fly rod reel

[Deleted member 1853]

Reddington wrangler combo with Crosswater reel

I just started fly fishing. I got into some small mouth bass this morning. (only 10 inches but it was the first time I had caught something other bluegill) I was having a blast until the line got tangled in the reel. Yes, it was my fault I was paying attention to the fish I had on rather than what I was doing.

What happens is the Crossfire reel has a groove between the spool and the piece that attaches to the rod. A loose loop of line will slip into that groove and give the effect that I wound the line on inside the spool holder and outside the spool holder at the same time. I had it happen before. I have removed some of the backing, so the line sits deeper in the reel, but it still happens.

So, you get what you pay for. I am looking for a better reel, but I am 73 years old and can't justify spending a $1000 for a reel when I have trouble seeing well enough to ty a fly on.

I need recommendations for a reel that is at least 1 to 3 steps up.

Thanks for your ideas.

 

[nwbobber]

I believe that Lamson changed the design of this reel (Liquid) recently, and the new spools don't fit the old.... so if you think you could need more spools than what comes with, make sure you are getting the newer one.

 

[RCF]

I believe that Lamson changed the design of this reel (Liquid) recently, and the new spools don't fit the old.... so if you think you could need more spools than what comes with, make sure you are getting the newer one.

Great input and advice!

I have several older Lamson reels and 10 spools. Never can have enough spools LOL

 

[krusty]

Because I fish lakes, have multiple flyrods aboard rigged with different lines, and good reels ('line-holders' ) and flyrods are so cheap I don't bother with multiple spools. What works on flatwater can rapidly change multiple times over the course of a day....and changing spools/re-stringing a flyrod on a kayak out on a lake is time consuming, awkward, and a recipe for losing gear to the depths.

All I have to do is carefully change flyrods in and out of Scotty rod holders.....!

 

[Tinker]

Look on sierra.com. They have overstock reels often at a huge discount. I have no affiliation, but I've bought a few reels there.

Other than that, I agree with two replies: strip the line, don't reel it in; and have enough drag set to keep the reel from free-spooling.

 

[iveofione]

I am in the reel is just a line holder camp. The biggest fish I will probably catch this season is less than 6 pounds with the vast majority being less than 20 inches. No super reel required, what I want is complete interchangeability among spools and line types. To that end I use light weight Orvis reels for my 3,4 and 5 weight rods, I have 3 identical bodies with 9 spools from floaters to Type 6 lines.
For the heavier rods, 5,6 and 7 I bought Okuma SLV reels on sale 2 winters ago. I was looking for reels that offered spare spools at a reasonable price and discovered that I could buy a complete SLV on sale for less than the price of most spools. I ordered 6 identical reels for a total of $219! These cover my needs for lines from floaters to Deep 7 and combined with the Orvis reels and give me a selection of 15 different lines in the most frequently used line weights. Well under $500 invested in the entire group. For the 2 and 3 weight stuff I stick to the small Orvis Battenkill reels at around $100 but don't need spare spools because they are dry fly fished almost exclusively .

I fish a helluva lot more than the average 86 year old and can verify after 73 years of fly fishing that time on the water is a lot more valuable tool than high priced equipment. It is more important to know what you are doing than worry about what you are doing it with.

 

[Brian Miller]

Buying new gear can feel good but often isn't the best solution to a problem. I agree with LRS, Otter & Ive...

One thing you can do to combat that (without having to buy a new reel) is when you're reeling in run the line thru your index or middle finger so there's tension on the line you're reeling onto the spool.

If you're just reeling it on w/o any tension, it can go on loose and those loose wraps can get stuck around the frame.

Rod hand position illustrated here

 

[Tinker]

Because I fish lakes, have multiple flyrods aboard rigged with different lines, and good reels ('line-holders' ) and flyrods are so cheap I don't bother with multiple spools. What works on flatwater can rapidly change multiple times over the course of a day....and changing spools/re-stringing a flyrod on a kayak out on a lake is time consuming, awkward, and a recipe for losing gear to the depths.

All I have to do is carefully change flyrods in and out of Scotty rod holders.....!

I use a spey-like setup when kayak fishing. A running or shooting line with a tip ahead of the leader. T-18 if I'm fishing deep water, or a floating tip for skinnier water. It's ever so much cheaper than multiple reels or rods-and-reels, and it takes seconds to swap one head for another.

I'm cheap, but the fellow I usually fish with carries a baker's dozen spools.