Reel Advice

Still working on making the cork grip the same diameter as the Winston and
it looks as though manual sanding will be the method of choice. Thanks to
all that responded to my other post. I'll do a follow-up post when I get one
done.

On to my next problem - actually a nice problem to have if you're going to
have problems....

Got my brother a 9', 9wt, 5pc rod for his birthday this past week but didn't
get him a reel to go with it since I'm at a loss as to what would be a good
match - for him.

He will use that rod for steelhead and salmon and some big LM bass on large
lakes and rivers in upstate NY or Maine. Should I get him a mid-arbor type
reel or a large arbor reel? My thinking is that he probably would get
better mileage out of a mid-arbor reel since he would have more backing than
on "most" large arbor reels I've looked at. The local shop is doing their
best to hook me into an Abel... Nice but I just want a decent gift for my
bro - not a second mortgage.

I'm looking at the Orvis line since all but two of my reels are by Orvis
(BRF) and the fact that I know a shop that still has a few "Made in England"
reels available which I'm partial to.

Having never fished for steelheads or salmon in upstate NY or Maine - nor
paid attention to the fly fishing equipment used, I sure could use some sage
advice on what would be a good choice. Brother is a big boy (ex-cop), can
muscle in and persuade anything he can get on a hook but like me is
relatively new to fly fishing.

I know there are lot's of manufacturers of reels and everyone has favorites
(like I do) and I would like to get him another Hardy but gotta stay within
a reasonable budget - hence the Orvis choice this time around.

I thank you for your thoughts and your time writing them down,

Bob S.

Bob,

I have a Lamson LP 3.5. Fished it for 15 years and it is a sturdy,
moderately priced reliable disc drag reel. Now, they don't make them
anymore, but you can find plenty on ebay - they made a lot of them.

Pete Collin

On Sun, 5 Aug 2007 20:25:05 -0400, "BobS" wrote:

Still working on making the cork grip the same diameter as the Winston and
it looks as though manual sanding will be the method of choice. Thanks to
all that responded to my other post. I'll do a follow-up post when I get one
done.

On to my next problem - actually a nice problem to have if you're going to
have problems....

Got my brother a 9', 9wt, 5pc rod for his birthday this past week but didn't
get him a reel to go with it since I'm at a loss as to what would be a good
match - for him.

He will use that rod for steelhead and salmon and some big LM bass on large
lakes and rivers in upstate NY or Maine. Should I get him a mid-arbor type
reel or a large arbor reel? My thinking is that he probably would get
better mileage out of a mid-arbor reel since he would have more backing than
on "most" large arbor reels I've looked at. The local shop is doing their
best to hook me into an Abel... Nice but I just want a decent gift for my
bro - not a second mortgage.

I'm looking at the Orvis line since all but two of my reels are by Orvis
(BRF) and the fact that I know a shop that still has a few "Made in England"
reels available which I'm partial to.

Having never fished for steelheads or salmon in upstate NY or Maine - nor
paid attention to the fly fishing equipment used, I sure could use some sage
advice on what would be a good choice. Brother is a big boy (ex-cop), can
muscle in and persuade anything he can get on a hook but like me is
relatively new to fly fishing.

I know there are lot's of manufacturers of reels and everyone has favorites
(like I do) and I would like to get him another Hardy but gotta stay within
a reasonable budget - hence the Orvis choice this time around.

I thank you for your thoughts and your time writing them down,

Bob S.

I think the Orvis BMA5 would be a fine reel to go with that rod - especially
with an extra spool :-) It has all the features of much more expensive reels,
and if anything ever goes wrong with it, you'll have an easily accessible
company that stands behind their products...

/daytripper (need any more brothers? ;-)

"BobS" wrote in message
...

Got my brother a 9', 9wt, 5pc rod for his birthday this past week but
didn't get him a reel to go with it since I'm at a loss as to what would
be a good match - for him.

He will use that rod for steelhead and salmon and some big LM bass on
large lakes and rivers in upstate NY or Maine. Should I get him a
mid-arbor type reel or a large arbor reel? My thinking is that he
probably would get better mileage out of a mid-arbor reel since he would
have more backing than on "most" large arbor reels I've looked at. The
local shop is doing their best to hook me into an Abel... Nice but I just
want a decent gift for my bro - not a second mortgage.

