How important is the reel in fly fishing

ladybirdirl · 18-01-2010 6:15pm #1

How important is the reel you use in fly fishing?

Background to my question below

I went to Annamoe a few weeks before Christmas,having no rod I hired 1. This was my first big attempt at fly fishing since my epihany

Anyway, I had a brilliant fisherman giving me instruction, you know the type, making the casting look really effortless, taking time to get it right, not whipping it back & forth too hard but getting that faulous whooshing sound going & being able to place the cast well.

I, on the other hand, looked like a demented yoda whipping the rod around the place & typing it up in various things

Then Santa was reeeeaallly good to me this year & bought me a fabulous new rod & reel & flies & backing & a case!!.

So off I go to Rathbeggan & have a totally differenct experience. Now I only got the rod & reel on the day I went to Rathbeggan so it's not like I improved with practise at that point.

I think it was the reel. On the hired rod the reel seemed heavy for the rod, on my new setup the rod & reel are perfectly balanced,the reel doesn't drag down the rod & the rod can cope with the reel, as in it's very easy to let the line out from the reel. I also caught a fish (which you can see in my sig below) with this set up

Santa (thank you:)) also brought me a book by Tom McNally on the art of fly fishing & he says that while you shouldn't sell the farm for a reel you should spend a bit of cash on it. He gives 2 reasons

1. no point in spending a fortune on a rod & pittance on a reel - just doesn't make sense

2. a cheap reel might be fine for a long time then you'll lose the catch of the century

So I'd welcome any other views. I'm delighted with what I have (so much so that I am storing it in my bedroom;):D) but I think I probably need a swap reel.

thanks

LB

syklops · 18-01-2010 6:21pm

Its Reely important!

dardevle · 18-01-2010 6:31pm

....

the balance between rod, reel and line is critical in fly fishing....if any one of them is out of sync, it makes the task of shooting a line that bit more difficult... as you said no point in breaking the bank on one component...rather to spread the wealth on a well balanced outfit.

....

coolwings · 18-01-2010 7:36pm

The most important thing about a fly reel is it has an adjustable drag, so when a large fish makes a run away during the fight, the reel can release line under a gentle tension, but without jerks that would break the thin leader.
The 2nd most important thing about a fly reel is that it holds the all line when all is reeled in, together with a certain amount of backing line for fish that run a long distance during play.
After that, the lighter it is, the better.

I used to think balance was important, but nobody was able to explain what was the right balance. Most of my nicer outfits seemed to balance with the line reeled in, when the rod was placed on a finger about 1-2" above the upper end of the handle. That seems to be the conventionally accepted balance point, and casting feels good when it's there.
Then it dawned on me that light reels balanced nicer than heavy ones. So one time I fished with the reel in my jacket pocket, and not fixed to the rod at all - guess what - that rod felt even better balanced than ever before. So since then, any reel that covers the above requirements, and is reasonably light in weight, is ok for me.

Enjoy fishing with it!

wgsten · 18-01-2010 8:37pm

I agree with the above post by coolwings about the reel choice. I would however like to point out that your casting ability may have something to do with the action of Santy's rod it is possible that is has a completely different to the rod that you hired. One rod may have a stiffer action (tip action) the other rod may well have a middle action which is a lot softer. It is worth your while to check this out. Hope this is of some help to you.

wgsten

http://www.irishflyfisher.ie/

ironbluedun · 19-01-2010 2:49pm

some good advice there. a reel is a line container. i would worry more about the rod and having the right type length and action of rod. get a reel that matches the rod in AFTM rating ie if your rod is a 6/7 rating get a reel with a 6/7 line capacity. the first consideration must always be the rod, and that may be where your problem lies. you can pay €600 + for a sage/hardy reel and no way are any of them are worth it. you can get good reels for around €50/60 or less, or even try for secondhand ones, ebay etc. make sure it has a drag.

coolwings · 19-01-2010 4:32pm

There is another point that is worth knowing.
Some reels have a wider abour than others. That is referring to how thin the spool is before any line is wound onto it.
The thinner the arbour, the more curly your line will be when you strip it off for the first cast of the day. And that interferes with the line shooting through the rod rings friction free.
You always have to stretch the line between your hands to knock the curls out of it before of shortly after getting started.
The wide arbour reels store the line with wider curls, and it straightens out faster. So a wide arbour reel is nicer, if you are choosing, that's the way to go.

ladybirdirl · 19-01-2010 11:05pm

Thanks guys for all the advice,

Coolwings - yes the rod is well balanced as you said & it can hold the line & an amount of backing but you're right about the arbour, I knew about stretching out the line but it's a very good point about getting the wider reel.

