Recommendations for decent, inexpensive reels for backup rods

Kms said:
Why would they not be ok for these larger rivers?
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Dear Kms,

Because some people refuse to believe that you don't need to spend $ 200.00 plus on a reel to catch a fish. I have Pflueger Medalists that are older than I am, and I'll be 64 in less than a week. Those reels have never caused me to lose a fish by failing. Any lost fish has been my fault 100%. For comparison's sake I have reels that retailed for over $ 200.00 more than 30 years ago. They haven't failed me either, but I'm done dropping that kind of coin on a reel that will most likely never see the backing come off it.

It ain't the saw, it's the sawyer!

Regards,

Tim Murphy 🙂
 
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Kms said:
Why would they not be ok for these larger rivers?
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They’d probably be fine, for a while, but their drags aren’t high end sealed stuff. If you’re doing that kind of thing, or saltwater, a better drag system starts to become more important.
 
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Swattie87 said:
They’d probably be fine, for a while, but their drags aren’t high end sealed stuff. If you’re doing that kind of thing, or saltwater, a better drag system starts to become more important.
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I don’t foresee any salt water in my future. Not my scene. And if the drags are serviceable, that works for me.
 
Oh - BTW - I grabbed a 7’-6” 3 wt TFO signature II from Sierra a few months ago (50 bux - why not) I paired it w/ an SLVb (on sale from Okuma) and a MaxCatch single handed spey line (recommended at a Washington fly fishing forum) and it is a really, really good set up for under a hundo’. I can roll cast crazy long and it is great for smaller water / tight conditions - smaller fish.

Not a ‘fast’ rod but very, very fun / easy to use and accurate, especially with that particular line. It is a ‘telepathic’ set up, for me anyway, more-so than some of my other combos. I just forget about the gear real fast for some reason with this set up…… and am able to deliver a fly consistently where intended w/o fuss. Short or long, roll or back-cast.

I did try the mastery line too they have at Sierra and it is not a favorite of mine. Ended up replacing it pretty quickly. Might have just been my rod parings or preferences though. Not sure I could pinpoint my dislikes - just a general dissatisfaction on casting.
 
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Fishmore said:
Oh - BTW - I grabbed a 7’-6” 3 wt TFO signature II from Sierra a few months ago (50 bux - why not) I paired it w/ an SLVb (on sale from Okuma) and a MaxCatch single handed spey line (recommended at a Washington fly fishing forum) and it is a really, really good set up for under a hundo’. I can roll cast crazy long and it is great for smaller water / tight conditions - smaller fish.

Not a ‘fast’ rod but very, very fun / easy to use and accurate, especially with that particular line. It is a ‘telepathic’ set up, for me anyway, more-so than some of my other combos. I just forget about the gear real fast for some reason with this set up…… and am able to deliver a fly consistently where intended w/o fuss. Short or long, roll or back-cast.

I did try the mastery line too they have at Sierra and it is not a favorite of mine. Ended up replacing it pretty quickly. Might have just been my rod parings or preferences though. Not sure I could pinpoint my dislikes - just a general dissatisfaction on casting.
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That’s encouraging, thank you. Did you try the Mastery Trout, GPX or MPX?
 
TimMurphy said:
Dear Kms,

Because some people refuse to believe that you don't need to spend $ 200.00 plus on a reel to catch a fish. I have Pflueger Medalists that are older than I am, and I'll be 64 in less than a week. Those reels have never caused me to lose a fish by failing. Any lost fish has been my fault 100%. For comparison's sake I have reels that retailed for over $ 200.00 more than 30 years ago. They haven't failed me either, but I'm done dropping that kind of coin on a reel that will most likely never see the backing come off it.

It ain't the saw, it's the sawyer!

Regards,

Tim Murphy 🙂
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But there IS a reason you are still using Medalists & 30 year old $200 reels... they are/were quality products made well.

Buy a good reel (and I'm not talking $500+), take care of it and you'll have it for life.

Buy a junky reel and in a few years you'll be starting a thread on PAFF titled: "Recommendations For a New 5wt Reel" 😉
 
Unless you are expecting to hook fish that peel off line, or break tips when the drag doesn't pick up smoothly enough, a flyline holder doesn't need to be an expensive classic. I spent < $100 last December on four reels when BassPro put their low-cost reels on sale for Christmas - I think they were 30% off retail. My three boys and I have been using "cheap" reels for years and had only one actually fail so far. The clicker broke and the reel free-spooled. Others have shown signs of internal wear - and they became the backup reels for the new ones.
Saltwater, carp, steelhead, salmon, etc. are another story.
 
