REEdiculous REEls

[Sylvaneous]

OMG.... what is offered for sale as trout fly reels. Sufferin' Moses, as my Aunt Carol would say.... These $400 Formula 1 reels for trout...simply ridiculous. It's almost all you see in some leading magazines. I mean, really, buy them all you want. it's nice that some Americans are spending a lot of American $$$ for actual hard items produced by American machinists. But the idea that anything so extravagant is even close to appropriate for trout... Good heavens... Don't think you need this stuff. Its not like the fish have set the performance bar that high. I'm helping a kid with flyfishing. He has some cheap Martin click reel from, like Korea or China, and it works fine, great actually. THe 50+ year old Pflueger that I have is super smooth, has something similar to a functional drag and works wonderfully. With a palming rim, it'd be as good as anything else, functionally. I mean, really, trout reels don't do that much. Buy art: it's a great thing and serves no practical purpose, like a $400 reel for a 4 weight. I read the catalogs, reading all the benefits and features of these trout-weight masterpieces of engineering and think....Why? I could use it for steelhead in larger water, but even for pike, muskie and big river and lake smallmouth, I am not trying the capacity or performance of either my Lamson Velocity or my Konic. (The reels I use on my 8 weights). To consider that anything like this is really needed, useful or even helpful for trout is ridiculous. Like fishing in a Tuxedo. Sure, it looks good, but utterly superfluous.
It'd be nice to have American made, inexpensive reels for trout, something simple and useful for trout that wasn't all titanium, weighed 2 ounces and cost $450. Does every good reel under $120 have to be from China? Oh, and BTW, those really super light fly reels will make your 9 ft fly rod FEEL heavier. If you add some weight to your reel, the rod will SWING easier AND it will smooth-out your cast a bit. Try it. A heavy reel makes for a smooth and sweeter casting rod. Competitive shotgunners know this: The $12,000 Kolars, Kreighoffs and Perazzis are all heavy shotguns and they shoot like buttah'!

Syl

 

[pete41]

As someone who foolish bought a Fin-nor,agreed.
Would have been good for "hi-sticking" I guess as it could have balanced a telephone pole.

 

[gfen]

Sylvaneous wrote:
With a palming rim, it'd be as good as anything else, functionally.

Your hopes have been answered back in the 1990s when the 1500 series was brought back, not as left hand wind, but as a palming spool.

I'm onboard for the rest of your rant, except for the part where the Medalist was used for every gamefish known for many years before it was replaced, and I'm confident there's nothing out there it probably couldn't conquer, anyways.

 

[jdaddy]

Why do you give a #OOPS# what someone else does with their money?

 

[ryguyfi]

Nice rant Syl. It's a nostalgia thing in our sport. Everyone want's to be oohed and awed. Their excuse is "just in case" I hook into a big one I want to be prepared. I have NEVER had to put a trout on my trout reel. I hand line everything. That goes to show how many big fish I have caught though lol. It's like having a 600hp sports car and never taking it out of the neighborhood at 35mpg. You just want the attention. Needless to say... if I ever have the excess cash to toss around because it doesn't matter, I can't safely assume I won't have one lol.

 

[pete41]

It's like having a 600hp sports car and never taking it out of the neighborhood at 35mpg. You just want the attention. Needless to say... if I ever have the excess cash to toss around because it doesn't matter, I can't safely assume I won't have one lol.

or like all the old ladies with convertibles driving around with top down here in Florida-

 

[njk3395]

I think its good to have a reel with a good drag, but I think its a waste to blow crazy amounts of money on a trout reel. I've had several trout run into my backing before, so I'm grateful for a quality reel with a nice drag system.

 

[k-bob]

I hear ya, and i just fish for brookies but I am tempted by a $250 hardy flyweight, probably just the image... anyone ever own one?

 

[tomitrout]

jdaddy wrote:
Why do you give a #OOPS# what someone else does with their money?

Exactly.



Some folks like well made things and have no issues with the $$$, cuz after all, it's just money. It's just stuff and you 'can't take it with you.' Do what you want to enjoy the time you have now....

Syl, you're obviously not of the mindset to invest in a quality bench made reel. Invest in art???? To some, that reel is art. And if you think $400 is pricey....your eyes have barely been opened.


k-Bob...the Flyweight is a great reel, and it will easily outlast you. I don't know that I'd spend $250 on a new one though, being that they're Korean made now. I'd watch the auctions, the used tackle dealers, etc and spend a few more bucks for a vintage English made model. Over the winter I picked up a very nice, lightly used, early 70's LRH Lightweight for $200 w/ line on it...the smaller Fly & Featherweights usually get $50-100 more on the market.

 

[Shebop]

Huh. Imagine my dismay, having dropped $400 on a trout reel for the sole purpose of garnering the approval of my fellow anglers, only to discover I've done the exact opposite.

 

[Shebop]

Hardy has brass ball bearings charging $250 for a click and pawl reel made in Korea.

