Choosing a quality mid level reel

[jayL]

I currently use lamson, orvis, flylogic, and Abel. Adding a Ross soon. I have a foreign made tfo mk2 that I like as well.

 

[Foxgap239]

Have thought about an Abel and Ross, just don't have a need right now with 5 Battenkills in my arsenal. :-D

 

[wbranch]

Swattie87 wrote;

"And I still think an 18" Smallie in big water (which I have hooked and caught) meets, or exceeds the reel testing capacity of a 20-22" wild Trout."

Believe me when I say that a 20" - 22" wild trout caught in a river with a flow of 800 - 1000 cfs is going to run more line, and backing, than any smallmouth on this planet. This isn't dissing smallies, I love them, but they just do not have the running traits of big wild trout.

I have caught a couple dozen 19" - 21" smallmouth in the Susky and while they fought great in terms of pulling (not running) and dogging by turning on their sides and being a bear to get into the boat I have never had a smallmouth run very much line and never , ever, even get close to getting into the backing.

I keep my drag set pretty lightly on my Lamsom Litespeed as I am mostly using 5X or 6X and I've had many 19" rainbows get into the backing in mere seconds. I've hooked 21" inch browns in "big water" that have put me into the backing 2 - 3 times with an initial run of all 90' of fly line and qnother 100' of backing.

Both of these browns put me into the backing in seconds and the bottom fish ran, from where he was hooked, about 200' and after retrieving all the backing and much of the fly line ran out again deep into the backing. So don't ever assume a large trout will not run hard and test the quality of your fly reel.

 

[krayfish]

I'm as broke as anybody. Like Jay said, investment that will last a lifetime. I still have a working Hardy Matquis from 84 and it saw 220+ days of fishing for years. I know any of the recent purchases I made will be around after I take my last breath. Trust me, didn't want to spend the money but knew it would be an investment that would last forever. I saved and picked up a second job from time to time in order to get some of my gear. Again, to each his own but I will spend a little extra for a well made, quality product. Made in USA never hurts either.

Sas, having a great family you love trumps any fishing gear.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

Its always been an issue of "buy what you can afford and go fishing now, or don't go fishing and save up." I always sided with the former. Now I have more freedom to save up, but I keep looking at other gear (pontoon...).

I know the rod and reel I want. When I'm out of debt, I'm getting it. It'll out last me for sure.

 

[jabink84]

I Mentioned the lamson Konic earlier. IMO its an eexample of american made and extremely dependable and IMO isnt out of reach of almost anyone here. Even saving $20 of every paycheck will get it for you pretty quick. $139 is not an outrageous price and the drag as was mentioned is the same as some of the other lamsons that cost more.

In the $60 dollar class the okuma slv is hard to beat. But thats what it is, Its a $60 dollar reel. After moving out to Idaho, I was up in Box canyon and hooked a 23 inch bow. It Destroyed the drag on my slv. Now this reel was definately not new and I got a good life out of it but when fishing my Konic, I know it will be alot more dependable. It is a sweet reel.

 

[krayfish]

+1 to WB. Big water trout typically smoke any smallie I've ever caught (fished susky, swattie and juniata since early 80's).

 

[RCFetter]

My primary reels are a Ross Cimarron 2 (U.S. made) and an Orvis CFO IV (made in England). They both are great, but my next reel will be an Orvis Mid-Arbor.

It gets great reviews and the model for 2 - 5 wt costs $145.

 

[afishinado]

wbranch wrote:
Swattie87 wrote;

"And I still think an 18" Smallie in big water (which I have hooked and caught) meets, or exceeds the reel testing capacity of a 20-22" wild Trout."

Believe me when I say that a 20" - 22" wild trout caught in a river with a flow of 800 - 1000 cfs is going to run more line, and backing, than any smallmouth on this planet. This isn't dissing smallies, I love them, but they just do not have the running traits of big wild trout.

I have caught a couple dozen 19" - 21" smallmouth in the Susky and while they fought great in terms of pulling (not running) and dogging by turning on their sides and being a bear to get into the boat I have never had a smallmouth run very much line and never , ever, even get close to getting into the backing.

I keep my drag set pretty lightly on my Lamsom Litespeed as I am mostly using 5X or 6X and I've had many 19" rainbows get into the backing in mere seconds. I've hooked 21" inch browns in "big water" that have put me into the backing 2 - 3 times with an initial run of all 90' of fly line and qnother 100' of backing.

Both of these browns put me into the backing in seconds and the bottom fish ran, from where he was hooked, about 200' and after retrieving all the backing and much of the fly line ran out again deep into the backing. So don't ever assume a large trout will not run hard and test the quality of your fly reel.

krayfish wrote:
+1 to WB. Big water trout typically smoke any smallie I've ever caught

+2 to WB & Kray above...agreed.

