Fly Reels For Bigger Fish

[Wildfisher]

If you look back through the history of this forum it's fair to say that as time has marched on (we are into our 9th year now  :shock:)  the number of bigger wild fish caught has increased drastically both home an abroad.  We have all got better, luckier, more knowledgeable,  learned from each other, spread our wings more and  of course we have also recruited more new members who catch bigger fish!  It's all part and parcel of the community development.

We have discussed fly reels before, more than once and it proved to be a divisive subject for some. A few even got a bit hot under the collar about, took the huff and left, first insisting that a fly reel was no more than a handy place to store your line and that anything would do. Now that may be true if  the fish you catch are three to the pound, but taking a more holistic view it  is of course nonsense.

A reel is  just like any other piece  of fishing gear and should be up to performing the task at hand.  Personally I would not use a reel that did not have  a good, reliable, repeatable and low inertia disk drag, yes I might be able to do without it, but why add another totally unnecessary variable and more risk of losing what might be the fish of the season, or perhaps even the fish of a lifetime?  Actually that's not entirely true, I do use a wee Vosseler RC2 when fishing wee burns with my tiny split cane rod as anything bigger  just seem incongruous.

My go-to reels are a Vosseler DC3 and  Snowbee Geo - both wide arbour, well built  and with excellent disk drag. I have caught a lot of big fish with both of these reels and they have never let me down. I have complete confidence in them as I believe you you must have in all your gear.

So, what do you think about fly reels? What do you use these days? 

[dazdidge]

I use cheap and cheerful Shakespeare Odyssey, £25 for reel and a spare spool. I have three of them now and am quite happy with them. I did have a huge pile of Greys GRXi reels in several different sizes along with 4 spare spools for each, all loaded up with different sinking, intermediate and floating lines. I now stick to one reel for each of my three rods, with a floating and an intermediate line but I only ever take one reel and rod with me now. They have a nice matt black finish and there is nothing blingy about them, they are also nice and quiet and the drag seems to work fine. But then again I haven't caught anything bigger than a pound yet, so they still have that test to come (fingers crossed).

Daz

[Traditionalist]

I have used these since they came out. Work very well indeed and are practically indestructible. I use them in 7...9 for seatrout, salmon, pike, cod, all my saltwater flyfishing, and anything else where I use heavier lines;

http://www.mullarkeys.co.uk/fishing/reels/trout-fly-fishing-reels/1/okuma/8220/

The 4...6 are just as good, but I use a different reel altogether for most of my stream fishing.

There are even cheaper ones which are also OK;

http://www.mullarkeys.co.uk/fishing/reels/trout-fly-fishing-reels/1/lureflash/6084/

TL
MC

[Wildfisher]

Disk drag is certainly less of an issue on lochs, but on rivers, especially when you have strong currents to fight as well as the fish, it is very helpful. If the drag is set properly it is pretty much impossible to get broken unless you are very unlucky or have  a bad knot. In the bad old days I  broke off in a few fish due to braking the line / reel manually.

[scotty9]

I agree with almost everything said.

I have a one reel with a disc drag that will happily stop bonefish, I have a few that will cope with fish a bit slower and I have reels with no drag. For trout my own view is anything will do, as Fachan says, palm on the reel... A trout isn't a fast enough fish to need a monster drag - and I definitely think Andy is right in regards to the way some fish are played.

I agree with you Fred in terms of drag incase of that lifetime fish but I think it depends how you use it. If you have your drag set just below the breaking strain of your tippet and just leave it be I see a use for it, other wise I'm not convinced. I found in NZ when a trout took off over a rapid or such like it was me that was running after it, the drag didn't need to do anything :lol: As usual each to their own and all that - I think it depends what you are used to. I tend to fish with the drag set just high enough to stop the spool overrunning when I pull line off and if I need more pressure against a fish I palm it.

Edit: you beat me to it Fred, definitely depends how it is set/used.

[Traditionalist]

Start up inertia can cause a break if a fish runs suddenly and hard.  The only times I have used the drag at all for quite a while is for seatrout in the salt, pollack, and occasionally a larger cod.  I can't remember ever using it on "normal" trout, even large ones. I just have it set lightly to prevent overruns as I don't much like click mechanisms.

TL
MC

[Malcolm]

I like basic very robust gear for my fishing. I do like the hardy Ultralight Disc but my favourite reels are the Scientific anglers System 2 originals. Absolutely bomb proof but sadly no longer made.

[Wildfisher]

Start up inertia can cause a break if a fish runs suddenly and hard.

As can manual braking with finger or palm. I talk from sad experience on that one.  :lol:

[Ythanjoe]

I have never needed a disc drag for trout, but use one all the time....just in case /in hope :roll: I do like a large arbor though ( yes I'm a victim of the low start up inertia sales pitch), and to get line back on the reel quickly - not an issue on lochs but spare line getting snagged could lose a good river trout. My lamson waterworks sits on the shelf , unused, the most expensive piece of crap ever purchased( by me) and a reminder money does not mean a better product....
Joe

[Wildfisher]

I found in NZ when a trout took off over a rapid or such like it was me that was running after it

That happened to me on The Hope last year. 6 1/2 lb tore off down the rapids with me running after it trying not to fall in and drown with Alex and John roaring instructions from the top of a cliff.  It's best to keep them on a short line, drag or no drag.  :lol: