Automatic Reels

[Bob La Londe]

Anybody use an automatic reel. I have a couple. A Martin (I've never used)
and PFlueger ( I have used). It seems to work just fine for small stocker
rainbow trout, but I've never caught any big fish with a fly rod. I 've
always just stripped line and use the spring loaded reel to take up slack.

In a recent post here somebody was talking about quickly getting a big fish
onto the reel so you can fight it. I think they went on to say that you
have to get a big fish onto the reel quickly or it will break off on you. I
don't think an automatic would have much use as a fighting tool.



--
Bob La Londe

Win a Tackle Pack
Jig Fishing - Tips and Techniques Contest
Courtesy of Siebler Custom Baits
http://www.YumaBassMan.com

[[email protected]]

On Sun, 21 Aug 2005 20:10:41 -0700, "Bob La Londe"
> wrote:

>Anybody use an automatic reel. I have a couple. A Martin (I've never used)
>and PFlueger ( I have used). It seems to work just fine for small stocker
>rainbow trout, but I've never caught any big fish with a fly rod. I 've
>always just stripped line and use the spring loaded reel to take up slack.
>
>In a recent post here somebody was talking about quickly getting a big fish
>onto the reel so you can fight it. I think they went on to say that you
>have to get a big fish onto the reel quickly or it will break off on you. I
>don't think an automatic would have much use as a fighting tool.

And your thinking is correct. There have been several attempts at
"fine" automatics, and of those about which I am familiar, not a one has
been any more than an over-engineered line holder/slack-taker-upper for,
as you've already discovered, small quarry. I have one in particular,
one of several samples, built (hell, crafted, even) like a Swiss watch,
and while I'm sure it's a marvel of design and craftsmanship, it's about
as useful and (truly) appropriate a FFing tool as a platinum-cased Patek
Philippe moonphase chronograph or a pave Tiffany "gentleman's knife."

In any case, IMO, if one wants "auto-mechanized" FFing, whatever the
quarry, one is missing the point...and there are plenty of folks already
missing the point for a myriad of other reasons...

TC,
R

[Peter A. Collin]

Bob La Londe wrote:
> Anybody use an automatic reel. I have a couple. A Martin (I've never used)
> and PFlueger ( I have used). It seems to work just fine for small stocker
> rainbow trout, but I've never caught any big fish with a fly rod. I 've
> always just stripped line and use the spring loaded reel to take up slack.
>
> In a recent post here somebody was talking about quickly getting a big fish
> onto the reel so you can fight it. I think they went on to say that you
> have to get a big fish onto the reel quickly or it will break off on you. I
> don't think an automatic would have much use as a fighting tool.
>
>
>
I have a fly fishing friend who has only one arm. He uses automatic
reels - for salmon and steelhead as well. He uses a pumping action to
bring them in, holding the line under his finger while drawing back on
the rod, then releasing the line, squeezing the lever, and lowering the
rod to gain line. He does well with it. Another reel he got is called
a Franco Verelli. It has a cam lever that rotates the reel when it is
squeezed. The advantage to that one is that it does have an adjustable
drag.

Peter Collin

[Scott Seidman]

"Bob La Londe" > wrote in
:

> but I've never caught any big fish with a fly rod.

If you're ever near the Great Lakes in the Fall to early winter, give a
shout out, and we'll see if we can change that.

--
Scott
Reverse name to reply

[riverman]

have a fly fishing friend who has only one arm. He uses automatic
reels - for salmon and steelhead as well. He uses a pumping action to
bring them in, holding the line under his finger while drawing back on
the rod, then releasing the line, squeezing the lever, and lowering the

rod to gain line. He does well with it. Another reel he got is called

a Franco Verelli. It has a cam lever that rotates the reel when it is
squeezed. The advantage to that one is that it does have an adjustable

drag.

Peter Collin


How does he land and unhook them? Can he manage that one-handed, or
does he always fish with a buddy?

--riverman

[Bob La Londe]

"Scott Seidman" > wrote in message
.4...
> "Bob La Londe" > wrote in
> :
>
>> but I've never caught any big fish with a fly rod.
>
> If you're ever near the Great Lakes in the Fall to early winter, give a
> shout out, and we'll see if we can change that.
>
> --
> Scott

Scott, thank you. I might just take you up on that some time. I've got
family in Illinois, Ohio, and Michigan. Actually I was checking out my gear
and trying to decide what I had that I could use and what I needed to go
after bass in the Gila from my post on "Fly Fishing For Bass." That river
doesn't look huge from the pictures I posted, and its not, but I have caught
bass upto about 5 lbs out of that river in similar conditions. I already
figured a 2x or 4 x tippet I use for stocker trout would be useless except
for donating flies. I've got some tapered leaders from 6-12 lbs coming. I
also chased down a 7 weight floating fly line that should handle those
bigger flies used for bassing. I think the one I have on my trout rod is a
4wt. I have another decent floating line coming with the leaders.