A big smallie fights like a ton of bricks, but really doesn't make long runs. A wild trout in a big river like the D or the big rivers out west (D bow, especially!!) is like tying on to a freight train.

Also, i'm usually tied on with 0x tippet (+/-) and a 7 or 8wt rod when fishing for smallies. When fishing for trout, I'm tied on with 5x tippet (+/-) with a 5wt rod. Big difference!


Also +1 to Jay. Buy decent - be happy with your equipment - save money in the long run. (I've seen Jay's old stuff - it looks like it came from some hilljack flee market :-o)

I saw the light a long while back. The cheap reels I bought broke and/or I was never happy with their performance. After buying and rebuying, I finally decided to get some decent ones.

That was over 20 years ago. Ya know, most have performed flawlessly, and I still fish with many of those reels today, and have caught thousands of fish with them; while the junk sits in my basement. If they do break, I can send them back for repair for a small fee or for free. A bargain in the long run.

Here's my checklist for a decent reel:

Machined Aluminum (cast reels are brittle plus machined = more precison)

Metal gears / parts (plastic warps and/breaks at the very time you need it)

Sealed drag (water seepage into the drag will cause your reel to seize up. Also saltwater seepage will make your reel toast with just one dunking.)

Weight (should balance on you rod - not tip or butt heavy)

Capacity (Reel should hold a decent amount of backing for the type of fishing you do)

Large Arbor (faster retrieve / less line curl)

Warranty (Long or lifetime warranty from a reputable company with parts and service available in the long term)

 

[Fredrick]

+1 on Afish.


I'm sure big river trout fight hard . But when your are fishing for big river smallies your are using twice the gear . They don't make long runs like trout but good luck trying to get their head out of the water . I'm sure if you caught some of those big D trout on a 8wt and 10lb tippet you would never see your backing .

Any 150-200 dollar big name reel will work great just make sure it balances your rod .

 

[The_Sasquatch]

So here's a question. Why do the old Medalists and such hold up for so long? There are guys fishing with reels that are 50+ years old and cost them $25 new. I'm pretty ignorant on reels and the mechanics of it all, so please shed some light.

PS-Last week I was thinking about starting a "reel" thread in the gear section, just to get some insight into the different types of drag, etc.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

Also...man. You guys bring out the big guns for smallies! I still fish with them with my 5wt rod and often times w/ 3 or 4x.

 

[pete41]

Ask GFEN he's the medalist man-I had two that I used for forty years but I am only human-kept buying other reels cuz the ads said to.
The only one that ever let me down was an English multiplyer.[sp]
Threw it away.
Keep the tip down and to the side and let the rod, line and leader work for you and pressure the fish into going across current instead of down stream.

 

[fadeaway263]

TLDR but shouldn't this thread been posted on Gear Talk?

 

[pete41]

Lawyer complains about long winded.Okay

 

[wbranch]

Afishinado wrote;

"Also, i'm usually tied on with 0x tippet (+/-) and a 7 or 8wt rod when fishing for smallies. When fishing for trout, I'm tied on with 5x tippet (+/-) with a 5wt rod. Big difference!"

This is a very good point! When I'm fishing for smallouth it is rare to use anything less than a 9' WF#6 and most of the time a 9' WF#7 and throwing big Clousers or poppers with nothing lighter than 1X. so with that kind of gear it is pretty easy to stop even a big smallouth from going very far. But I still am of the opinion if I hook a 20" - 22" wild trout on a big nymph and #7 line he is going to run my fly line and likely get into the backing.

 

[dryflyguy]

The_Sasquatch wrote:
So here's a question. Why do the old Medalists and such hold up for so long? There are guys fishing with reels that are 50+ years old and cost them $25 new. I'm pretty ignorant on reels and the mechanics of it all, so please shed some light.

PS-Last week I was thinking about starting a "reel" thread in the gear section, just to get some insight into the different types of drag, etc.

At risk of dating myself, and sounding like and old fart - I really believe that many things were made better "back in the day"

I have a thing for the old english made batternkill reels - in fact, I've bought several off of site members here.
I really think that they were a good quality reel - that had a very modest price tag.
And FWIW - they're still all that I fish with.

 

[pete41]

At risk of dating myself, and sounding like and old fart - I really believe that many things were made better "back in the day"

everything but cars- :-D

 

[fadeaway263]

I thought the only good thing the British made were neckties.

 

[fadeaway263]

pete41 wrote:
everything but cars- :-D

Triumphs and MGs used Lucas electronics a/k/a the Prince of Darkness