Peter's right about a decent reel

[jonbo]

Welp, I didn't believe Peter when he said we should invest in reels with good drag systems. Actually I more hoped he was wrong as I already had reels for my rods. I found out yesterday, May 31. On my very nice Sage TXL-F 4wt I had put a cheap Redington reel with no drag system at all, just a kind of strong clicker. Finally I got into a big fish,my first one in the EH since the flood. I fought him ok, I think, while he was at a distance, by palming the reel. When he got close though, I couldn't concentrate on managing my own drag, maneuvering the fish, and handling the net. Having to palm the reel proved to be a complete distraction from everything else. Needless to say, I lost him at the net. Peter was totally right. The reel may not matter much when the fish are 11 inch stockers. It does though, when they're big. So now I think I'd better go out and buy a decent reel for that rod and for my 6 wt. Can anyone recommend a reel with a decent drag system for, say, under $200?

[mirvc17]

Jonbo,

Check PM...

[hankinsfly]

I'd say check with Beavers Bend Fly Shop first, and if not, there are tons of options out there with good drags for way less than $200

[troutbum54]

Sage 2200s, reddington behemoths (I don't like the look of them but people swear by it's drag), and some of the Lamson reels are all under 200 and absolutely fantastic. If you're willing to spend a little more I like Taylor reels and if you want to go all out there's only one reel to buy and it's a hatch

[okieman71]

I own a Hatch, a Galvan Torque, a Ross Animas and a Ross Cimmaron. All have really good drags. The Ross Animas is gonna be hard to beat for the price ($250) The Galvan Torque may be the best reel I have ever fished. Its pretty light has an awesome drag system, looks great as well. Its a little cheaper than the Hatch at $375. Just my two cents.

[Fenwick]

I think it was in the previous post two or three months ago regarding reels that the Nautilus X reel was a favorite in here. You guys should pool your money and send me a new one for 5 wt rods to test out for a few years. That other fly fishing shop website that sounds a lot like Jellystone Wrangler dotcom presents in-depth product reviews as food for thought. The reviews get into all sorts of minutiae that can become tedium to read. Sorta the Consumer Reports of fly fishing gear. Take it or leave it but they have opinions to share.

[okieman71]

The X is nice. It is super light so I would only put it on a really lightweight rod. Otherwise it may not balance so well.

[hankinsfly]

I have an early Cheeky reel, a Ross Evolution, a Lamson Guru, and several other reels of lesser price and non-American make. They are fine reels and if American made products are important to you, they are excellent choices. The first two are around $350 and the Lamson is around 200 or 250. I have caught and released lots of big, strong trout in all kinds of water conditions on both the higher priced American made reels and the cheaper Chinese made reels, and I can honestly say that they all PERFORMED EQUALLY. That might hurt some people to read, but it's true. The drag systems on cheaper Chinese reels function good enough to slow down and wear out (in conjunction with the rod and the angler's skill) large trout in all current types. So far, they have lasted just as well as the expensive reels. The only exception to that is some bottom of the barrel Bass Pro brand fly reel I found on sale at 2 for $20; one of those developed a severe issue and was trashed. The other I haven't even used. The difference between reels on either end of the money spectrum are things like smoothness of drag engagement, smoothness of wind, and tolerances and materials and warranty. They generally look cooler and are lighter, except for the Cheeky which is heavy. My personal opinion, who cares about lightness? You're not carrying around a shotput! There is no fly reel, bass reel, any kind of fishing reel THAT WILL WEAR YOU OUT after a day's fishing. The difference of a few ounces literally means nothing in regard to arm fatigue. I say, after owning higher end reels, to buy what makes you happy. At this point in life, paying a little less money for a quality "middle shelf" reel and having money left over for a tank of gas to the river plus lunch and maybe a cigar, would be the right choice. I have each reel on a certain rod and fish each one given the conditions. I like having a few reels that cost some money and they make me feel good, but I have put more fish on the board with an old die-cast Okuma reel and TFO rod than any other combo because I have fished it more. I had some old model Cortland rods and reels a long time ago that worked just as well but then I thought I needed "better shit" and started acquiring different gear. It's all relative, folks! Put a blister package Martin combo in the hands of a good angler and he will catch more fish than a new fisherman that walked right of an Orvis shop with a thousand dollar receipt. Just get out and fish and don't worry about what brand of gear you have!