I wish I had taken the time to look at some fly reels when I was at Bass Pro
Shops a week ago. None of my inexpesnive (ok cheap) fly reels have a drag.
In fact I'm not sure how a fly reel drag would work. They all look like the
handle is on the side of the spool. Atleast in the pictures.

For short line applications and tiny trout I've never worried about backing
either, but I've chased down a couple spools of backing. I may take what I
have and give things a try in the evening today or tomorrow just to see if I
can get a few fish to bite. If I can bit I figure I can always upgrade and
upsize to catch them.

Wish me luck. I'll be chasing LMs with a 4X tippet on 4wt floating flyline
with no backing on an automatic reel. I feel like I'm taking on a dragon
with a wooden sword after reading this group. LOL.

I do have a couple larger trout flies that I would never have considered
using for stockers rainbows that might be good for bassing, along with a
botle of small popping bugs.

--
Bob La Londe

Win a Tackle Pack
Jig Fishing - Tips and Techniques Contest
Courtesy of Siebler Custom Baits
http://www.YumaBassMan.com

[[email protected]]

On 22 Aug 2005 06:53:05 -0700, "riverman" > wrote:

> have a fly fishing friend who has only one arm. He uses automatic
>reels - for salmon and steelhead as well. He uses a pumping action to
>bring them in, holding the line under his finger while drawing back on
>the rod, then releasing the line, squeezing the lever, and lowering the
>
>rod to gain line. He does well with it. Another reel he got is called
>
>a Franco Verelli. It has a cam lever that rotates the reel when it is
>squeezed. The advantage to that one is that it does have an adjustable
>
>drag.
>
>Peter Collin
>
>
>How does he land and unhook them? Can he manage that one-handed, or
>does he always fish with a buddy?
>
>--riverman

First, I think Peter means "Vivarelli," (unless it's a knock-off, sorta
like a gen-u-wine gold-tone krome-plated Tijuana "RolleXXX") and second,
depending on the size of the quarry and the conditions in which the
angler finds himself, a one-handed release (or landing) isn't all that
difficult. Oh, and third, Verelli or Vivarelli (or RolleXXX), I'll
still pass on (semi) automatic reels...but, I suppose, I have two good
arms, so I'll modify my previous "no (semi)automatic reels" to "unless
you only have one arm..."

TC,
R

[Conan The Librarian]

Bob La Londe wrote:

> Scott, thank you. I might just take you up on that some time. I've got
> family in Illinois, Ohio, and Michigan. Actually I was checking out my gear
> and trying to decide what I had that I could use and what I needed to go
> after bass in the Gila from my post on "Fly Fishing For Bass." That river
> doesn't look huge from the pictures I posted, and its not, but I have caught
> bass upto about 5 lbs out of that river in similar conditions. I already
> figured a 2x or 4 x tippet I use for stocker trout would be useless except
> for donating flies. I've got some tapered leaders from 6-12 lbs coming. I
> also chased down a 7 weight floating fly line that should handle those
> bigger flies used for bassing. I think the one I have on my trout rod is a
> 4wt. I have another decent floating line coming with the leaders.

I may be misunderstanding you here, but if you are thinking about
putting a 7-wt. line on a 4-wt. rod, you should re-consider. At best it
won't cast worth a damn, at worst you'll break your rod.

A 2X tippet should be strong enough unless you are fishing in lots
of cover. I routinely use 2X or 3X down here; the only difference being
sometimes it's nice to have 2X for turning over large flies. If you
fish really bulky flies you might have to go to a 1X or 0X, but if
you're gonna throw something that large you might want to consider just
using spinning or casting gear instead. :-)

> I wish I had taken the time to look at some fly reels when I was at Bass Pro
> Shops a week ago. None of my inexpesnive (ok cheap) fly reels have a drag.
> In fact I'm not sure how a fly reel drag would work. They all look like the
> handle is on the side of the spool. Atleast in the pictures.

