticks were bamboo, drastically minimizing reel weight wasn't that compelling after a while.

 

[k-bob]

hi les (we met in Lancaster once)... yeah I reduce lines (80' of fly line on a small brookie stream?), like forbes magnesiums a lot (still $90 on ebay!). I use pipe insulation on the forbes reels to increase reel arbor (and reduce line memory/curl) w/ little added weight. lighten the forbes magnesiums in some cases.

but I like fast action rods, and they can be balanced and cast small-medium dry flies well at light weight (elkhorn 6' 2wt)... a bigger brookie will weigh more than rod reel and line combined...

http://fishandboat.com/images/pages/fishin1/weightlength2.pdf

 

[Sylvaneous]

With the obscene prices for over-built spools and frames with drags, I have to say, for such a simple device "reliability" shouldn't be a huge issue. When a tiny, $30 spinning reel serves me when I spin fish for trout over a 12 year period, 'reliability' is within our technological reach for a fly reel.

The big technology pushes for fly reels has been superior drags: not an issue for any fish I have ever caught and extreme lightness in the form of thinner metals, tighter tolerances and more machining.

A heavier reel with make your rod feel smoother. The tip will feel lighter. It will help you cast by counter-acting the weight of the rod tip and line out.

 

[moon1284]

I used to use smaller rods but the smallest I have now is a 3 weight and I haven't used it in a couple years. I know how hard it is to find light reels, so I think plenty of readers will enjoy your heads up.

I used to have a forbes magnesium, I think I paid about 70 bucks for it 10+ years ago. I sold it, but it was a good reel.

Sylvaneous-
I disagree that a heavier reel will make your rod feel smoother. As far as "obscene" pricing, it has been a long time (if ever) since anyone got rich manufacturing or selling fly fishing gear.

 

[Nate540]

Just looked that up on Ebay with shipping its up to about 170 I'm looking for a light weight real but that's just too much

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Wychwood-River-Stream-Fly-Fishing-Reels-2-3-4-5-Gun-Metal-Grey-Fly-Reels-/152071028435?var=&hash=item236823bed3:m:mdcUgplmZr5R10wBRuNNPGw

 

[troutbert]

Sylvaneous wrote:
With the obscene prices for over-built spools and frames with drags, I have to say, for such a simple device "reliability" shouldn't be a huge issue. When a tiny, $30 spinning reel serves me when I spin fish for trout over a 12 year period, 'reliability' is within our technological reach for a fly reel.

The big technology pushes for fly reels has been superior drags: not an issue for any fish I have ever caught and extreme lightness in the form of thinner metals, tighter tolerances and more machining.

A heavier reel with make your rod feel smoother. The tip will feel lighter. It will help you cast by counter-acting the weight of the rod tip and line out.

What would you recommend for a good modestly priced fly reel?

I'm not interested in heavy reels like Pflueger Medalists, but don't care about super light reels either.

Normal, average, medium weight is fine with me.