Auto

[Baron]

I guess as a beginner I should give more credence to newer trends and better technology but I have aways thought that 'click and pawl' reels were so classy looking and I'm actually fishing with a couple of caddis creek reels at this point. I had but broke an old Wye that was magnificent. I don't yet know what it is like to catch a heavy line-testing fish i.e. a 5lb bass or the like but there haven't been any trout, panfish or pickerel that the old rod/reel combo can't handle. I do hope to have a reel with a conventional drag someday but it is not yet in the budget.
That being said I have noticed reels for sale that are called automatics. I believe they reel in your loose line by pulling a little lever. Seems like that may be just the ticket in small secluded areas when on the prowl for panfish. When back in the stumps in the drift boat its hard to stay clean enough.

Do any of you have them? Were they the go-to years ago? Anyone still using one?

Then there are also Multipliers but lets not go there yet.......

 

[Fly-Swatter]

Drag is completely unnecessary 98% of the time in PA. Some situations where it might be helpful: Upper Delaware, Erie tribs. Drag is important in saltwater where fish can run fast and long. The weight of the fish is not what necessitates drag. I seriously doubt 1 large bass will give you a problem if you do not have a reel with drag.

Look up "palming a fly reel". Because the rim of a standard fly reel is exposed, your non-rod had becomes your drag.

A light click and pawl will work fine with most graphite rods, but a large arbor reel (usually comes with disc or clutch drag) is helpful in that it picks up line much more quickly than a standard arbor reel.

Unless you have a thing for antique combos, stay away from automatic reels. My dad had a few of these, circa 1952, that were paired with fiberglass rods. Automatics are heavy and do not balance with graphite rods. They also have the worse kind of "drag" in that they don't really have one. The reels retrieve line by unloading a loaded coil spring. Ad you strip line (or a fish takes line) the spring loads progressively until it locks out. That's a formula for breaking tippet, IMO.

My suggestion: use what you have if it's working.

 

[Mike]

I grew up with an automatic reel. I only use it now when I night fish for larger trout because I often have a lot of line out and I can suck it up pretty quickly when I need to do so if changing locations or shifting to making shorter casts. I don’t worry about the absence of a drag because my leader and tippet are set up to horse the fish away from cover when necessary.

I am not really promoting those reels. The retrieval rate is only one very small positive feature. The other is its silence for night fishing; we try to be exceptionally quiet. Sometimes there are two to four of us fishing one long pool and all we can hear to know that someone else is there is the sound of captured fish being landed. I use the automatic reel primarily because I have it and all of my night fishing friends do so too. I have not had any difficulties with it in the situation that I have described and, as mentioned above in another response, I think we all use glass rods.

 

[Baron]

I simply find them cool.....as I do most old stuff. But I do get kind of clogged up in the boat sometimes and was thinking it may be a nice management tool when fishing sunnies from the boat.
I appreciate your answers.

 

[JeffK]

I only use drag for saltwater, Atlantic salmon and steelhead. A drag is for controlled force which allows a fish to run and tire itself out. You have to let big fish run if they want to. For example, fishing bonefish the drag is set at just a couple of pounds (or about 1/3 the break of the tippet). The line cutting through the water adds to the pull at the tippet and if the drag is set near the break it can pop the tippet when the drag on the line is added in to the drag of the reel. I hate the drag can stop a truck line; the drag creates an even smooth load without jerks (tippets can't take jerks), it is not supposed to horse a fish in. Palming is good in most cases, but when playing a strong fish running fast you can screw up by hitting the handle or tangling the line. A hands off use a good drag gives smoother operation.

That said, I don't use drag for trout or bass, unless of course I use a saltwater outfit to throw large poppers so the reel has a drag I don't use.

For fish that run far(see saltwater and steelhead) I like to use a multiplier reel to bring in the line quicker. Plus I am a mechanical engineer and think mechanical reels are cool. I love my Valentine 375 multiplier.

In the mechanical reels are cool line I like to break out an automatic now and again. The spring isn't really meant to pull in fish (except maybe tiny trout or panfish) and is really there to manage the slack line IMHO. When I started trout fishing about 60 years ago it seemed all the old timers used auto reels with a fiberglass fly rod. That set up was even used by the old bait guys who could get a great dead drift on a salmon egg or garden worm with fly tackle. Spinning tackle only became common after WWII so guys my grandfather's age learned to trout fish light baits with fly tackle. Also used a lot of flyrod lures, like Hildebrand Flicker Spinners and flyrod Flatfish. Many auto reels were just OK. However. I like the Shakespeare TruArt line; they truly matched their slogan "Built like a Watch."

Maybe once a year I like to dig out my TruArt reel, put it on a blue painted Conolon rod and swing flyrod Flatfish (I still have a box). Besides the nostalgia factor, it drives my bamboo fly rod snob friends nuts.