The handle doesn't come into play except for retrieving line. The
drag is simply an internal braking mechanism that allows the spool to
revolve and line to feed out under pressure from the fish. If your
reels don't have a drag, you can "palm" the rim to slow fish down, or
play them on the line rather than the reel. (I rarely bother to get
fish on the reel unless they are seriously large.)

> For short line applications and tiny trout I've never worried about backing
> either, but I've chased down a couple spools of backing. I may take what I
> have and give things a try in the evening today or tomorrow just to see if I
> can get a few fish to bite. If I can bit I figure I can always upgrade and
> upsize to catch them.

When fishing for bass (and most trout for that matter), backing
basically serves no purpose other than to take up space on your reel.
Bass are strong fish, but they don't typically take off on long runs.

> Wish me luck. I'll be chasing LMs with a 4X tippet on 4wt floating flyline
> with no backing on an automatic reel. I feel like I'm taking on a dragon
> with a wooden sword after reading this group. LOL.

I regularly fish for river bass here with a 5-wt., and when I
spinfish for them, I use 4 or 6 lb. line. I've landed bass up to 5 lbs.
on that rig, so it's not like you're totally overmatched. Your biggest
problem is going to be throwing wind-resistant flies with that outfit
(or chunking weighted flies).


Chuck Vance (you may want to wear a football helmet just to be safe)

[Bob La Londe]

"Conan The Librarian" > wrote in message
...
> Bob La Londe wrote:
>
>> Scott, thank you. I might just take you up on that some time. I've got
>> family in Illinois, Ohio, and Michigan. Actually I was checking out my
>> gear and trying to decide what I had that I could use and what I needed
>> to go after bass in the Gila from my post on "Fly Fishing For Bass."
>> That river doesn't look huge from the pictures I posted, and its not, but
>> I have caught bass upto about 5 lbs out of that river in similar
>> conditions. I already figured a 2x or 4 x tippet I use for stocker trout
>> would be useless except for donating flies. I've got some tapered
>> leaders from 6-12 lbs coming. I also chased down a 7 weight floating fly
>> line that should handle those bigger flies used for bassing. I think the
>> one I have on my trout rod is a 4wt. I have another decent floating line
>> coming with the leaders.
>
> I may be misunderstanding you here, but if you are thinking about
> putting a 7-wt. line on a 4-wt. rod, you should re-consider. At best it
> won't cast worth a damn, at worst you'll break your rod.
>
>

No. I have three flyrods. A 4wt a 5wt and a 6/7wt.

As to the heavier line... LMs tend to like heavy brush. When torunament
fishign for bass I have most of my rods spooled up with 20-30 lb braid, and
my flipping rigs are spooled with 50. I only have a few rods spooled with
plastic line (Flourocarbon) for ultra clear water cirumctances. Then the
lightest I use is ten pound.

Thanks. I am quite sure an expereinced angler may be able to downsize and
catch bass or other bigger fish just fine. I have landed 12lb stripers on
6lb test on spinning tackle. In this case I think I need to downsize after
getting more experience first.


--
Bob La Londe

Win a Tackle Pack
Jig Fishing - Tips and Techniques Contest
Courtesy of Siebler Custom Baits
http://www.YumaBassMan.com

[Wolfgang]

> wrote in message
...
> ...Verelli or Vivarelli (or RolleXXX), I'll
> still pass on (semi) automatic reels...but, I suppose, I have two good
> arms, so I'll modify my previous "no (semi)automatic reels" to "unless
> you only have one arm..."

Easy enough to find out. Hold up all the arms you have. Count them.

Wolfgang
who realizes, of course, that if he's got more than five he's
screwed......but we'll deal with that when and if necessary.

[[email protected]]

On Mon, 22 Aug 2005 10:44:17 -0500, "Wolfgang" > wrote:

>
> wrote in message
...
>> ...Verelli or Vivarelli (or RolleXXX), I'll
>> still pass on (semi) automatic reels...but, I suppose, I have two good
>> arms, so I'll modify my previous "no (semi)automatic reels" to "unless
>> you only have one arm..."
>
>Easy enough to find out. Hold up all the arms you have. Count them.
>
>Wolfgang
>who realizes, of course, that if he's got more than five he's
>screwed......but we'll deal with that when and if necessary.
>
Well, only two ar...well, wait...hang on...yep, two arms...

....but the gals call me tripod...

And the Lord did spaketh upon them: "Go forth, my children - be
fruitful, and get down tonight." And the celestial horn section brought
forth a mighty groovy blast.