 

[gutcutter]

Sylvaneous wrote:
... These $400 Formula 1 reels for trout...simply ridiculous... But the idea that anything so extravagant is even close to appropriate for trout... Good heavens... it's a great thing and serves no practical purpose, like a $400 reel for a 4 weight. I read the catalogs, reading all the benefits and features of these trout-weight masterpieces of engineering and think....Why?
...It'd be nice to have American made, inexpensive reels for trout, something simple and useful for trout that wasn't all titanium, weighed 2 ounces and cost $450.

Competitive shotgunners know this: The $12,000 Kolars, Kreighoffs and Perazzis are all heavy shotguns and they shoot like buttah'!
Syl

Does anybody else see the contradictory arguement here?

I'll take my Lamson Litespeed to big water with big fish and protect 6x tippet better than you can with your 50 year old reel. The same way I'll drive circles around you in your 1950 chevy pickup in my 2010 F-150. And I'll lug my 20 ga. Browning through the grouse thickets and get off two shots before you even have your tournament grade trap gun shouldered.

And the crap about a Medalist still Being all you need for any fish? Come on gfen - those tarpon that were tamed with them (a very impressive feat -no arguement about that) were all killed after capture. They were fought for hours. I'll land them in 20 minutes or less with either my Tibor Gulfstream or my Islander LA 4.5 - yes sly thats $1,600 worth of reels.

So stfu unless you know what you're talking about

 

[Shebop]

So stfu unless you know what you're talking about

Amen.

 

[SBecker]

LOL funny crap....I am like a cat, I like new and fancy stuff. I can not afford it yet, but someday someday.....

 

[gfen]

gutcutter wrote:

And the crap about a Medalist still Being all you need for any fish? Come on gfen - those tarpon that were tamed with them (a very impressive feat -no arguement about that) were all killed after capture.

I will be happy to be proven wrong, please take me to the appropriate location to do so. I'll bring the gear, you furnish the travel arrangements. Deal?

 

[turkey]

You should be able to buy whatever gear you want without criticism. We're all just fly fishing here. No one is better than the next guy based on gear. I have a few reels in varying price ranges and I didnt buy any of them for approval or as conversation pieces. I got them because I liked them, whether they were the latest reel technology or a piece of angling history.

I used to think that disc drags were a neccessity with larger fish (I'm not talking Tarpon and human sized Snook here. I have no experience with that) but I used a click-pawl reel for steelhead all of this previous season and didn't have any issues just applying pressure to the spool or line.

As far as the Korean built Hardys. The fit and finish on these reels (that I have handled) is as good as, or in many cases better that the later English built reels. I wouldn't shy away from buying any of the Korean built reels if you think that the quality is lacking. The CNC program produces the same reel whether its run in Seoul or Alnwick. They just might not have the collectibility of the Brit reels.

And finally, the reason that these reel makers charge so much for their wares is because people are willing to pay that much for them. Supply and demand. I just don't think anybody should have to explain themselves for fishing say a Medalist or a Perfect. Its just fishing.

 

[k-bob]

Thanks for all the hardy advice. I might try one, and if so, I think I might try for older english so it would be easier to sell or trade if I ever decide to. I use forbes reels from ebay which are nice and about $80-$120 (magnesium and aluminum avon)... but one advantage of using cheap gear is that you can modify it without losing as much value. I often remove the clicker mechanism from small clickers .

 

[Slate_Drake_9]

I guess its all what you are in to. I like fishing classic reels on my cane rods. Many times they don't come cheap. That isn't because they are superior fishing tools, but because that market is driven by collectors, not fishermen. Typically the more rare the equipment the more expensive, but not necessarily good fishing equipment, just hard to find.

I think disk drag reels are utterly useless for any fish that calls PA or NY home. That's my preference. Others will vary and that is fine. If you know how to use your equipment you will be able to land anything with fins.

I fish a lot of pfluegers and agree with the folks that think they can land anything with fins. Some of the old salt fishermen use to cut out holes in the backs of their medalists so they could easily finger their spools (kinda like palming) to add additional drag.

As for the korean hardys, yes they are put together well. My issue is that the company is now building them cheaper but not passing along the savings to the customer. So, I won't buy a korean made hardy. I have a few, but they're all at least 80 years old. I may be the 10th owner of some of them, but they all function the same as when they left the shop. Something to be said about them.

Good day, I'm going fishing.

 

[gulfgreyhound]

pete41 wrote:
or like all the old ladies with convertibles driving around with top down here in Florida-

Caught you lookin Pete. lol
Still got the Fin Nor?
I saw a $ 600 Stella spinning reel in at the local tackle shop.It appears that even at that price their not indestructable.
Who really cares what some one buys to fish with,the fish really don't know who's up there flailing away.imho

 

[gfen]

Slate_Drake_9 wrote:
Some of the old salt fishermen use to cut out holes in the backs of their medalists so they could easily finger their spools (kinda like palming) to add additional drag.