Fly Reels

[jefnvk]

OK, I just picked up a new Redington Red Fly 5/6 weight fly rod, and need to mate it to a nice fly reel.  I'm looking for under $40 preferably, but would probably go to $60 or so.  Same goes for a 3/4 weight Redington Red Fly.  Had that one for a while, with just a cheapo Wal-Mart reel, and want something nicer now.  Preferably, it'll have a lifetime warranyt (or at least, something like Orvis's 25 year) and disc drag.  Currently, I'm looking at the Orvis Clearwater, and the Redington RedFly 2.

[Guest]

The Orvis is a GREAT reel.

I haven't looked at the lastest offerings from LLBean.  LLBean flyreels have always proven to be a great value for the money.

'Course there is "something" about a Martin 60 on a Shakespere WonderRod...Too many  largemouth bass, smallmouth bass , bream, crappie, trout, and *gulp* catfish on one's I bought some 35 yrs ago.  Brought them on on the bus...well I did hitch-hike on that one "need" for a package of  bass bugs...bus fare or bugs...bus fare or bugs....I got the bugs and hitched a ride. Priorities you understand?  *grin*

[Ben]

Orvis' are definitely great reels, I have the Battenkill. Cabela's also has some nice reels now (don't know who actually makes them). I have one for my two weight rod and it does the job just fine. I've always been a "put the money in the rod, not the reel" kinda guy, but certainly things like disc drags are nice to have if you're not on a budget.

[Guest]

"put the money in the rod, not the reel"

Yep!

Fly, Spin, Baitcast, closed spinning - that it the ticket.
Pertains to the cane pole too...

Expense does NOT always mean better quality either, especially with some of the new offerings...sigh...

[brimic]

Brought them on on the bus...well I did hitch-hike on that one "need" for a package of  bass bugs...bus fare or bugs...bus fare or bugs....I got the bugs and hitched a ride

I have it made...

My dad gave up shooting/hunting/reloading about 10 years ago and has become a hadcore flyfisherman/fly tyer. He makes me about 20 bass bugs/Pike streamers/panfish bugs every year for my birthday and Christmas. I don't know too much about fly reels, but he has sent a few St.Croix rods/with a reel home with me after he'd 'upgrade' to better stuff. Gotta love dad.

The one I use the most is a STH IM Pop cassette reel. I took this one on a trip to Northern Wisconsin last month and caught about 50 Largemouths, a few smallys and a northern pike, and the reel didn't give me a bit of trouble at all.  

Its a bit of an older model, but its very similar to the one in the link below:
http://www.cortlandline.com/factorystore/index.php?action=category&id=20

[Guest]

I've used that set up, nice reel!!

Well I didn't have a 'dad' to teach me a lot of stuff. I bugged the hell out of folks and adopted them as mentors.
I was only making about $1.60 and hour, and I was  helping mom raise 3 younger sibs, so hitch-hiking saved me the dime for bus fare, tranfers were seven cents- and doing odd stuff for extra money was how I was able to get things.  

Used that  WondeRod and Martin 60, like a cane pole. Using a paddle I skulled out on the lake, hung up a Coleman lantern  slept in the car until 10pm and fished until 4am all I used were white jigs.  Come home with 75 crappie , and we have meat. Boy - cleaning 75 Crappie after being up all night is tough.

 Guy that I went with was using on of them new retractable glass poles. He only caught 55.  I stayed b/t two trees and just fished around those two big trees. He would skull to different areas. I was fishing - he was skulling too much I think.

I have some custom rods make on Loomis blanks.  Truth is, I have been using the old stuff.  Oh I appreciate fine rods and reels, just sometimes I would hike into an area, or hike / wade through to different areas, and the old fiberglass rods I didnt' worry about.

We all have seen how "protective" folks with $1k and up Fly Fishing gear can get.  I used my old Hodgen waders or hip boots, my Old Fiberglass rods and Martin 60s.  Toss 'em in the back of a truck and head down to a new spot...driving with my Hodgens still on. 'Protective" folks had to "load/ unload" ever so gently thier gear. Neoprene too.

Somewhere I have my Flies  and Fly tying stuff. I took some classes and had a ball.  I have not tyed in years.  I just read the water and use what is natural to the waters, either tyed locally by someone or one of Orvis's or LLBean's offerings.

Time got to be short with me doing other stuff. I went retro on my fishing too.  Should have seen the looks I got using a cane pole I bought for $3 and the braided line and such Trout Fishing on the Red River.  Got a wild hair to fish , coming back thru that area-  bought the pole( came with the line , hook and bobber) bought some small hooks, found some 4# clear line in the vehicle and some sow bugs.   I turned over some rocks and used some worms and bugs too.

I fished off the bank ( no waders) and caught my limit of five. Cleaned them with SAK and tossed in a cooler.

I thought the SAGE/ Winston/ Orvis/ ....folks were gonna croak!

I was in the mood for trout...I was having fun.  Remember the fish are "right there" often times.   Not "out there".  *grin*

I read water, woods, rooms and people pretty good - that helps too.

[brimic]

ime got to be short with me doing other stuff. I went retro on my fishing too.  Should have seen the looks I got using a cane pole I bought for $3 and the braided line and such Trout Fishing on the Red River.  Got a wild hair to fish , coming back thru that area-  bought the pole( came with the line , hook and bobber) bought some small hooks, found some 4# clear line in the vehicle and some sow bugs.   I turned over some rocks and used some worms and bugs too.

I fished off the bank ( no waders) and caught my limit of five. Cleaned them with SAK and tossed in a cooler.

I thought the SAGE/ Winston/ Orvis/ ....folks were gonna croak!

