Reel stories (part 3)

So, how do you go about choosing a reel? 

Simple. Need/Use=Cost

Need - what do you need? If you are learning to fly fish you need a reel that is appropriate for the fishing you want to do. Simple? Not really. I fish in the Northwest. That means I fish for steelhead in the winter, spring, summer and fall, trout in the spring, summer and fall (and occasionally the winter), and salmon in the fall. That means one reel will never do it. 

When I bought my first outfit, after taking a 10-year break from fishing, I bought a used 1494 1/2 Pflueger and an extra spool. I loaded up one spool with 6 weight floating line and the other spool with a sink-tip 7 weight line. I also bought a store-brand 9-foot graphite 6/7 weight rod. The whole set-up cost me about $150 back in 1990 and I spent at least $80 on the lines. When I added waders, boots, fly boxes, vest, glasses, etc., the total came to more than $300. And I was frugal back then too, but a little younger and more at risk to impulse purchases. 

I caught plenty of trout that year and discovered the obsession of steelhead. That day is well marked in my mental filing cabinet - a beautiful early-morning trout fishing trip interrupted when the pool I was fishing exploded in silver, my reel screamed, the steelhead raced downriver and I enjoyed a 20-minute adrenaline rush, even though I lost the fish within 5 minutes of fighting it.

None of my gear failed, I just happened to be fishing a muddler minnow with 4-pound tippet. Four months later, I would use the same rod and reel and the sink-tip to land my first steelhead in the same pool but at winter flows instead of summer. The fish was a nice 8-pound hen and the fight lasted close to 20 minutes (I still enjoy a bit of adrenalin as I write about it), and the equipment did it's job. 

I still have a Pflueger 1494 1/2 reel, in fact three of them. And I have added two 1495 1/2 reels for steelhead and two 1498 reels for salmon (all used USA made reels from before 1980). 

To be continued... 

Reel stories (part 2)

Continued...

Those reels were responsible for a lot of excellent fishing, primarily in fresh water, but also some in the salt. Anyone who has experienced the raw power of a big fish on a fly rod, understands the importance of a good reel. Because fly reels only turn one direction at a time, if something goes wrong, the fight is over and frustration, and exaggerated fish stories, begin.

In most situations, even the best fisherman rarely fight fish that would push an average reel to its limits. There lies the problem. Many people can buy an inexpensive or average reel, beat it up or and never realize the value of a quality reel until they get into the fish-of-a-lifetime. Just this past summer I witnessed one of these situations while fishing for steelhead. As three of were fishing, my friend, fresh off a trip to Alaska fighting silver salmon, hooked into a steelie and just as the reel whine started to peak,it ended abruptly with a "snap" as the fish continued freely downstream with his fly.

As we kindly kidded him about the quality of local fish, he said "I hadn't got into a fish like that for a long time." He had, as was expected, a good reel and one that had landed many salmon up north, but in this case the fish got farther into his line than previous fish and the tangle caused the line the snap. About 30 or 40 minutes later he was back in the water and better prepared. The point of my story is that even with a good reel in the hands of an experienced fisherman, things can go wrong. The odds get worse if you choose a cheap reel.

To be continued

Reel stories (part 1)

After posting the first entries on Frugal Fly Fishing, I emailed a couple buddies to get feedback. They responded pretty quick. After pointing out the typos and such, my buddy Pete made a comment about reels. He is the best fly fisherman I know and a genius fly tyer. His fishing exploits include trips to classic rivers in the west, east, south, north and a trip to fabled Christmas Island for bone fish and travail.

It was from this experience that he pointed out, "though I tend to deviate somewhat from your uber-frugal philosophy... when you've got a 30" bone fish tearing out 200 yards at the blink of an eye, the importance of a reel goes way beyond just holding line:)."

 I agree.

Although I believe in being frugal, being frugal also means being smart. I have owned a variety of frugally-priced reels and caught many fish on them. However, I know that being frugal means choosing the right tool for the job. I have always bought the best basic reel I could afford and have been give some real gems as gifts. In the past 30 years, I have used reels by Sage, STS, Diawa, Okuma and Tieton. Someone even gave me a Hardy Angel. Some of my reels were beautifully crafted machinery, but most were simply good solid reels.  

to be continued...