Fly reel selection - advice request

[troutdude]

Okay gang. I've dabbled with fly fishing, a couple of times in the past. But, I'm ramping up to get more serious about it. I have 2 similar rods, and would like to outfit them with a reel (or two if that's a better approach). I'm hoping that I can find something at least semi-decent, for under $100. Here are the rod descriptions:

ROD #1: Fenwick / E-Glass / 7' / 6 weight / 4 - piece pack rod / rod weight: 3 & 7/8 oz.

NOTE: I had Brad Martin [RIP] (Anderson's Sporting Goods / 2 Rivers Fly Shop) replace all of the original guides with, I believe, Fuji style double-footed ceramic guides. That mod was done back in the mid 80's, if memory serves me.

Yes, I know that is NOT the thing to do from a purist (or collectible) perspective. But, it's my rod and I LOVE the modification!

ROD #2: Lamiglas / S-Glass/ 7 & 1/2' / 6 weight / 5 - piece pack rod / rod weight: 1 & 3/4 oz. [yes...LESS than 2 oz!]

So, what would you folks recommend for good sturdy reels? BTW, I'll do some dry fly fishing, but also a good deal of nymphing. Neither one of these rods has seen much time on the water. But, come late winter/early Spring...they will!

 

[mrlindeman]

Okuma SLV all the way man. Its what I run and has proved its worth. Plus they have extra spools for line switching, and sizes for different size rods. They hold a good amt of line and are very smooth on the drag.

heres a dicks add I got mine at wholesale. In my opinion a very very good reel for the price and a good fit for your rods specs. They are darn near bullet proof as well.

Good luck bro!

 

[OnTheFly]

Ironically, I just bought a brand new reel for my 8wt just this evening. It's an Okuma SLV 7/8 and I paid 70 bucks for it. It seems light and durable and the drag system is very smooth.

 

[mrlindeman]

BOOOOOOYAAAAAAHHHH!!!!! Just had to throw that out there

 

[OnTheFly]

Crap! Guess I should'a went looking at dicks.:shock:

 

[halibuthitman]

I would go with a heavier reel on glass that old or a lampson konic or keep it real with a medalist to fight those heavy tips

 

[lilsalmon]

Crap! Guess I should'a went looking at dicks.:shock:

 

[Sinkline]

EDIT: Okuma SLV 5/6 reel & spools sold to another OFFer after TD told me he wasn't ready to buy yet.

Randy

 

[Sinkline]

You are a bad girl! :lol:


Randy

 

[lilsalmon]

You are a bad girl! :lol:


Randy

Jim said it, not me....

 

[ninja2010]

Jim said it, not me....

you thought it...

 

[troutdude]

Jim said it, not me....

Holy cow Batman...I just "got it"! LOL

 

[troutdude]

you thought it...

ROTFL...good one Jimmy!!!

 

[troutdude]

Randy, that is a tempting OFFer. I'll cogitate on it for a bit, and get back to you. Thank you.

 

[troutdude]

By the way, thanks to all who have contributed suggestions (and humor).

If anyone else has any ideas, I'd welcome your posts too.

 

[OnTheFly]

So last night I happily bring home my new $69 dollar SLV reel from Fishermans only to find out that Dick's had one on sale for $49. So today, my wife makes a call back to Fishermans and informed them of the sale going on over there and they gladly honored the add and paid us back 20 bucks for the difference. Gee...I wonder what an extra spool costs.:think:

 

[jimmy]

I'd go Okuma, your reel is mostly a line holder, you don't need to spend a fortune on it, unless your after tarpon and bonefish and such... learn your palm drag, it's the most reliable you'll find.

and if in doubt, borrow a reel from a friend, you'll figure out if you like it or not. most of us have 2 or 3 sittin around, take someone in your area out for half a day and try their stuff. If you find yourself in pdx your welcome to try a couple of mine.

 

[GungasUncle]

Echoing the "Okuma" suggestion. SLV is a good one. Or you could save some coin and go with the Sierra, but the SLV is a mid arbor, the Sierra is standard arbor. If you can find one, an Okuma Vashon would also be a great choice.

 

[troutdude]

most of us have 2 or 3 sittin around, take someone in your area out for half a day and try their stuff. If you find yourself in pdx your welcome to try a couple of mine.

Thanks for that OFFer. If I'm ever up that way; I'll check in with you.

 

[Sinkline]

Echoing the "Okuma" suggestion. SLV is a good one. Or you could save some coin and go with the Sierra, but the SLV is a mid arbor, the Sierra is standard arbor. If you can find one, an Okuma Vashon would also be a great choice.

I like the Sierra for a budget standard arbor reel. They hold up well but are a bit heavy. My fishing friend Jim uses a pair of Sierras on his 4wts and they have seen a lot of years, and lots of fishing with no problems.

The SLV is a large arbor. It's as large arbor as any of the recent large arbor reels. There is new design started with "large arbor" reels where they are going even larger diameter, but more narrow spools (new Hardy Ultralite). The design change is an effort to try and get line/backing to spool more evenly on the spool when a lot of line has been run off (think salmon or saltwater). The recent large arbor reels were so wide folks had trouble having retrieved line stack up on one side of the spool and jamming the reel before enough line/backing had been retrieved. Still, the SLV is a good budget large arbor but do remember, you get what ya pay for to some degree in that most budget reels lack desirable weight, or some other design functionality.


Randy