Budget reel for a budget 10 weight

[Ken L]

There are loads of cheap reels about that'll happily take a #8 or 9 line but the choices suddenly get very limited when you start looking for a reel that'll take a #10 or 11.

Most of the prices are just silly when you consider that a fly reel is a very simple and uncomplicated piece of kit.

 

Any suggestions for a saltwater resistent reel that'll hold a WF10 line + backing and which comes with a second spool so that more than one line can be carried ?

[MJB]

In short........No.

 

To be honest anything salty that requires a 10 weight would make short work of a cheap reel. For around £200 you will get a reasonable reel for a #10 set up. Vosseler S3, Orvis Mach V, Snowbee XS LA, Lamson Velocity and Loop LTS are all around this price, but spare spools will be £65-£100 on top. The only cheaper ones I could find were the Vision Koma 11/12, although this appears to be a Salmon reel rather than big-game, and the Greys GRX/GTX which is a cassette spool syatem and I doubt that they are big game suitable. Other than that, it's a case of E-Bay or you could get a 9 weight model and use gelspun backing (If you take this route I'll give a big thumbs up to the Okuma Helios).

[Dan]

There are loads of cheap reels about that'll happily take a #8 or 9 line but the choices suddenly get very limited when you start looking for a reel that'll take a #10 or 11.

Most of the prices are just silly when you consider that a fly reel is a very simple and uncomplicated piece of kit.

 

Any suggestions for a saltwater resistent reel that'll hold a WF10 line + backing and which comes with a second spool so that more than one line can be carried ?

 

 

Hi Ken. Ive kitted myself out with a buget kit to try this this year but bought the Okoma airframe 7/9 but the sierra goes up to 10 see here: http://www.tackleshop.co.uk/ProductDetails...14-95fba36e9591 Ive never been worried by salt water, Ive always washed my reels off thoroughly and for the price you can treat yourself to a new one every now and then! I may be an old skin flint but £200 quid is a lot of money for a reel! The fish dont know whats at the end of your rod after all! you just need one that does what you want, trouble is when youre starting, you dont know what you want!!

 

Oh and ive got a shakespeare odyssey 9' 6" rod (about £30 I think!) no doubt I'll be made to eat my words but for the few outings it will get I think it will do to start!

 

dan

Edited April 8, 2006 by Dan

[MJB]

Dan,

 

On another thread Ken said:

 

I have a 2 piece 9 weight outfit that I use for pike fishing in the summer and am thinking about buying a 10 weight 4 piece rod for saltwater and mahseer fishing when I go travelling.

 

 

Whilst what you say may be true for the UK (I use the Okuma Airframe too), exotic saltwater species will test your gear to the limit. I've seen video footage of some friends catching Long-fin Tuna on a Rimfly reel. I also saw the blisters and bleeding knuckles obtained whilst doing this. You need a drag that is man enough and you don't get these on £25 reels. You will find suitable drags on smaller reels, but as Ken has noticed, these don't go up to #10. Tropical saltwater seems to be far more corrosive than our cold water too.

 

I believe Sportfish hire out reels. Maybe this would be a cheap alternative?

[Ken L]

Thanks Dan.

I've actually decided to hold off on uprating my kit and continue to use my 9# outfit this season.

After a bit more fishing and research, I'll have a better idea of what I really need if I'm going to add a fly rod to my selection of travel kit.

 

I agree that £200 is a silly amout of cash to even thinking about parting with for what amounts to a line store.

OK, so in saltwater, you're likely to be playing fish on the reel but it'd be next to impossible to put more than a kilo or so of presure onto the reel with a fly rod so heavy enginering isn't exactly the order of the day.

[Dan]

Thanks Dan.

I've actually decided to hold off on uprating my kit and continue to use my 9# outfit this season.

After a bit more fishing and research, I'll have a better idea of what I really need if I'm going to add a fly rod to my selection of travel kit.

 

I agree that £200 is a silly amout of cash to even thinking about parting with for what amounts to a line store.

OK, so in saltwater, you're likely to be playing fish on the reel but it'd be next to impossible to put more than a kilo or so of presure onto the reel with a fly rod so heavy enginering isn't exactly the order of the day.

 

 

My thoughts exactly, but a fair comment about a mansized clutch and skinned knuckles I didnt know you were after really big fish!! This one might do the trick, bit on the heavy side tho!

 

dan

[MJB]

I agree £200 does seem pricey for a reel, but that's what they charge and most, if not all reels of that price have great 'any cause' warranties on them. If you drop them and bend the cage they'll be repaired/replaced, which you wont get on a dirt cheap reel. If I was travelling around the world fishing, I would want a reel I could rely on. If you still doubt the benefits here's a picture of my £20 Okuma Sierra after 15 trips in the salt and my £115 Vosseler DC4 after 30 trips. Both reels have had the same post fishing care. You pays your money, you makes your choice.

 

Okuma Sierra (The white 'dust' is actually corrosion bubbling under the paint)

 

 

Vosseler DC4 (This is the difference between good anodising and shody paint)

 

[Sportsman]

This would be my suggestion

I have 3 of these in different sizes and I think they are one of the best reels around at any price; at this price they are a steal

 

http://www.pfluegerfishing.com/products/trion-fly-reel.html

Edited April 9, 2006 by Sportsman

[singy]

I'm fairly new to fly fishing and the following suggestion might be a little silly, but if salt water corrosion is such an issue why hasn't the use of carbon fibre for example been in reel bodies to prevent this?

[MJB]

Singy,

 

They do make graphite bodied reels, the Okuma Airframe being one. There are still some metal working parts and they can still become gunked up with salt residue too. They dont handle being dropped as well as a machined aluminium reel. They don't have that 'bling' factor either.