PSFGC guide to stupidly expensive reels you might actually need... or not

[corsican dave]

wouldnt setting the drag a little lower achieve she same thing, slightly palm the reel during initial take up if need be and slowly crank up the tension.  Thats what i do salmon fishing so i dont get smashed takes.

No matter how low an inertia the reel has due to manufacuring, if the tension is set to play a big fish does this not negate the amazing job a manufacturer can produce, or am i on completely the wrong track here?

no, to be fair Johnny you've pretty much nailed the concept of "low start-up inertia". a suitable reel will start moving smoothly almost as soon as any tension comes on it, then continue to release line without over-running,as Jim has just said.

the "better" the reel, the better they are at this. better doesn't necessarily equate to expensive tho'; although it should go without saying that the engineering required to achieve this costs a bit more, generally speaking. part of the reason that salmon reels are 1) more expensive and 2) make rather fine big fish reels for other species, too

does also depend on your definition of "better". i would guess someone fishing for marlin might rate the absolute pressure you could apply higher than a light start-up?

and, as Fred says, the consistency of operation is important. so something else that i like is a proper detent on the drag knob; so if i've set it at, say, three notches and i'm happy with it with that tippet, i know i can get exactly the same performance the next day after i've slackened the drag off for the night or even a few weeks later

[Wildfisher]

Unless the drag unit is completely watertight (this is rare in my experience) then a dunk in the water will significantly reduce the drag. The danger then of course is the user might crank it up to compensate. Then it dries out a bit and the drag is set too high.

[arawa]

I have admitted to being a shameless tackle tart in previous discussions but I was going to keep my head down on this one until I saw Bobfly admit to owning 17 reels.
I have 2 Leeda LC2 reels and 4 spools that I bought 30 or more years ago when I used to fish #7 lines. Perfectly functional but nothing special. When I started using a 5-weight rod these reels were replaced in about 1993 by 3 silver Orvis CFO IIIs (made in England) with 5 spools that I bought for an absolute pittance when Orvis were having a sale before moving their London shop to Piccadilly. Beautiful, quality reels that I used hard for many years (including 2 season tickets on Grafham with plenty of decent fish) but they still look like new.
Then I fell for the fashion for larger spools and, again in the sale, bought 2 Orvis Battenkill I large arbour reels and 4 spools. Again, perfectly functional reels with a reasonable drag that have landed me a lot of fish but they do not have a quality feel to them.
I then dropped 2 lines sizes to a 3-weight and thinking that small must be good bought a Hardy Flyweight and spare spool to go with my new rod. A lovely reel but it did not work for me with my style of fishing on hill lochs as the tiny spool meant I could not retrieve line quickly enough when gathering it in on hooking a fish.
Making the mistake of browsing for a replacement in Farlows, I idly picked up a Sage Click II. Simple construction, large arbour, seems to weigh nothing and it just had a wow factor about it. It was love at first sight and I left the shop with a reel and spare spool and my wallet considerably lighter. I am still in love with the Click II and it has landed me my largest wild brownie of recent years (3lb 11oz) being stripped of all line several times in the process.
After using my #3 tackle, I found that my ancient but beloved Sage RPL+ #5 felt a bit heavy when the wind was too much for a #3 rod so I decided to try a 4-weight and this, of course, meant more reels. No thought went into their selection; Sage Click IIIs it was. Having been given a second #4 rod, I ended up with 3 Click III reels and 4 spools (one bought second hand).
I nearly forgot. I also have an Orvis reel for my 7-weight but I cannot remember the type and it is in the garage.
I cannot think why my wife despairs over my visits to tackle shops......
[attachimg=1]

[Wildfisher]

A pile of expensive, quality gear - a  sight to gladden the eye indeed.  :

Quite clearly we only  have the best people here on the Wild Fishing Forum.   :lol:

[corsican dave]

Unless the drag unit is completely watertight (this is rare in my experience) then a dunk in the water will significantly reduce the drag.

or in the case of my Sage reel, f#*k it up & jam it completely  :lol: never again....

[corsican dave]

A pile of expensive, quality gear - a  sight to gladden the eye indeed.  :

Quite clearly we only  have the best people here on the Wild Fishing Forum.   :lol:

indeed! absolutely nothing to be ashamed of  : thanks for sharing Arawa!

[Bobfly]

In defence of 17 reels I can offer the sound excuse that they are shared with Mrs Bobfly.

[corsican dave]

In defence of 17 reels I can offer the sound excuse that they are shared with Mrs Bobfly.

is she aware of this?  :lol:

[rannoch raider]

As the old joke goes 'let's hope that when I croak, the missus doesn't sell my tackle for what I told her I paid for it '  :lol:

[Laxdale]

if you've got a 15lb+ fish going full tilt for the horizon on a 12lb tippet and the line's flying out through your fingers, so far so good; it's hooked 

then there's a momentary inertia as the reel comes into play.... los endos; bye bye fish!! 

admittedly not a common situation with our trout fishing here, but i can assure you that it's an everyday (pretty much every take) occurrence with carp & barbel. and it can happen with much smaller fish than the breaking strain of your line, too

i'll see if i can find a video to illustrate it

Eh?  Are you fishing with a fishing rod or a fence post?