Hmmm...I guess He liketh a wee touch of KC and the Sunshine Band in his
deitying duties...

[Conan The Librarian]

Bob La Londe wrote:

> "Conan The Librarian" > wrote in message
>
> No. I have three flyrods. A 4wt a 5wt and a 6/7wt.
>
> As to the heavier line... LMs tend to like heavy brush. When torunament
> fishign for bass I have most of my rods spooled up with 20-30 lb braid, and
> my flipping rigs are spooled with 50. I only have a few rods spooled with
> plastic line (Flourocarbon) for ultra clear water cirumctances. Then the
> lightest I use is ten pound.

I guess the waters you fish will tell you what you can get by with.
Around here, I fish rivers or lakes that are impounded limestone
rivers. There's not a lot of heavy brush, so the fish tend to be around
whatever structure they can find, which is mostly boulders, rock ledges,
etc.

I lose a few fish when doing the ultralight thing, but figure I get
more strikes in the first place. (It's pretty clear water.) I can't
recall the last time I lost a fish on a flyrod, mostly because a 2X or
3X tippet is plenty strong to move a fish away from a rock ledge when
needed.

> Thanks. I am quite sure an expereinced angler may be able to downsize and
> catch bass or other bigger fish just fine. I have landed 12lb stripers on
> 6lb test on spinning tackle. In this case I think I need to downsize after
> getting more experience first.

That's one way to go. But it sounds like you have all kinds of
experience, you're just making the switch to a fly rod. For me, part of
the fun of flyfishing is scaling the tackle down to the quarry I'm
after. But if your waters hold good numbers of 20"+ fish, I guess
you'll have to look for the compromise between being heavy enough to
land some fish, but not so heavy that you're just winching them in.

Otherwise you'd just grab your flippin' stick in the first place,
no? :-)


Chuck Vance

[Bob La Londe]

"Conan The Librarian" > wrote in message
...

> Otherwise you'd just grab your flippin' stick in the first place,
> no? :-)


Ok, LOL. You got me there. LOL.


--
Bob La Londe
www.YumaBassMan.com

[Scott Seidman]

"Bob La Londe" > wrote in
:

> I wish I had taken the time to look at some fly reels when I was at
> Bass Pro Shops a week ago. None of my inexpesnive (ok cheap) fly
> reels have a drag. In fact I'm not sure how a fly reel drag would
> work. They all look like the handle is on the side of the spool.
> Atleast in the pictures.

In some of the less expensive reels, there's a click mechanism that
serves as the drag. As these reels get a hair more expensive, there's
mechanisms to increase the tension on the click and pawl spring to
tighten the drag without knocking your fingers bloody on the reel handle.

It's lovely if these kind of reels have an exposed rim. That way, you
can apply the palm of your hand (gently) to the rim as its screaming out
of control to add some drag. Many reels don't have this arrangement,
particularly Pflueger Medalist. They have a nylon screw that you can
tighten onto the hub to increase drag. I've seen one modification to
this reel, where part of the housing was cut away, and a leather pad used
to exert pressure directly onto the side of the spool.

If you're looking for a bargain that will handle large bass, or even
steelhead, you can usually find Redington RS/2's in an appropriate size.
There's been some marketing wierdities between Redington and Orvis, and
the bottom line is there's cheap (maybe discontinued) reels out there,
marked for no warrantee.

Okuma also makes a reasonable reel. I haven't used them, but the drag
seems like the Redington.

You'll hear some people talk about "large arbour", which means the reel
has a larger diameter, and you can reel in quicker. The RS/2 is sort of
a "mid-arbour". Personally, I think there's more marketing to convince a
few generations of reel-owning fishermen that they need to buy new reels
than utility in these different arbour sizes.

--
Scott
Reverse name to reply

[Peter A. Collin]

riverman wrote:

> have a fly fishing friend who has only one arm. He uses automatic
> reels - for salmon and steelhead as well. He uses a pumping action to
> bring them in, holding the line under his finger while drawing back on
> the rod, then releasing the line, squeezing the lever, and lowering the
>
> rod to gain line. He does well with it. Another reel he got is called
>
> a Franco Verelli. It has a cam lever that rotates the reel when it is
> squeezed. The advantage to that one is that it does have an adjustable
>
> drag.
>
> Peter Collin
>
>
> How does he land and unhook them? Can he manage that one-handed, or
> does he always fish with a buddy?
>
> --riverman

>
He beaches them when alone.

