Choosing a quality mid level reel

[The_Sasquatch]

Everyone who uses a Medalist on glass or bamboo is probably committing fly fishing fashion show heresy!

 

[NCPAtrtbum]

Martin 61, 10 bucks on ebay. Do it.

Of course people are stuck on the cosmetics of a fly reel. Spending more than 200 bucks on a reel for trout is silly.

With that being said, the BBS isn't a bad choice.
There's a lot of choices out there.

I'm such a sucker for loud obnoxious clickers!

 

[caveman]

shakey wrote:
i have way more reels than rods.but i'm the kind of guy that likes click and pawl reels .even tuna cans.

i often use a reel based on the sound of the drag.

one of my favorite reels is an (eagle claw)granger medallion.i usually get them under thirty bucks.i have the whole line.

#1 shakey

Click pawl, Eagle Claw EC series and Heddon 300 series, Very nice reels for mid level prices.

 

[ryguyfi]

pcray1231 wrote:

I think most people like to match the quality of reel with the quality of rod. No use in tossing a plastic reel on a $700 rod.

That sounds ridiculous to me. Fishing isn't a fashion statement in my mind. I've got no problem mixing expensive gear with cheap gear.

I got streamerguy beat. I pair my $1000 rod with a $30 reel. And I pair my $90 rod with a $150 reel.

I'm not saying it's a fashion statement. More saying that if people can afford a $700 rod, then they're most likely going to pair it with a nice reel and visa versa. I don't think it's THE rule, but I still stand by my statement that most people try to do so.

 

[pcray1231]

Your probably right. I'm quite the opposite. If I just bought an expensive rod, I say jeez, I can't add an expensive reel on top of this. Not now.

 

[mcwillja]

NCPAtrtbum wrote:
Martin 61, 10 bucks on ebay. Do it.

Of course people are stuck on the cosmetics of a fly reel. Spending more than 200 bucks on a reel for trout is silly.

With that being said, the BBS isn't a bad choice.
There's a lot of choices out there.

I'm such a sucker for loud obnoxious clickers!

I spent $250.00 for a closeout Hatch Reel to use on the delaware for trout and it's the best piece of gear I own. Not all reels are suited for all situations. When you drive a long distance to a premiere trout stream and you hook a trout of a lifetime why not have a suitable reel/drag for the situation. Plus my Hatch will last a lifetime if I take care of it. All this talk of only needing a cheap reel is ridiculous IMO. For small stream fishing that is mostly true but I enjoy fishing for larger wild fish and to me it's stupid to fish with a subpar drag.

 

[ryguyfi]

pcray1231 wrote:
Your probably right. I'm quite the opposite. If I just bought an expensive rod, I say jeez, I can't add an expensive reel on top of this. Not now.

That's the key. None of us can buy EVERYTHING we want all at one time, but eventually we'll pair up a combo to our pleasing.

 

[krayfish]

For 90% of PA trout fishing, a $6 click reel will work. With that said, you spend $590 on a rod and then toss on a $10 reel on it.....that's sad. I'd plan on an outfit (rod, reel, line). Like Jason said, I'm not risking the fish of a lifetime because I was too cheap to put up a few extra bucks on good gear.

 

[NCPAtrtbum]

It's not hard too palm a trout running the reel. I've caught plenty a big fish on cheapo reels. Pretty fun actually because it takes skill.

 

[mcwillja]

I've hooked fish that would have been near impossible to palm. If you're an expert palmer than congratulations but at some point you may lose a fish of a lifetime because you didn't have a good reel. If you are palming 20+ inch delaware browns and bows then you are truely a special angler.

