On the Reel or Not

[SteveG]

A lot of good advice in this thread, but there is one glaring thing that I believe some are missing, and that is reduced break strength due to tippet degradation, abrasion, and knot quality.

Occasionally putting smaller fish on the reel will prepare you for situations where you're fighting a large fish with light tippet, and have to worry about situational stuff like logjams, fast water, slippery rocks etc.

 

[Jaybird]

Gary Borger teaches , Always put a trout on the reel , that way when you really hook into a bigger fish your in good practice .

 

[bigjohn58]

You fishermen who say you put fish on the drag because of light tippet...are you just lacking the ability/confidence to judge your line strength and pressure you are putting on your line? I see no advantage of putting a fish on the reel because of light tippet. I still feel I can control it better with more confidence by stripping it in by hand. I just feel its a skill you learn overtime and confidence in the line you are using.

 

[Fly-Swatter]

I agree with the Borger comment.

Landing a large fish can be an exercise in Murphy's Law, if you are not prepared.

As far as the quality & price point of the reels I use, I like good bang for my buck. I don't get into super expensive reels (over $200), especially not for trout & bass fishing.

Click & Pawl (C&P): I grew up using C&P reels from Cortland and Orvis. You will get a better quality C&P reel at a particular price point. ALso, C&P reels have a very simple design. This has 2 advantages: 1. few things can fail; 2. they are easier to maintenance and repair, DIY-style. A big disadvantage is C&P reels have very limited drag adjustments. So, an essential skill while playing a fish that is taking line is palming the reel to add drag force. C&P reels are getting more uncommon because most fly fishers seems to prefer disc drag and due to the affordability of disc drag reels.

Disc Drag (DD): In theory, DD reels have smoother drags and more predictable start up inertia. Is this of any practical value? Some, especially on larger fish and lighter tippet. Since I don't want to spend a lot on a reel, my approach is to set the drag heavy enough so when I aggressively strip out line, no backlashes occur. However, I want to set it light enough so start up inertia is minimal. I augment the drag by palming.

Large Arbor reels (LA): About 15 years ago in October I was fishing the Lower Gamelands on the West Branch of Upper D. I was using the only trout set up I had at that time: Sage LL 8' 5WT paired with an Orvis Battenkill 3 C&P reel. Late in the morning I was prospecting with an orange Cahill parachute when a big crown came up and inhaled it. Whoop! Only, it swam straight at me and my back was to the island. With nowhere to backpedal, I raised my rod as high as I could and reeled like mad. It was not nearly enough line pickup. With slack in my line, the hook came free.

The moral: LA reels have a huge advantage in retrieval rate. That alone is worth the price of admission. ANother advantage is that line comes off the reel in larger coils, making coiling less of an issue. Finally, LA reels' rapid line pick up allows you to reel in and move (or change rods) faster.

You can find LA reels with DD for under $100. These reels are typically not machined (tolerances less tight) and weigh more (may be an issue balancing with a light rod).

Way at the bottom of the priority list is backing capacity. 99% of the time, backing on a freshwater reel is filler to make the arbor even bigger. The exceptions may be on big rivers with large trout or Great Lakes tributary fishing.

YMMV.

 

[silverfox]

My humble opinion is that it depends on the water and quarry.

I use click pawls on small streams for small fish and rarely, if ever worry about getting them on the reel.

I use drag reels on medium to larger water where I'm more likely to run into big fish, and try to get them on the reel as soon as possible. Along with that comes line management. You have to be ever mindful of how much slack you have out. When fishing drag reels for larger fish, I'm constantly reeling/stripping to make sure I don't have excessive slack out.

In my opinion, getting a large (I don't mean huge) fish on the reel (drag reel) as fast as possible is a big factor in loosing/keeping fish on the line. The sudden increase/decrease in tension on the tippet from trying to manage line tension with your hands and slack line is a recipe for breakage in my experience. Need the shock absorbtion of the rod and the reel's drag.

 

[Out4Trout]

Most of the small streams I fish up here in the Poconos dont require a reel or to strip the line in, I can just lift the rod and bring the fish to me . . lol . . I do fish some private lakes in the area that require me to get em on the reel and I like the fight better when you have them on the reel. To each his own, Tight Lines !!

 

[Nymph-wristed]

bigjohn58 wrote:

BrookieChaser wrote:
A fish that needs on the reel will put itself on the reel.

Honestly thats the best response!

+ 12

However, it is a good idea to learn to get a fish on the reel without thinking, so if practicing on small fish/low stakes accomplishes that skill, then it is not a bad idea. Who needs all that line around your feet, net, etc anyway?

If a big fish runs at you, you better know how to strip too! Get him back on the reel when he turns the other way.

 

[Bamboozle]

One thing about putting fish on the reel, it CAN cause problems if you fish a long leader and the fish is not sufficiently tired, which I guess is a good reason to use a net. Although it involves more than a few circumstances to be a problem, allow me to explain:

I have lost a few fish because knots on my leader and/or the transition between my fly line and leader was in the guides because I had the fish close when using a long leader with a lighter tippet.