[Bob La Londe]

"Bob La Londe" > wrote in message
...
> Anybody use an automatic reel. I have a couple. A Martin (I've never
> used) and PFlueger ( I have used). It seems to work just fine for small
> stocker rainbow trout, but I've never caught any big fish with a fly rod.
> I 've always just stripped line and use the spring loaded reel to take up
> slack.
>
> In a recent post here somebody was talking about quickly getting a big
> fish onto the reel so you can fight it. I think they went on to say that
> you have to get a big fish onto the reel quickly or it will break off on
> you. I don't think an automatic would have much use as a fighting tool.
>
>
>
> --
> Bob La Londe
>
> Win a Tackle Pack
> Jig Fishing - Tips and Techniques Contest
> Courtesy of Siebler Custom Baits
> http://www.YumaBassMan.com


OK, time to spend some money. I broke one of my cute little automatic reels
trying to get it spooled up. The Martin. The Pflueger still works just
fine. My other cheap plastic reel may turn out to be the reel I use for
heavy stuff initially.


--
Bob La Londe

Win a Tackle Pack
Jig Fishing - Tips and Techniques Contest
Courtesy of Siebler Custom Baits
http://www.YumaBassMan.com

[[email protected]]

On Mon, 22 Aug 2005 20:08:20 GMT, "Peter A. Collin"
> wrote:

>riverman wrote:
>
>> have a fly fishing friend who has only one arm. He uses automatic
>> reels - for salmon and steelhead as well. He uses a pumping action to
>> bring them in, holding the line under his finger while drawing back on
>> the rod, then releasing the line, squeezing the lever, and lowering the
>>
>> rod to gain line. He does well with it. Another reel he got is called
>>
>> a Franco Verelli. It has a cam lever that rotates the reel when it is
>> squeezed. The advantage to that one is that it does have an adjustable
>>
>> drag.
>>
>> Peter Collin
>>
>>
>> How does he land and unhook them? Can he manage that one-handed, or
>> does he always fish with a buddy?
>>
>> --riverman
>
>>
>He beaches them when alone.

Does he CnR? If so, maybe he ought to just face the fact that there are
certain things he is no longer able to do, pardon the pun,
single-handed.

TC,
R

[John]

Bob sez:

> OK, time to spend some money. I broke one of my cute little automatic
> reels trying to get it spooled up. The Martin. The Pflueger still works
> just fine. My other cheap plastic reel may turn out to be the reel I use
> for heavy stuff initially.

As a steelhead guide who was a building contractor in his other life once
told me, "the only good use for an automatic reel was as a chaulk line."
You won't need a fancy high priced reel, just get one that feels good to you
on your rod and enjoy those bass! Oh yeah a bass taper fly line spooled on
that reel will help you enjoy casting those bugs a little easier.

Go fish and tell us all about it!

Good luck!
John

[Wolfgang]

> wrote in message
...
> On Mon, 22 Aug 2005 20:08:20 GMT, "Peter A. Collin"
> > wrote:
>
>>riverman wrote:
>>
>>> have a fly fishing friend who has only one arm. He uses automatic
>>> reels - for salmon and steelhead as well. He uses a pumping action to
>>> bring them in, holding the line under his finger while drawing back on
>>> the rod, then releasing the line, squeezing the lever, and lowering the
>>>
>>> rod to gain line. He does well with it. Another reel he got is called
>>>
>>> a Franco Verelli. It has a cam lever that rotates the reel when it is
>>> squeezed. The advantage to that one is that it does have an adjustable
>>>
>>> drag.
>>>
>>> Peter Collin
>>>
>>>
>>> How does he land and unhook them? Can he manage that one-handed, or
>>> does he always fish with a buddy?
>>>
>>> --riverman
>>
>>>
>>He beaches them when alone.
>
> Does he CnR? If so, maybe he ought to just face the fact that there are
> certain things he is no longer able to do, pardon the pun,
> single-handed.

Hm.....

The evidence presented demonstrates conclusively that there are certain
things Peter's friend IS still able to do single-handed......unless, for
reasons unknown to me, there is reason to discount Peter's testimony. We
may certainly (and probably safely) infer that certain activities (say, a
career as a cellist, for example) are closed to a one-armed man, but
successfully catching and releasing salmon would not appear to be among
them.

Wolfgang
and then there's that whole murdering doctors' wives career choice......but
that's a whole 'nother show.