 

[Swattie87]

Spend your money as you like everyone. If having a more expensive, more advanced drag system on a reel gives you more confidence while fishing, then by all means spend the extra money…that said I have a hard time believing a 20" Trout (even one from the mighty D) will render the drag system on a less expensive reel completely useless. Granted I’ve never fished the D, nonetheless hooked into one of its monsters, but I can’t imagine a 20 inch Trout giving you a much harder time than an 18” Smallmouth. My most expensive reel cost $60, and I’ve landed many large Smallmouth in large streams/rivers on my reels…and I was playing these fish on the reel with the drag engaged. These fish could take line if they wanted, but weren’t exactly setting the reel on fire. They’d run for a little, you’d bring em’ back, and the process would repeat until you got them under control. Yeah if you let them get too far downstream of you that’s a problem, but that’s the fun and challenge in fighting/controlling a bigger fish. Yes, I’ve lost fish, and broke fish off that I wish I didn’t, but it never has been the reel’s fault.

 

[1wt]

pcray wrote:
That sounds ridiculous to me. Fishing isn't a fashion statement in my mind.
I pair my $1000 rod with a $30 reel.

it's a fashion statement to me, pcray! but i only have a "orvis helios @ $775" and i pair it with a orvis large arbor reel @ $175.

to me, it's a "balance" and "eye candy" thing.
i just like fly fishing a lot more with a top shelf outfit. i think i catch more fish with good tackle also?

same thing with a evening beverage: with spin tackle, or cheapo fly stuff, i like a cold bud light...... but with my top shelf fly tackle, only fine chilled red wine will do!

 

[JackM]

I am fashion-wise and budget-conscious, yet it gets me not even a beer at the end of the day. You all are doin' it right.

 

[wbranch]

" In my opinion the top dollar reels really aren't worth the money"

That Sir is your opinion. There are likely thousands of guys who would argue with you about the relative value of "top dollar" reels.

Personally I've never owned a mid price point reel. I'm sure they can do the job quite well for the average trout. I often catch trout of 20" and more and I want that drag to start up flawlessly and to run off line smoothly with no hiccups or jerks.

My preferred trout reels are the Lamson Litespeed 1.5 where I use a #5 line and the Abel Creek 2 for my #4 dry fly work.

If simplicity was all there was to fly fishing I could probably do quite well, for most trout here in PA, with no reel at all. But from an asthetic point of view I just like well made fishing tackle. I love the finish on "top dollar" reels, I like the way they sound, I like the superb workmanship and I like how they look on my "top dollar" rods.

However for someone new to the sport there are probably a couple of dozen well made fly reels that will perform well and please the owner. You can get the Lamson Konic for $129 - it has the same drag as the Litespeed. You can't beat the Orvis Access series which start at $135 or the Orvis BBS II for $135.00.

 

[volcanomil]

my votw is the Lamson Konic - hands down.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

The fact of the matter is, I simply can't afford top of the line stuff. Hell, I have a hard time affording "mid level" stuff. It takes me half a year to save up for a $300 LL Bean combo. The Allen rod I won at the jam is probably the most "ritzy" piece of equipment I own, and its a $179 rod. Otherwise I'm fishin' with my Cortland GRF 1000 that I bought when I was 17 years old from the corner store in Oleona PA w/ an Okuma SLV reel that I got for free.

Part of my attraction to glass is that I can buy a nice Fenwick relatively inexpensively, pair it with a Medalist for next to nothing, and people think my gear is awesome ;-)

 

[ryguyfi]

The_Sasquatch wrote:

Part of my attraction to glass is that I can buy a nice Fenwick relatively inexpensively, pair it with a Medalist for next to nothing, and people think my gear is awesome ;-)

They're pointing and whispering for a completely different reason...

 

[riz]

i've had severalcheapo reels bind up on me on average fish. eventually the plastic bushing on the spindle will warp and fail. i'm lucky enough to aford what i like, i mostly like mid level stuff, plus 1 high end rod. i still have all the low end stuff i started with but hardly ever fish it. when i do, i wonder how i got by on it.

 

[The_Sasquatch]

ryguyfi wrote:

The_Sasquatch wrote:

Part of my attraction to glass is that I can buy a nice Fenwick relatively inexpensively, pair it with a Medalist for next to nothing, and people think my gear is awesome ;-)

They're pointing and whispering for a completely different reason...

Oh please...do tell!

 

[ryguyfi]

If a 8ft tall Sasquatch fly fishing while eating 3 day old clam dip doesn't cause someone to point and whisper, I don't know what will...