Fly Reels : A Buyers Guide to Fly Reels
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| Middle
Thompson Lake in
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Fly
Reels : Quality Concerns
Like everything else
in this world, quality matters when fly fishing. The reason cheap
fly reels are inexpensive is because of what is inside them. Most
cheap reels have the cheapest types of parts that can be found anywhere
on earth. These parts break when least desirable and wear out very
quickly. Remember, a fly reel has moving parts inside it.
A cheap fly reel will quickly begin to wear out, often only after
a year or two of moderate fishing. And it can fail miserably if
you get a large fish on the end of the line. Read our horror stories
about cheap fly reels to find out how these
fly reels can fail.
A high quality fly reel
will truly last a lifetime. A good quality fly reel, while it may
not last a lifetime, will last many, many years and will provide
reliable duty in the field. A very high quality fly reel will run
around two hundred dollars or more. A good quality fly reel will
be in the hundred-dollar range. A cheap fly reel will be less than
fifty dollars. To me, at least, it makes sense to spend a little
bit more now so that you don't end up having to buy another reel
two years down the road or to have a fishing trip ruined by malfunctioning
gear.
Another thing to keep
in mind about fly reels is how resistant they are to corrosion.
While this is vitally important in saltwater fishing, it is still
important in freshwater fishing. A cheap fly reel has often nothing
more than a thin coat of paint on it that soon wears off. Once that's
gone the reel will frequently start developing rust spots, among
other things. A very high quality fly reel will resist all forms
of rust and corrosion.
that they can be temperamental. The complicated set of gearing and
springs that allows for this faster retrieve breaks down far quicker
and easier than happens on a single action fly reel. For trout fishing,
these reels are not recommended. However, the faster retrieve can
come in handy when fishing for large fish or in situations where
it is imperative to be able to get excess fly line up into the reel
as quickly as possible.
Still not convinced?
Then read on!
Real
Life Horror Scenarios of Cheap Fly Reels
Let's examine what can
happen when you hook a large fish with a cheap fly reel. And, by
cheap, I mean a poor quality fly reel. There are many good to excellent
fly fishing reels available that will not break your bank account.
So, here's a couple of
scenarios to consider when you become tempted to economize on your
fly fishing outfit by selecting a cheap fly reel.
Scenario 1 :
You hook a large fish which begins taking out line. Unfortunately,
the drag system on the fly reel is less than spectacular and does
not play out the fly line in a very smooth rate. Instead, it releases
the line in a jerky and sometime abrupt fashion. In this situation,
what is likely to happen, is that sooner or later the uneven pressure
applied to the fly line by the fly reel will cause the tippet
to break - costing you a very nice fish.
Scenario 2 :
Once again, a large trout ends up on the other end of your fly
line. A real large trout - that then begins to run downstream
with the current. Unfortunately, the drag system on the fly reel
doesn't set up tightly enough. Result, the trout ends up taking
all the fly line off the reel, soon followed by the backing. The
result? Once the backing runs out on your fly reel, one of two
things will happen. Assuming the backing is attached properly,
your fly rod will bend greatly for a brief second, followed momentarily
by the tippet breaking due to the increased pressure. Of course,
if the backing isn't attached properly, your likely to watch both
the fish and the fly line disappear down the river.
Scenario 3 : You continue to get lucky. Yet another large trout has gobbled
up the streamer you just tossed it and begins taking out line
at an alarming rate. Too bad the drag system in the fly reel is
machined out of cheap parts and put together in a shoddy way.
Under the intense pressure of the line stripping out of the fly
reel, the gears that constitute the drag system of the fly reel
begin to break down, sounding like a horribly out of tune engine
on the car. The result, of course, is a complete breakdown in
the drag system of the fly reel, with the end result being the
end game of scenario 2 (above).
Scenario 4 :
To save money, you buy the cheapest fly reel in existence. Problem
is, the fly reel overshoots the line. When you pull on the line
to cast out more line, and then stop pulling to cast it out, the
fly reel keeps shooting out line, making casting a real pain as
the fly line begins to assemble around your feet and legs. Worse
yet, just like spin rods, with all this excess line shooting out,
tangles begin to develop in the fly line. So, instead of spending
your time fishing on the river, you end up sitting along the bank,
trying to work out the knots in your fly line.
Get the picture? A fly
reel, while it seems like a very simple piece of equipment, is vitally
important - especially if your fly fishing for larger fish like
large trout, salmon, or salt water species. And, even if you're
hunting small fish that won't be capable of stripping out line,
a poor quality fly reel can lead to frustrations due to tangles
in the line and even damage to the fly line.
That's the bad news.
The good news is that quality fly fishing reels aren't really
that much more expensive than a bad one, usually costing less
than $100.
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Fishing Reels Summary & Review
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