Fly Reels???
Submitted by Redfin 4 Life on Wed, 2009-11-25 21:15
hey guys just wondering about fly reels im getting a fly rod and reel and was just wondering what is the deal with the reels ive never had a close look at them... just wondering what is different from fly fishing vids ive noticed different drag and reeling techniches and was just wondering
what is the difference and do they have the same basic outline as a normal spinning reel??? coz they look different thanks guys!
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Leemo
Posts: 3712
Date Joined: 22/02/07
a whole different style of
a whole different style of fishing mate! totally different from spinning!
bludgin' since 94'
hlokk
Posts: 4290
Date Joined: 04/04/08
Not sure exactly what you're
Not sure exactly what you're asking there?
Fly reels are different from most other reels, yes. Nothing like a spinning reel. More like an overhead, or even closer, an alvey. Basically theres a frame that attaches to the rod, and a spool which holds the line that attaches to the frame. The handle is on the frame direct (one turn of the handle = one turn of the spool). Thats basically about it.
Some trout fishing people 'palm' the reel instead of using drag. I.e. dont come with a drag, so use your hand.
As for winding, the handle knob is attached to the spool, so if a fish want to take line, you need to let go.
Not sure if that answered what you were asking or not?
Redfin 4 Life
Posts: 942
Date Joined: 07/11/09
yea thanks that sort of
yea thanks that sort of answered it i was just wndering how it was different and how it works and that should help thanks mate
GusG
Posts: 547
Date Joined: 07/04/08
The fly reel, especially i
The fly reel, especially i fyou are only chasing freshwater species is just a device to carry your line. Quite often if you are chasing trout you just bring the line in by hand and let it fall around you. If you are onto a bigger fish you could wind the reel in like a normal fight. If you are chasing saltwater speedsters then you would definetely want a drag on the reel and keep your fingers away from the handle if it is spinning around really fast!
Redfinman
Posts: 80
Date Joined: 18/10/09
Go for large arbor design
Go for large arbor design with 150 metre backing capacity for whatever fly line you plan to usefor trout.Make sure the reel has a counter balance weight oposite the handle and the drag is smooth when you pull the fly line through the rod guides.To many anglers set the drag by pulling line straight off the reel - try and get into the routine of what I have described above.Spend good money on salt water fly reels but go for composit/die cast aluminium for fresh/sweet water.
Gav
Posts: 21
Date Joined: 24/04/09
If the reel is for
If the reel is for freshwater and estuary use then it doesn't need to have 150 metres of backing or be large arbor.
100 yards is plenty-you'll have to leave the country to see backing on a trout I'm afraid...and basically large arbor spools provide no real advantage for this fishing as the benefit it provides really only relates to fighting big fish off the reel.
The bottom line is if you're just starting out and the reel is going to be used for fresh and estuary work then any cheapy with a basic click pawl drag will do really as all of your fish fighting is hand to hand combat as Gus has said, and the simple click pawl drag will stop overuns if you're stripping line from the reel while casting.
There's plenty of graphite reels out there that are very light, non-corrosive, cheap as chips and do this work just fine.
Bucktail
Posts: 1
Date Joined: 24/09/09
Fly Reels???
Redfin 4 Life
Just kicking off the fly fishing thing myself and grabbed this little number not the cheapest but definitely not the dearest at $158.31, but can fish both salt and fresh holds 300m 30lb fins braid as backing plus fly line & tippet, hoping one comes across a Mulloway or Salmon when chasing other species. Plus very light and corrosion is very limited.
Loop Evotec Reels
Loop Evotec Composite Clear Reel 5-8 wgt ID: clwc58Size 5-8 wgt: $158.31
5 to 8 weight, 96mm dia, 49mm width, WF7 + 180yd 20lbs dacron backing, 124g (4.3oz) weight
http://www.flyworld.com.au/view/20081024143536/
might be worth a look.
Bucktail
hlokk
Posts: 4290
Date Joined: 04/04/08
THe 2-6wt might be more
THe 2-6wt might be more suited for trout/redfin, but even the 5-8 isnt that heavy. Was speaking to Chris at Flyworld about them and he was reconning they were a pretty good reel (cant remember where he said he took one, NZ perhaps?). Definately a worthy reel, and priced well for what they are. Good to have spare spools readily available so you can swap lines quickly.
HuggyB
Posts: 2515
Date Joined: 03/08/08
IMO dont use it in SW fly fishing
I think you will find it's limits very quickly!
And Matt, are you sure it was a Loop multi and not an evotec Chris was using? I know he recommends the Multi highly (I have the 9/12). But they are pushing $300 from memory - but they will be a much better "all rounder" in fresh and salt. If you wanna massage the budget a bit past $300, the Sage 3850 is an awesome reel for both fresh and SW as well.
Other options under $200 to consider are Shimano Biocraft and Sage 1600 + 1800 series.
The Terrorist - coming to a fishing spot near you.........
hlokk
Posts: 4290
Date Joined: 04/04/08
It was the clear evotec. He
It was the clear evotec. He was talking about it for FW stuff though (said he took it on a trip somewhere and it went well). I dont think its his go-to reel or anything. No mention of SW. If you want a reel that will stand up the vigours of strenous line burning SW fish, then yeah, probably better to go something else, but from what Chris was saying about it, for FW and the smaller SW stuff its a pretty competent reel.
(btw, previous post was specifcally for the thread purpose, i.e. redfin/trout/herring/etc, not necessarily for a heavier SW reel- didnt talk to Chris much about the SW capabilities of it).
Redfinman
Posts: 80
Date Joined: 18/10/09
Gav -- the reason I added my
Gav -- the reason I added my suggestion for a large arbor reel is so the fly line has large loops after loading the reel with 150+ metres of backing.Try loading a fly line onto a small spindled fly reel without any backing and you end up with small loops.The object of a fly reel is to store the fly line and backing,you can play most fresh water fish by hand without using the reel as a "winch" but that is up to the individual.One aspect for large arbor reels with backing is to keep the line coils large so you don't have to spend too much time pre-stretching the fly line prior to use.I also recommend that any backing used is sufficient so when the fly line is wound onto the reel the fly line and tapered leader does not contact any part of the cage.
Do you pre-stretch your fly line prior to your first cast Gav ? or do you wait for a large fish to stretch the loops out ?
Gav
Posts: 21
Date Joined: 24/04/09
You don't need a large
You don't need a large arbor reel to keep the coils large if you simply use large diameter backing like dacron on a small arbor reel-it takes up the space effectively creating a large arbor at the same time as backing the reel.
Even if your reel is large arbor, if your line is carrying memory off the reel then it's still going to have coils, they're just going to be a bit larger and the line will still need to be stretched so if you still have to stretch the line then what benefit has the large arbor reel really provided if you're not fighting fish off the reel? Coils are still coils regardless of size...
For someone starting out that just needs a cheap setup to learn on and work out whether he's going to stick with it or not, or for anywhere you're not going to be fighting big fish off the reel for that matter, large arbor reels and excessive amounts of backing are simply not a necessity. You can better spend the money elsewhere-on a quality line or a better rod-two items that will make a far greater difference to the overall performance of your gear than the reel will for this fishing that's for sure...