 

[Bamboozle]

I recently got into automatics for the cool factor, mainly because the first fly rod I ever laid eyes on and handled had an automatic hanging from it.

I’ve picked up some unused Shakespeare’s and a Perrine that look like they came out of time machine that I just look at and a some others I have on some old Wonderods and use when fishing from a boat.

My ultimate goal is to trout fish and drift worms & salmon eggs from one of my rigs like I saw guys doing when I was a kid. I always thought that was the “ultimate” way to bait fish for trout when I was a kid but I haven’t got around to that yet.

That being said, there is no better way to find out if an auto will work for you than to buy one. You can find them in great to amazing condition on eBay for $20 - $30 bucks. A Shakespeare 1837 Tru-Art or 1836 Tru-Art reel which sit horizontally on the reel seat or a Shakespeare 1826 Tru-Art that mounts vertically like a regular reel are all good choices that can be found for low prices depending on condition which is usually nothing but scratched-up versus not scratched up.

Another thing, the capacity on autos is low so depending on the line weight, backing may not fit but I haven't seen any of the backing on my trout or bass outfits since I spooled it on...

Good luck!!

 

[Baron]

I often get into tight spots when bluegill and stocked trout fishing and thought that the autos would help me manage the loose line when I'm standing in the bushes or in a boat with multiple fishermen.. I certainly didn't expect them to pull the fish in for me as that's the fun part. I was looking at the new Pflueger but I don't really care which brand as long as I'm getting dependably.
The other option would have been a multiplier but most are too expensive. Currently, with my fumbling hands, it takes what seems so long to get the fish onto the reel. I'm often stripping into the soup and I think the autos would help avoid this. The capacity of these reels should be just fine for the size fish I'm into.
Then lastly, as you all mentioned there is the smoothness, the nostalgia and the uniqueness of their design that draws me. I have a blown out Wye in my office and I keep it just to look at.

 

[redietz]

I started out with an automatic reel back in the 60's and was very happy to replace it with a conventional reel (a Pfleuger Gem which I still have, the Shakespeare auto is long gone.)

One problem with automatic reels is that it's easy to pull line in too far too fast and break a rod tip.

There are modern "semi-automatic" reels that are more popular in continental Europe than the in the US or Britain. They work by lever action and a series of gears, rather than being spring loaded. They're also pretty expensive.

An automatic reel does have one advantage in that it allows a person with only one functional hand to fish. (Think Project Healing Waters for example.)

 

[Baron]

I'll keep it on the fun list and not on the necessity list. Thanks everyone.

 

[jbewley]

I had forgotten all about these reels. I had a couple, back in the 70'. I looked them up for fun and Pflueger still makes one.

Jim

https://www.pfluegerfishing.com/pflueger-reels-fly-reels/pflueger-automatic-fly-reel/1280270.html

 

[Baron]

Thats the one I have my eye on. Ever use the pfueger?

 

[jbewley]

Yes, many years ago. As I remember, it seemed like a better idea then it turned out to be. For me anyway.

Jim

 

[shakey]

first of all, you are right, click and pawl reels are classy.rim control is all you need
i def prefer a good click and pawl to a disk drive with a large arbor like the flat brimmers and beginners use.

but,to each his own.

i don't want a reel that looks like a rim on a gangster rap mobile.

automatic reels are fun and handy!!
i don't use them for trout,but i like them a lot for panfish that i probably wouldn't take on the reel anyway.

it is important to remember that you use the automatic to take in extra line,not to reel in the fish.

you strip in the fish,or line that's out and take up the excess with the reel

 

[Baron]

Line management is all I was thinking. Everything else is still the same.
Pretty much panfish only.

 

[Baron]

Well well. I didn't listen. I went and bought the beautiful Pflueger auto. Used it for three outings and loved it. It broke when I was changing the line. Spool came loose and just clicked and clicked. I sent is back and I don't know if it will be replaced or refunded but now the wind is out of my sail. Loved it while it lasted. Stupid little Martin $13 dollar reel just keeps humming along.

 

[ryansheehan]

I was gifted a tremendous amount of fishing gear, mostly spinning but came across this. I don't really fish autos and dont know anything about it. Any info on it and what I might do with it would be appreciated.

 

[Baron]

I had one and returned it. The spring slipped and it was only trip four. Loved it while it worked as it was great line management. I might try it again some day as it was that impressive.

 

[Tups]

I messed with a couple of autos about 30 years ago just for the cool factor too. I found that line retrieval was difficult to control. And Line would wrap around rod tip. Then the spring would hang up. Yes they are built like a watch and just as difficult to reassemble after you’ve taken it apart to fix the spring. I soon gave up on autos. Multipliers are better. Look for an old Shakespeare Speedex or a Gladding Gear Fly. Both excellent multipliers.

 

[Tups]

I never used one but the guys who have recommend the Martin multipliers.

 

[Tups]

Martin 68 multiplier was Ted Williams favorite reel. It has a click pawl check system rather than a drag system.