[Mike Barrio]

At what point does a small fly reel become too small?

Cheers
Mike

[Iain Goolager]

Have you a specific reel in mind Mike?

if it doesn't hold the required amount of line or balance the rod then it's too small    I'd say

Iain

[Euan Innes]

Mike,
When the line comes off looking like a slinky because it's wound too small and forty thousand turns of the handle retrieves 4 feet of line.

There is an attraction for small reels, but a bigger reel is a better plan. It can go the other way too, as too big a reel might not balance the rod. As rods get lighter this problem gets bigger.

My Access 10' #4 has my wee Teton on it and 3.5" is a little small for it (still works really well), but my bigger Teton 4" is way too big. It's now on my Access 9' #9 and works perfectly. As you match a line to a rod, you now seem to have to match a reel to a rod too.

Thank goodness we are all tackle tarts!!

 

[Ben Dixon]

When it gets almost as small as an Orvis Battenkill Barstock I then it is too small.  Otherwise, what Iain said!

Cheers

Ben

[Hamish Young]

Have you a specific reel in mind Mike?

if it doesn't hold the required amount of line or balance the rod then it's too small    I'd say

Iain

Yarp - what he said 

[Mike Barrio]

You often read on the internet that folk can't get a standard length WF3F fly line on their new 3/4 reel .... Is it therefore a 1/2 reel in reality?

Cheers
Mike

[Ben Dixon]

Probably not Mike, the 3wt line is more than likely just not dense enough 

Seriously, I've not heard of that happening!

[Mike Barrio]

Seems to be happening more recently Ben, maybe it is just a new reel model or two

Seriously though, I think a customer should be able to expect to get a bit of backing on a reel and if they are that small then memory is bound to be a problem.

What would we look for from a 3/4 reel? Should it take a 90 ft DT3 and a 90 ft WF4 for example?

Cheers
Mike

[Hamish Young]

Raises the question.... do you need 100 metres of backing on a 3/4wt 50 How much is too much Too little

Hmmmmmmm 

[Mike Barrio]

Raises the question.... do you need 100 metres of backing on a 3/4wt 50 How much is too much Too little

Hmmmmmmm 

That's what I mean Hamish, even 20 to 25 metres of backing with a DT3 or WF4 should be a reasonable ask?

Cheers
Mike

[Iain Goolager]

I don't like those 'traditional' tiny reels. Perhaps they are bought for aesthetics on a certain rod.

Lightweight large/ medium arbour reels and thin section backing should be standard on all outfits. If it's for a specific outfit for working tiny streams presentation is paramount so you don't want coily line & if it's an outfit for fishing streams/ water with larger fish then you are best with the safety net of 30' minimum of backing. I think backing should also form a masking or bed layer between flyline coating and reel spool surface.

I also hate noisy reels, seriously don't like them and the smaller reels tend to have that grating rip.

Iain

[Ben Dixon]

even 20 to 25 metres of backing with a DT3 or WF4 should be a reasonable ask?

Cheers
Mike

Maybe in the majority of UK situations Mike but, I choose the line weight for fly size and conditions rather than expected size of fish so there are time where I may want to be stacked up with a decent amount of backing.  20m should be more than enough but I'd sooner have a little more than that if possible.

Cheers

Ben

[Mike Barrio]

Agreed Ben, that's why I've always had my #3 lines on reasonably lightweight 5/6 mid arbor reels

Cheers
Mike

[Euan Innes]

Way before mid and large arbour reels became the norm I always had larger diameter than required lightweight reels on all my rods. I had a Ryobi 357 magnesium reel (I'd love another) that had 150m of backing and a DT5 on it. It weighed no more than what I currently use, balanced the rod perfectly but had a great retrieve speed.

I also once has a System 3 reel that said that it should take a DT6 and 75m of backing but could barely hold the DT6.
I might be the odd man out here, but I do like a lot of backing on my reels, proper sea dacron at that. 

The size of fish has nothing to do with my choice of reel,  I used to use a Clan 11' #5 for trout and summer salmon. Weight distribution and line retrieve are much more important to me. My Teton 6 has an SLX #4 and 125m of 20lb sea dacron - it only looks small!