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Kms said:
I thought I wanted *two* reels, but maybe I’m thinking about this wrong. Do folks pack extra naked (reel-less) backup rods, or do you always have a reel on there?
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you asked the question I was going to. Backup implies if the other one failed (although there are other uses such as a loaner). I bring a backup rod on long trips in case of breakage but would plan to use the reel. I guess if you lost the rod and reel having a spare would be good. However, since spending is an issue, just roll the dice and forego matching the backup with a reel
 
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I've been using Cabela's Cahill and Prestige reels for years. < $50 but not sure of their availability these days. Just haven't had a need to look. Never had a problem. Bought my kid a Lamson Liquid and its also really nice.

I'll add that I did buy and reel from Amazon for my kid to get started and it was bad. Cheap but a waste of money.
 
nymphingmaniac said:
you asked the question I was going to. Backup implies if the other one failed (although there are other uses such as a loaner). I bring a backup rod on long trips in case of breakage but would plan to use the reel. I guess if you lost the rod and reel having a spare would be good. However, since spending is an issue, just roll the dice and forego matching the backup with a reel
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That makes good sense, and I was then leaning toward getting only one extra reel.

Then I learned that the Okuma SLVb reel+spool weirdly costs only a few (single digit) dollars more than a bare spool.
 
Kms said:
Can anyone recommend decent, durable 5wt reels for ~$50 or less for my backup rods? After my Orvis Clearwater rod broke, I went to Sierra for backup gear. I bought a pair of TFO 5wt 8’6” Signature IIs and two packs of 5wt SA Mastery Trout line for $170 total, but balked at spending $180 more for a pair 5wt Lamson Liquids.

Does anyone have any feedback on those? The Okuma Sierra and SLVb, and the Redington Crosswater IV seem like contenders. Are there any others I should consider? Thanks in advance!
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My Okuma has served me well.
 
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Kms said:
Are you saying that the Okuma SLV/SLVb is a junky reel?
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At their price point, I think they’re the best option out there. In the realm of fly reels though, there’s far better options, for far more money. As with anything else.

I’ve never found any of my fly reels to be much more than line holders though for the kind of fishing I mostly do, so in that sense I don’t really prioritize reels in terms of where/how I choose to spend my money on gear.

If drag smoothness is important, there is a noticeable improvement in the SLV vs the Sierra, FWIW. The SLV being a little more expensive though. But, the SLV is bigger and heavier, and doesn’t balance as well on small stream rods. Pros and cons to everything.
 
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Kms said:
Gotcha. I’m also leery of unfamiliar brands, which is why I asked folks here for guidance.
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There are a lot of choices out there today so it's tough... I only mentioned it because I hate to spend money on the same thing twice.

For that reason my MO for buying tackle from my very first spinning rod & reel was to buy the best I could afford, EVEN if it meant I had to wait a little longer to save up the cash. After the purchase regardless of the price, I take care of it like it cost thou$and$.

At least in my case it's a good method because I still have and use that first spinning rod & reel and my first fly reels and first "good" fly rod, all that took some saving to acquire... 😉
 
99% of the time the reel only stores your line. Granted there are exceptions but the average trout angler can buy almost any inexpensive reel and will work just fine. If you are catching fish that run your line into your backing then spend the $ on a decent real. My Dad had a medalist real for over 50 years that I cleaned and it could work fine. Most guys buy expensive reels to show off to there buddies. When I was working sells at a shop I sold a very nice expensive outfit to a gentlemen I had met several times. A few weeks later his fishing friend came in and wanted to buy a outfit. He asked about his friends out and I showed him what he had bought. He replied do you have anything more expensive!
 
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Kms said:
That’s encouraging, thank you. Did you try the Mastery Trout, GPX or MPX?
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I tried the GPX - it wasn’t terrible, just not an improvement over what I had from a factory TFO ‘kit’. Also, note that the GPX is 1/2 weight heavier than the AFFTA-system standards (not a big deal IMHOP) just letting you know.
 
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