One time I remember vividly was when I was fishing at the Letort. I was using a size 22 BWO and because of the size of the fly, I was using 6X. I hooked a nice fish that appeared to be better than 15” that I was working on for a while and because I wanted to keep him out of the weeds, I quickly got the fish on the reel and near my feet which put the line to leader connection and maybe a blood knot inside of the tiptop.

Well the fish bolted, the knot snagged momentarily which was just enough resistance to cause the leader or the knot to pop but regardless, I lost that fish.

My MO after that screw up is to do whatever I can to keep those knots out of the guides if I have a decent fish on. Sometimes that means grabbing the fly line out past the tiptop and bringing the fish in Tenkara style or pointing the rod at the fish (another Vince trick) to lessen resistance to the knots if I can’t help it.

Maybe smoother knots would have prevented it, but I’m not about to start coating my blood knots with Knot Sense or something else and a shorter leader or stouter tippet isn’t always in the cards. However, I ALWAYS make sure I have my long handled net with me when I fish the Letort or any stream where I fish from the bank.

That day, I left it in the car and didn’t realize it until I reached back for it and it wasn’t there. :-(

 

[Canoetripper]

I posted on another thread about my fascination with Euro Nymphing and just received my outfit today. I've never done this before so I am a beginner.

My entry level outfit/combo is an Orvis Clearwater 10' 3 wt.

I anticipate catching smaller stocked trout on nymphs than I do with larger streamers on my 9' 5 wt. fly rods.

I would rather catch more than larger trout on any given day, and I think that I will do better fishing nymphs on more challenging water if and when I ever venture from my comfort zone of a R&G club with stocked trout.

I am having too much fun right where I am at to explore elsewhere.

My game plan is to still get them on the reel as soon as I can.

The Orvis Clearwater reel is a large arbor/disc drag. I have one of those on my 6 wt. and it works just fine.

 

[moon1284]

Bamboozle wrote:
One thing about putting fish on the reel, it CAN cause problems if you fish a long leader and the fish is not sufficiently tired, which I guess is a good reason to use a net. Although it involves more than a few circumstances to be a problem, allow me to explain:

I have lost a few fish because knots on my leader and/or the transition between my fly line and leader was in the guides because I had the fish close when using a long leader with a lighter tippet.

One time I remember vividly was when I was fishing at the Letort. I was using a size 22 BWO and because of the size of the fly, I was using 6X. I hooked a nice fish that appeared to be better than 15” that I was working on for a while and because I wanted to keep him out of the weeds, I quickly got the fish on the reel and near my feet which put the line to leader connection and maybe a blood knot inside of the tiptop.

Well the fish bolted, the knot snagged momentarily which was just enough resistance to cause the leader or the knot to pop but regardless, I lost that fish.

My MO after that screw up is to do whatever I can to keep those knots out of the guides if I have a decent fish on. Sometimes that means grabbing the fly line out past the tiptop and bringing the fish in Tenkara style or pointing the rod at the fish (another Vince trick) to lessen resistance to the knots if I can’t help it.

Maybe smoother knots would have prevented it, but I’m not about to start coating my blood knots with Knot Sense or something else and a shorter leader or stouter tippet isn’t always in the cards. However, I ALWAYS make sure I have my long handled net with me when I fish the Letort or any stream where I fish from the bank.

That day, I left it in the car and didn’t realize it until I reached back for it and it wasn’t there. :-(

I can see your point with this but I use long leaders w/blood knots in them and have no problem passing them through the guides. I cut off the loop in the fly line as soon as I get it and nail knot it to my tapered blood knotted leader. I do use knot sense or aqua seal or super glue or something on the nail knot to seal the end of the fly line. With a nail knot on the fly line to leader connection I can cast that knot through my tiptop. That's the mean reason I hate loops on the end of fly lines.

 

[Wallyfish]

I rarely get a smallish fish in via the reel. However I always reel in enough line so the stripped line isn't laying around my feet. I do not want to trip on that line (see comment below)

Now 5-7# Steelhead, I typically bring in most of the line on the reel but I do leave 3-4' of Line in my stripping hand for manually applying drag. If I can't turn a fish, I will bring all the line on the reel and fight it on the reel.

Big steelhead and Ontario browns over 12#'s I always fight on the reel. I knew a guy that was chasing a big brown at Oak Orchard and he had too much line out and when chasing the fish he tripped on his line and fell chin first onto rocks. Not good.

On saltwater blues and Stripers, I always fight the fish on the reel.

Now I do have the drag set fairly light and I use my left hand/fingers to manually feather the drag,

 

[jbewley]

Enlightening comments, to be sure.

So, let me pose another question. Is the idea of putting the fish on the real, a new idea, say in the thirty years or so. I have seen old videos of Lee and Joan Wulff, putting large fish on the reel and someone said that Venice recommended it.

I asks because some of the old reels, such as the Pflueger, were not well suited for this and it would be impossible with the, once popular, automatic reel.

Did the idea start with reels getting better or did reels get better because of this practice?

Jim

 

[PennypackFlyer]

I have tried the "It's in God's hands" but he keeps dropping my rod.


I learned to control the line with the hands and not through the drag. "Never had a fish get away that wasn't suppose to".

 

[bigjohn58]

Wallyfish wrote:
I rarely get a smallish fish in via the reel. However I always reel in enough line so the stripped line isn't laying around my feet. I do not want to trip on that line (see comment below)

Now 5-7# Steelhead, I typically bring in most of the line on the reel but I do leave 3-4' of Line in my stripping hand for manually applying drag. If I can't turn a fish, I will bring all the line on the reel and fight it on the reel.

Big steelhead and Ontario browns over 12#'s I always fight on the reel. I knew a guy that was chasing a big brown at Oak Orchard and he had too much line out and when chasing the fish he tripped on his line and fell chin first onto rocks. Not good.

On saltwater blues and Stripers, I always fight the fish on the reel.

Now I do have the drag set fairly light and I use my left hand/fingers to manually feather the drag,

Thats pretty much exactly how I fish.

 

[Swattie87]

Anyone who uses the reel is a closet spincaster. Bottom line. They like to reel things. I'm sure that's why we have all this modern sealed disc drag, large arbor reel tech, and the Pflueger's of yesteryear are gone. In order to better demonstrate my devotion to FFing, I am removing the reel seats from all my rods this weekend. I don't want to even tempt myself. I'll just hold the line in my hand...

It's either that, or technology has updated naturally at the force of economics, and people are willing to pay for it, and buy it, whether or not they actually NEED it for the fishing they do.

I think there's always been two options when landing a fish. Put it on the reel, or don't. I think for most people, for most fish, it's just a personal preference type of thing and it doesn't matter at all one way or the other. Sometimes it's hard to keep up with stripping the line, and sometimes it's hard to keep up with the reeling, if a fish runs right at you. Sometimes fish get off, sometimes for no obvious reason. I'm certain reel tech is better now than it was back then, but you still have two choices...put it on the reel, or don't, and still the vast majority of the time for Trout in PA, it doesn't matter.

 

[tomgamber]

Swattie87 wrote:
I am removing the reel seats from all my rods this weekend. I don't want to even tempt myself. I'll just hold the line in my hand...

So you're switching to Tenkara? ;-)

 

[sarce]

I agree with most of the posters here - reel is necessary on larger fish, but still gotta survive the first 5-10 seconds while you reel up the slack. Sometimes that part doesn't go as planned if the fish does something crazy. But once the fish is on the reel it is rare for it to get free.

I agree with whoever said earlier that the biggest reason to use the reel is to keep the hook from pulling. I rarely fish trout streamers on anything lighter than 2X if fish over 16" are possible, breakoffs basically never happen but I've had the hook pull on a couple fish that I tried to play too hard without using the reel. And when you go for stripers and shad it is even easier for the hook to pull if they do a big head shake at the same instant you are pinching the line. Let the drag handle it.

 

[redietz]

tomgamber wrote:

Swattie87 wrote:
I am removing the reel seats from all my rods this weekend. I don't want to even tempt myself. I'll just hold the line in my hand...

So you're switching to Tenkara? ;-)

It's easy enough to put the reel in your pocket. I know people who, if they find themselves unexpectedly in close brush with a long rod, just the whole butt section in their car, put the reel in their pocket and fish with the tip sections. A reel is convenient, but not not absolutely necessary for trout fishing.

 

[jifigz]

redietz wrote:

tomgamber wrote:

Swattie87 wrote:
I am removing the reel seats from all my rods this weekend. I don't want to even tempt myself. I'll just hold the line in my hand...

So you're switching to Tenkara? ;-)

It's easy enough to put the reel in your pocket. I know people who, if they find themselves unexpectedly in close brush with a long rod, just the whole butt section in their car, put the reel in their pocket and fish with the tip sections. A reel is convenient, but not not absolutely necessary for trout fishing.

So wait, the reel is in their pocket, they are only using a couple sections of the rod, and they have enough line off of the reel to kind of cast and fish and whatnot? Sounds terrible to me and like a great way to break a rod section. I'll either just use a shorter rod or tie a length of mono to a limber tree branch..for all MTN stream brookie fishing that's all that's needed.

 

[redietz]

I once had a conversation with Charles Jardine -- a well known (in the UK, at least) English fly fishing writer, when he was visiting this country. He firmly believes that there is no point in owning a rod shorter than 10 feet. When we asked him how fishes "blue line" streams, he said he does exactly what I described.

Not my cuppa, but then again I need to justify owning all the short rods that I do