 

[Rob Brownfield]

I had a Ryobi 357 magnesium reel (I'd love another) that had 150m of backing and a DT5 on it. It weighed no more than what I currently use, balanced the rod perfectly but had a great retrieve speed.

Not sure of the model numbers, but I have 3 of those reels, one I used on a cane rod and it took a DT 3 and plenty of 20lb dacron, another I used with a WF6 and again, lots of backing and the last one was the biggest of the range, with a WF8 and probably 100+ yards of backing.

I saw them the other day during a tidy, the smallest is so light!!

[Euan Innes]

Not sure of the model numbers, but I have 3 of those reels

Stop showing off Rob 

 

[Mike Barrio]

I had a Ryobi 357 magnesium reel (I'd love another) that had 150m of backing and a DT5 on it. It weighed no more than what I currently use, balanced the rod perfectly but had a great retrieve speed.

Hi Euan,

I still have it, in pristine condition and with the spare spool, remind me next time we are going to meet up and it is yours!

Cheers
Mike

[Rob Brownfield]

Stop showing off Rob 

 

Lol..I wish...there are people on here with Lamsons and so on!!

I think the small one was a 255...about 3" in diameter. Just found one on ebay at £60...on a vintage tackle site! I feel old!

 Think I paid about £30 20 years ago.

I think the next one up was the 355? Was the 357 the biggest?

[Sandy Nelson]

Depend largely on how you define a small reel i suppose.

I have always had a weight obsession and have tried loads of Large arbour lightweight reels, but i always seem to come to back to Ari Harts reels for Aesthetics and the lovely sound they make, despite their relatuively small spool diameters, and heavier weights. They are getting rather expensive now though so may prove to be a good investment

I have a couple of very small 2.5" spool ATH reels that i use with my 4wt lines. The ATH reels have small wide spools compared to say a CFO or Hardy lightweight. In fact the Traun F1 i have is overall bigger than a Featherweight Hardy but has a much larger diameter spool centre and is substantially wider, despite having a smaller spool overall diameter. The featherweight will take about 40yds of backing with the 4wt line but the Traun takes 100 plus a full 4wt. The ATH reel is also heavier.
I have about 20ft cut off the running line on all my river lines so i get more backing on to build up the spool to reduce coiling, Mind you a single good stretch at the start of fishing makes all my Barrio lines straight
The extra weight is handy with the longer Cane rods.

So i don't think the diameter makes a whole lot of difference, as long as it suits your needs and you like it The weight does have an impact but its a balancing act between form and function for me. If i can make the small Dinky sized reels work effeciently then do rather look nice on the end of my Cane rods.

Sandy

[Alex Burnett]

As has been said, depends what you call small. 


 

[Marc Fauvet]

perfect size for my cat !!!   

is that an ice-fishing reel ?

cheers,
marc

[Euan Innes]

I still have it, in pristine condition and with the spare spool, remind me next time we are going to meet up and it is yours!

The end of this month Mike. I'll be up for a cast at Haddo 

 

[Iain Goolager]

I remember my first ever fly line.   here we go....
I swapped some fishing tackle for it, if I recall correctly it was exchanged for 3 shanny's (woolies equivalent of a toby but weighing it at about 0.3 drams!) and a couple of mackerel spinners (which everyone had but were as s**t as a piece of s**t).
It was hard to see them go but I really wanted this fly line.

It was cream in colour and came tightly wound in a figure of eight, t'was possibly 18 feet long and I've no idea if it had a front taper - not that I would have known what one was anyway.
Coupled with an intrepid rimfly, a woolies spinning rod, some cast connectors, woolies mono and two teal, blue & silvers I strutted and whipped every bit of water I could find like a Great White BAP!

Funny how things never really change.

I would like to apologise for straying slightly off topic but I'm not going to.    Well, the rimfly was a small reel and I did not have any backing 'cos I didn't know what that was.

Iain

[Euan Innes]

I had a Gnat fly reel that when coupled with an Airflo line I never had to ever retrieve line because it shot back towards me as soon as it hit the water, and I do mean HIT.

It was about then that I started to hate small reels...

 

[Derek Roxborough]

 I just picked up a Shakespear Odyssey new for £10, disc drag 3in, wide arbour its as nice a reel as you would get I have another I have used for a few years,easgach 1