[Fenwick]

Man, the fly fishing rods and reels offered on alibaba seem enticing but I'm not gonna use my own money to find out about a fly fishing reels fit and finish and overall performance or that of a fly rod proffered from that site either. Oh, the gear photos at alibaba look okay but I'm left to suspect the reel would somehow come apart while the spool is turning round and round or the drag would either seize or not work at all and the rod would have very weird flex action and literally crack and splinter into bits on a cast or big fish hookup. I've heard the rod sections don't often fit right and you may soon be holding the reel seat in one hand and the grip in the other. I've seen some rods and reels depicted in the alibaba website appear in the Bass Pro catalog and in the online only fly fishing gear stores. Ya gotta wonder about that stuff. Albright fly fishing existed to sell that for what, maybe six years? Albright is gone. Now there's Aleka to take it's place but you'll see alibaba sourced reels at Aleka too. Such a deal!!! It'd be fun to use someone else's money to acquire some of that alibaba  gear just to see what's what. Maybe, but again not with my money.

[jonbo]

Ooh, Hankinsfly. I'm gonna tell Peter you said all that.

[hankinsfly]

Most Cabelas reels are good, the Redingtons and Sages are all fine, the Okuma SLV at like $60 works great but ain't pretty (mine is still going strong and is pretty old). I'm pretty interested in the Lamson Liquid, although I really don't need any new tackle. I like the Lamson company and Ross. Another reel I am interested in is the new Teton which is well under $200

[Fenwick]

I have a retired Okuma SLV 5. Not that it's ever happened to you but one time I accidentally let the rod it was on seesaw in the crook of my arm and the reel impacted with a rock and that split the rim at the bottom of the reel and prevented the spool from turning. I used my Leatherman pliers to bend the split closed and line up the metal again and it's okay but gee that reel is heavy. Might even be heavier than my Pflueger 1494DA. I have other reels to use now and the SLV is a backup to yet another backup. Interesting how Redington makes so many reels for other outlets such as Orvis and Cabelas. And which is the parent company...does Redington own Pfleuger or is it the other way around considering their reels are often identical...or are they owned by some giant conglomerate? Oh, no, wait...Redington is owned by the Far Bank Enterprises conglomerate that owns Sage and Rio...so what about Pflueger? Nevermind, I'm getting a headache.

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[stephenl]

I use an Okuma graphite large arbor with a disk drag. no click. less than $100.

[attackone02]

Look into the lamson liquid for less than 200 you can get the reel, 2 extra spools and a case

[slim]

Hey Att, have you been catching any trout ?

[darrelln09]

Jun 2, 2017 13:01:25 GMT -6 Fenwick said:

I have a retired Okuma SLV 5. Not that it's ever happened to you but one time I accidentally let the rod it was on seesaw in the crook of my arm and the reel impacted with a rock and that split the rim at the bottom of the reel and prevented the spool from turning. I used my Leatherman pliers to bend the split closed and line up the metal again and it's okay but gee that reel is heavy. Might even be heavier than my Pflueger 1494DA. I have other reels to use now and the SLV is a backup to yet another backup. Interesting how Redington makes so many reels for other outlets such as Orvis and Cabelas. And which is the parent company...does Redington own Pfleuger or is it the other way around considering their reels are often identical...or are they owned by some giant conglomerate? Oh, no, wait...Redington is owned by the Far Bank Enterprises conglomerate that owns Sage and Rio...so what about Pflueger? Nevermind, I'm getting a headache.

I bought my first fly rod and reel this year - a Pflueger Medalist reel and a Fenwick Eagle rod. I bought a kit from Bass Pro for just under $200 and it included the rod, reel, case, line, backing, and a leader. I'm very happy with the quality of it all. Little did I know that the new Medalist is a complete remake of a 80+ year old line of Medalist fly reels, such as your 1494DA. After some research, I see it's similar in appearance but completely different on the inside. All in all, though, it seems to be well made and I've definitely put it to the test with a few drops as well.

I see that both Pflueger and Fenwick, as well as several other fishing-related brands, are owned by Pure Fishing Inc.

[troutbum54]

I heard hardy/greys was picked up by Pure Fishin Inc last year

[darrelln09]

Jun 19, 2017 20:27:54 GMT -6 troutbum54 said:

I heard hardy/greys was picked up by Pure Fishin Inc last year

You are correct!

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[attackone02]

Jun 16, 2017 17:56:20 GMT -6 slim said:

Hey Att, have you been catching any trout ?

have to fish first to do that, been super busy.  Going on a trip this weekend coming up, will do a write up when i get back of how the spring went. 

[slim]

Thanks att ....... <')>>>>><