Funny thing is that my dad taught me how to fish trout when I was about 8- we would go every mornign that we could. Used a nightcrawler on a small hook, light spinning tackle, and 4 lb test. We would sneak up to the bank of the brook, drop the nightcrawler in and let it drift with the current to suck it under the next undercut bank where the browns and rainbows lurk.  If there were alot or grasshopers in the pastures, we would catch those and use as bait.   We never had too many problems limiting out.  Nowadays, if my dad caught me fishing in such a crude uncivilized manner for his sacred trout, he would probably disown me.  

[Ben]

we all have seen how "protective" folks with $1k and up Fly Fishing gear can get.

Got me one of those, but not too protective of it since I acquired it by catching it last year.

For those who have ever fished Lake Crowley in the Sierras, you know how full of algae and weeds it can get nearshore. I was fighting my way through the weeds in my float tube, and just after having gotten through what I thought were all the weeds, turned and saw a "branch" sticking up in my path. Thought to myself, "great, more weeds to fight through." As I got closer though, it looked kinda funny, and sure enough, it was the top ten or so inches of a fishing pole, covered in algae.

I figured what the heck -- I'll pull it up and see what it is. I was figuring it was some $10 Walmart spincasting pole somebody's kid had dropped in the water. As I pulled it up though, it got longer and longer, and sure enough it was a fly rod with reel attached, all fully covered in algae. After a half can of WD-40 and some elbow grease, I had me a like new Sage XP 5wt with a Galvan reel attached to it. It was my last day at the lake that trip, and it was the only day I got skunked on fish, but catching that $800 setup made my day.  

[jefnvk]

Somewhere I have my Flies  and Fly tying stuff. I took some classes and had a ball.  I have not tyed in years.

Same here, but I have such a stockpile of flies left over, there was just no need to continue tying.  I probably have close to a thousand flies I have tied up over the past few years, and I just can't use them up fast enough

I gotcha on the expensive poles, too.  I could never justify droping a grand on a setup.  Fishing the past few years, though, I have found that if you move from the Wal-Mart type equipment, to the lower end of the better stuff, can make the experience a whole lot more fun.  I fished with a $15 Wal-Mart ultra lite spinner rod combo for years, caught many trout on it.  Last year I jumped up to a St. Croix ultra lite with a nice little Teca spinner reel.  For about the $100 I have into the setup, it is just so much nicer than the Wal-Mart combo, and is gonna last me a lot longer.

[Guest]

I once shared  a pond with 4 other folks - in a small town neighborhood.  Kept a Fly Rod and Daisy Red Ryder over the fireplace.  If I reached for either/ both - the dogs went nuts.  " Daddy is going to the pond...hurry up daddy...". Really funny.  Well not funny if all I doing was reaching for something on the mantel, dusting, etc.  

I had to take the damn dogs to the pond at midnight one time - reached for a pack of smokes and the dogs would NOT shut up barking and going nuts. Once down there  "Umm daddy, you gonna cast or just stand there looking stupid?"   I cast.  *stupid feeling*

The BB gun was to shoot turtles.  Neighbors grandkids would try to fish and the turtles would head straight for the cork, and go after the crickets.  So we adults provided "cover" so the kids could catch bream. *grin*

I took a bunch of the itty bitty treble hooks, made leaders, used a Bait caster and hauled in about 20 turtles the first day.  I ended up pulling out about 50 before the week was over.  The turtles could not let go of the tiny trebles. Hooks rust out in short time. Undo the leader and cast for another turtle.  I put these in a huge tub in the bed of my truck, ran down about a mile to the river and let them go....

Kids were able to spend quality time fishing with no bother from turtles. *Ta Da*

---

Well I am really really not happy with new fishing gear.  I shared a story about this here once before.  I do not like the current quality of the offerings now-a-days.  Much of which is NOT even made in the US anymore .

So for the money I can have built for instance on a Loomis Blank  a better quality spinning rod.  Cork handle, and  I wanted to tape the reel to the handle.  Kentucky Spinning style.

I have some folks that do rod and reel repair, factory authorized service and such.  So I tell them what I am looking for and they keep their  eyes peeled.   Instead of a new baitcaster with  all the crap - I get the old red 5000s and 5500s for ...I think the last one was $35. Helluva lot better reel than some folks paying $150 for.

I also find old rods, better guides, cork handles, quality thread and wrapped right for a whole less monies than the junk sold at higher prices to finance a guy that won a tourney- or to pay for his fishing show.

I'm not a a shopper. For some reason I stopped at a yard sale. I bought New in the package never been opened two Shakespeare fly fishing starting kits. 6wt , level line.  $25 for both. I gave these to two kids. Then we went to the hardware store and bought PVC, made them "tubes".  Their mom make two sleeves for the rods and found two CD carrying cases in the bargain bin.

Little girl painted her  rod tube teal blue, and added Scooby stickers.  Brother went with Purple, and I have no idea what the cartoon character is...*I must be getting old*

So the kids have their Fly Rods all fixed up like the big folks. They have some ponds , streams they fish. Then again sometime they just have a ball with a pc of yarn and practice out back.  Finally the dog got trained ( or he plumb tuckered out) and he does not have to stay in the house when they practice.  He just grins, sometimes barks, neat sight to see.  Oh they drag mom out there..."mom...you gotta keep the skills up too ya know..."

Mom put up her good Sage , Orvis , etc. Got her a Shakespere set up too. She went with the "tie-dyed" look on her rod tube..."Mom...you are soooo cool"  LOL

[jefnvk]

Learning how to tie my own rods is something I am going to do one of these days.