Reels for flyfishing

[Graham Whatmore]

I've just bought a Bruce & Walker 9ft 3in 6/7 fly rod and I need a reel to go with it, so, what do you recommend? Does cost reflect quality as in most things and what sort of price should I pay.

Having had a quick glance on Ebay they vary from ?20 for a Shakespeare Graflite with three spools to ?450, which is presumably made of gold. Seriously though, I'm a novice in flyfishing and could do with a bit of guidance please.

 

[Ron 'The Hat' Clay]

For my money a Greys GRX Large Arbour for about ?45.00 with several spare spools.

Have a look at reviews under fly reels.

 

[Alan Tyler]

Graflite's fine unless you're after bonefish, or maybe mullet. A fly-reel doesn't actually do much!
Spend some of what you save on a decent line-tray, it will help to keep you sane.

 

[GrahamM]

Scierra IC3, 3 spare cassettes and a nice bag to keep the lot in - about ?45.00. I've got several fly reels that cost from ?15 to ?165.00 but this one's my favourite by far.

 

[Shrek]

I have 3 Greys GRX reels and am very happy with them.

RRP is ?45 for the #5/6 and ?48 for the #7/8.

They appear regularly on eBay but often go crazy.

Probably be worth seeing what your local tackle shop can do for you.

 

[matthew nightingale]

I've got a Greys Platinum reel and am very happy with it for river fishing with a 5/6 line.

 

[Graham Whatmore]

Another Question, does the reel have to match the rod, i.e. 6/7 ?

 

[Shrek]

It does help with balancing the rod out.

You can get away with a 7# line on a #5/6 reel, but more than that and you're pushing it.

It can also depend on the amount of backing you want to add to the line, nomally 50 to 75yards is more than enough. Also, with the larger arbour on the higher rated reels i.e. #7/8, you should get less memory in the line too.

 

[Ron 'The Hat' Clay]

The lighter the reel the better it will "balance" the rod.

The truth is that a fly rod casts better without a reel attached.

 

[Shrek]

I don't see how Ron. Without a reel attached all my rods, regardless of how light they are, seem very top heavy. When I attach a reel with the correct weight of line of it, the rod balances towards the front of the handle.

Can you explain how the rod casts better with a reel?

 

[chef]

try the "VOSSELER" range of reels superb quality ,I use the DC3 and the DC4 with two spare spools for each and have had no problems at all and they should last a lifetime.The DC range is the disc drag system while the RC range is rim controlalso lighter than the DC and the new boy on the block is the S1 very nice german quality reels
http://www.vosseler-reels.co.uk/

 

[paul williams 2]

Another is the Okuma airframe....only ?30 and a true wide arbour, spare spools that are simple to remove about ?7.....true wide arbour and very light, it also has a decent disc drag and silent retrieve ( i hate clicking reels) i use a #7/9 for stillwaters.

I don't use them for my small river rods but for the price they are superb for stillwaters.

 

[Graham Whatmore]

Thank you lads thats all very helpful, at least it gives me an idea what to look for.

Funnily enough Paul I'd just been looking at the Okuma Airframe whilst you were posting and though buying it is no problem none of them advertise spare spools. Are they easy to obtain?

 

[Ron 'The Hat' Clay]

The myth about the reel balancing the rod?

I thought this debate had been done to death 30 years ago.

OK here goes.

Many years ago, fly rods were made from various woods such as greenheart, lancewood and eventually split cane. Holding such a rod was purgatory make no mistake. Even the split cane Sharpes Scotties I used in the 50s and 60s felt like a length of lead piping compared with modern rods.

So what happened was that various fly fishing scholars decided that to make the rod easier to hold, the reel had to be heavy enough to balance the rod. Some said the rod had to balance at the handle. Some said the rod had to balance at some decreet point above the handle.

This lead to all sorts of mistaken notions. the worst, leading to fly reels that were very heavy indeed. Not only that, but these reels had to be positioned at the very extremity of the handle.

The truth of the matter is that not one of these erudite fly fishers had the faintest concept of physics, or the mechanics involved in casting a fly line with a single handed fly rod.

It's simply this. The rod is in fact an extention of your arm and is a simple cantilever. If you attach extra weight to that extention of your arm you will interfere with the transmission of energy to the fly line. You will also be wasting energy moving that extra weight through the air.

It's worse when you have a lever arm working against you by having the reel at the maximum extremity of the handle.

The truth of the matter is that a fly rod does cast better without a reel attached. It might feel a bit top heavy when you hold it without the reel, but try casting with it. You will see what I mean.

All this has lead to the way modern fly rods and reels are designed and manufactured today. That is: uplocking reel seats that put the CG of the reel as close as possible to your hand; and reels that are as light as possible.

There are even reels that have been made with a forward angled reel foot. I have one of them.

And chaps, don't just believe me. I can refer you to debates that took place in the Trout & Salmon many years ago. I can also refer you to the book: "**** Walker's Fly Fishing" part one.

Read his chapter on fly rod and handle design. It's full of home truths.

 

[paul williams 2]

Graham.....i've got 4.....had them all from WMAC, no problem.........it would be a close run thing between the airframe and the ic3 if i were just buying, they are both superb value for money.

 

[Graham Whatmore]

Thanks for all your help lads I've bought a Greys GRX off ebay for ?40 that comes with 3 spools, though I did look very hard at the Okuma it worked out cheaper this way because I would have needed to send away for one and pay p&p.