Wgsten - you're totally right about the rod, mine is 10ft & seems to be much springier than the rod I hired.It's definetly longer, I think the hired 1 was about 8ft & the longer does make the casting easier - IMO anyway

Bell_James · 24-02-2010 3:11pm

Hello everyone!

Now I know that the reel is very imporant but I have another problem

I'm James and I will start fly-fishing this year. I already bought some equipment but especially the range of fly fishing reels is confusing me...

One of my mates recommended Z-Reels (http://www.z-reels.de/home.html) but before buying one I'd just like to make sure that it is the right choice..
Does anyboby know Z-Reels? Any experience? Any comments? Anybody knows where I can buy them in the UK?
Thanks for your help..

James

bernard0368 · 24-02-2010 4:22pm

Never heard of them so I could not comment. I have used a greys reel for years now with out a problem.

fontanalis · 24-02-2010 7:32pm

I have an Orvis Turbine which would be one of their "economic" models, I'd recommend it.

viper123 · 25-02-2010 3:46pm

Reel is only really important if you play the fish of the reel. If you don't all you need to worry for the long runs of a fish stripping line of the reel, for this what matters is either a good drag setting on an expensive reel, or loose drag setting on a cheap one which you can break with your hand to control the run.
Other than that imo a reel is only ballast for the rod, ideally the rod should balance on your finger if you place it at the end of the handle nearest to where the blank starts.

coolwings · 25-02-2010 5:28pm

If you are fishing in places where there are big fish, I would advise developing the habit of playing fish off the reel.
Sooner or later a good fish will run and remove the line with speed. Anglers who play with the loose line in hand eventually get a tangle hitting the butt ring, or a loop around the reel seat, or around the reel handle drawing tight, or a tangle in bankside vegetation, worse still a loop trapped under a boot.
Little fish can be stopped but not the better ones. The result is a lost fish and a lesson never forgotten!
That said, while playing off the reel, if a fish makes a run straight at me, I have no hesitation in stripping line to maintain contact. But I feel very vulnerable until that loose line is spooled or run out again safely.

ironbluedun · 02-03-2010 1:24pm

coolwings wrote: »

If you are fishing in places where there are big fish, I would advise developing the habit of playing fish off the reel.
Sooner or later a good fish will run and remove the line with speed. Anglers who play with the loose line in hand eventually get a tangle hitting the butt ring, or a loop around the reel seat, or around the reel handle drawing tight, or a tangle in bankside vegetation, worse still a loop trapped under a boot.
Little fish can be stopped but not the better ones. The result is a lost fish and a lesson never forgotten!
That said, while playing off the reel, if a fish makes a run straight at me, I have no hesitation in stripping line to maintain contact. But I feel very vulnerable until that loose line is spooled or run out again safely.

Never play a fish by hand. always use the reel where possible. the above can and does happen.

ffarrell7 · 03-04-2010 7:02pm

Hi all,

I am selling some fishing equipment which is either brand new i.e. never ever used or practically used i.e. used a couple of times or a few times. If you are interested in any of this equipment you are free to come around and have a look at it or ring me for further information.

First up is a Maver Deploy 13 metre pole package which has NEVER BEEN USED. I bought this pole a couple of years ago but it has remained unused. I also have loads of rigs and floats which I bought at the time which have never been used either. I also want to shift a fishing seat-box which is in perfect condition as this has never been used either. It is extremely comfortable to sit on (just tried it out!!) and has plenty of storage space inside. It has a carry strap and the quality check tag is still on it! I also have a brand new roller (very good quality and never ever used). I also have a new unopened keepnet and spinning rod and reel (unopened) for sale and other accessories which I just want to get rid off. I am selling all of the aforementioned for 300 euro.

2nd lot. A pristine condition Hardy Zane 8 wt fly rod complete with aluminium tube. I have used this rod about 3 or four times but am selling it for 300 euro (recommended retail price 600 euro). It is a truly fabulous rof for any of you that know anything about fly fishing.

I am also selling an 8 wt legend elite (Brown) St. Croix fly rod. I am selling this for 200 euro although you would easily pay 400 euro plus in one of Dublin's retail fishing stores. I am selling these two rods as I want to buy a 7 wt Sage Z - Axis rod to compliment the 5 wt I already own.

If you are interested in any of the above items or know of anybody who is please email me at ffarrell@ireland.com or alternatively give me a ring on 086-2231426. I live in Castleknock, Dublin 15.

Regards,
Frank

coolwings · 03-04-2010 8:11pm

Is this related to the subject of this thread? I guess it was intended to be a new thread.
Can you delete it and move it to another thread in adverts.ie?

How important is the reel in fly fishing

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