OTHER FLY REELS
I'm looking for a second fly reel. Looked at a Sage 3100 in Kamloops yesterday and have looked at G Loomis Synchro Tecs in the past. Presently I use STH with a beautiful drag system. I'm interested to see what the concensus thinks the best value for the money would be for under $200. That Sage is a beauty but $400. The question is can you justify that price for a trout fly reel?
By the way it would be going on a 5 wt.
Prof.

Why go so expensive? I've been very happy with my set of Dragonfly reels with the spare spool cartridges. Nice drag, easy to maintain, and less than $100.00. As "user" reels go, I don't think you can find a better value, in my opinion. Depends what specific qualities you are looking for. Anyway, my 2 cents. Cheers.

Likewise...
I use the (next to) cheapest reels I can find. For troutin' on a lake you don't really need a robust reel, I fight them mostly by paying line out back and forth. If I was going to fight some Steelehead or something (yeah...that would happen!), then I might consider buying something with a bit more backbone. That's MY 2.
Grand total = 4 cents.

I'm with Mac and Geoff on that one. I use a Dragonfly 375 cassette real. About $70 bucks. When I fish bigger rivers I have a JW 1535 just for the extra backing it holds. I play them with the reel or line. Whch ever strikes my fancy at the time.

I don't deny what you guys are saying. My wife has had her Dragonfly 375 for three years and except for leaving the float tube pocket open and losing her spare spools(aaargh) it has been an adequate reel. My dilemma is I bought my STH before Dragonfly was available. I can't remember but at that time I think it was the only one with interchangeable cassettes. Now do I buy the same one again so I can swap the cassettes back and forth, do I buy a different one and duplicate all my lines or do I buy two inexpensive reels like the Dragonfly and transfer the lines over. Like I told the sales clerk in Kamloops I would be so afraid of mishandling that Sage reel. I considered it for a second but I really wanted to know if anyone can justify that much money. As for the drag system I have used it several times and would not be without it. On the other hand the drag on the Dragonfly is suprisingly smooth for the price. Thanks for the input. Prof.

Prof; in truth if I could pull it off without the wife wanting my casting arm for it. I would go for it. Theres nothing wrong with owning a piece of equipment that you can be proud of. If your worried about braking it in. I'll take it for a season or two and get the kinks out for ya.

Fellows, take a look inside the fly reels. Lots of them are made by the same company only the outside is different and the name. I can't remember which two reels, but have a look at the inside of an STH and Scientific Angler. I know STH is made in Argentina and a lot of difference in price. I can't see spending that kind of money on a fly reel. Your rod does most of the work and you end up palming your reel anyways.
Marianne

I actually don't palm my reel. Since I've had my STH I have used the drag. I may get slammed for this but I feel palming the reel puts uneven tension on a 3 lb. tippet. Prof.

John,
I fish a Fenwick World Class reel. It's got a smooth drag and it's tough as nails. I also have one of the cheep little Daiwa Seiko reels which is similar to the Dragonfly and it works well too. Have to agree though that the STH is the reel I drool over. I tried sending you email, let me know if it went through.

Hi John; When I said I palm my reel. I was fishing for Salmon and thats just a little different than trout. I use 10lb. leader and that breaks if I hold on too tight to my reel. I have an STH fly reel and I find no difference between that and an old cheap reel. Just that there is a little more drag.
Marianne

Asking why some Flyfishers want an expensive reel is like asking a woman why she must have a diamond engagement ring when cut glass or cubic zirconium look much the same.

In my opinion fly reels from about $150 on up to about $250 offer the best value for the money. Cheaper reels are often simply stamped out of sheet aluminum or worse. More expensive reels are usually die cast or machined (you don't gain much from machining beyond a better sense of fit and slightly better structural rigidity) Cheap reels usually have cheap drags. Fine where you don't need a drag but expect loose rivets and other problems down the road. Cheap reels fit together cheaply leaving spots where you can catch and pinch a line when removing the spool. Cheaper reels usually have lower line capacities. Perhaps most importantly cheap reels have little or no corrision resistance. Better reels use anodized aluminum and stainless steel, Something you'll remember when you've hiked into some lake in the hills for a week's worth of camp out fishing and the spindle on your cheapee freezes to the bushings in the spool.

Ralph; I really like your come back. Now don't let this go to your head, but you are ever so right. But I still say anything over $100.00 for a fly reel is a waste of money.

Marianne, you should be ashamed of yourself :) The problem with Ralph's comparison is that a diamond is given to a woman as a token of love; a flyfisher gives himself a Sage reel because it makes him feel better.

Sorry, Ralph. I know I'm a traitor to my gender. On the plus side, I agree with your point(and Marianne's) entirely - there is a big difference between value and price. Too many people think they're the same. Value is a combination of factors, including what any given person can afford.

Prof:
I took a look at those new Sage large arbor reels and was surprised to find they were only click drag, you'd think for the price $350+ they'd be disk. real light weight though so thats one thing you're paying for, anyway if you got the bucks go for it!

I have two reels that I'd recommend and about a dozen I'd throw away. The first recommendation is a Hardy Marquis 5/6. I bought mine in 1970 and it is still my number 1 trout reel. It looks something like I do, a little beat up but still working fine. I'd not replace it but I might buy a newer reel to expand my line selection. Candidates would be another Hardy, an Islander or Lamson/Sage.

The second recommendation is a Lamson 3.5. This is the smoothest reel I've ever used. It's drag system handles those big chums,steelies and chinooks just fine. It is so good that you can get away with not palming the reel on a screamer. This one is too big for trout but a smaller one would be great.

None of the above are cheap, I've had cheap reels fail. While it is true that most of the time your trout reel is simply a line storage tool, however the once in a life time trophy will get into the drag and probably the backing.

********Take a look at J.W. Young's latest offerings.... or.... Leeda Rimfly.....or one of them 'merican "floogers." (yall) :-) (eh?)

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