I'm looking at the Orvis line since all but two of my reels are by Orvis
(BRF) and the fact that I know a shop that still has a few "Made in
England" reels available which I'm partial to.
I know there are lot's of manufacturers of reels and everyone has
favorites (like I do) and I would like to get him another Hardy

My understanding is that it's been several years since Orvis's BFR
subsidiary made a reel in England and they now are made in Malaysia, it
that's not important to you then fine. Personally, I just had one of their
new model CFO reels' drag fail on a foot long smallmouth bass.

My two cents worth is to get a reel with a sealed drag system or one of the
delrin drags or old fashioned click and pawl drag system . Avoid Cork for NY
winter steelheading. You're bypassing the Abels for the wrong reason. Abel
makes one of the finest reels on the market and that comes at a price. But
unless something has changed, and it's possible, the drags weren't sealed
and winter steelhead fishing and wet reels sometimes means a small film of
ice can settle between the drag, making all that money wasted until it
thaws.

There was a reel line made just for great lake steelheading, It's the Harris
Reel. The original company went under but now someone in Washington is
making them. That's where I would start and I would also consider one of the
Ross series of reels.

Again - your input proved most valuable. You could spend a lifetime looking
at an analyzing the different reels available out there. But based on your
comments, I selected the Orvis, Battenkill Bar Stock Disc Drag reel, model
V. This will handle line weights 9-12 should he get a bigger rod sometime
and it has the Rulon drag which I think is also used on the Hardy reel I got
him a year ago. It's also one of the models available at the dealer I'm
ordering it from that is "Made in UK". No spare spool available from the
dealer but Orvis say's they still have some spools available that were made
in the UK.

Just as a point of info. There are some differences on "some" of the reels
that Orvis made at their plant in England (BRF) and the same models that are
now being made in China. Parts may not be interchangeable due to
"enhancements and refinements" (read - cost reduction changes) on the
Chinese made reels. If you order parts from Orvis, you should use the model
part number and batch number (if available) that is printed on the sticker
that is attached to the box the reel came in. If that number is not
available, you may have to send your reel in so they can match the part(s)
needed.

A side note. I was at the Auburn, NY Bass Pro shop last week while on a
short trip, and got to talking to the fella about reels. He made the
comment that "several" manufacturers buy from the same supplier in China and
some parts are interchangeable. Well he had a black Pflueger reel (Trion or
President model I beleive) and an Orvis Battenkill (Large Arbor) that looked
similar. He pulled them apart and we swapped spools - and they both fit and
worked fine. The Pflueger was the more expensive reel by $20. And all this
time I thought that Orvis designed their own reels..........hmmmmm.....???
I may not have the exact models correct but the two spools fit the others
reel and the guts looked to be the same too.

Thanks again for your input. Next post will be about where to go fly fishing
in Maine this Sept. I'm somewhat familiar with parts of Maine having worked
at the radar sites in Bangor, Moscow and Bucks Harbor. Didn't do any
fishing but did some photography and drove around a bit up north.

Thank you,

Bob S.

"daytripper" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 5 Aug 2007 20:25:05 -0400, "BobS" wrote:

Still working on making the cork grip the same diameter as the Winston and
it looks as though manual sanding will be the method of choice. Thanks to
all that responded to my other post. I'll do a follow-up post when I get
one
done.

On to my next problem - actually a nice problem to have if you're going to
have problems....

Got my brother a 9', 9wt, 5pc rod for his birthday this past week but
didn't
get him a reel to go with it since I'm at a loss as to what would be a
good
match - for him.

He will use that rod for steelhead and salmon and some big LM bass on
large
lakes and rivers in upstate NY or Maine. Should I get him a mid-arbor
type
reel or a large arbor reel? My thinking is that he probably would get
better mileage out of a mid-arbor reel since he would have more backing
than
on "most" large arbor reels I've looked at. The local shop is doing their
best to hook me into an Abel... Nice but I just want a decent gift for my
bro - not a second mortgage.

I'm looking at the Orvis line since all but two of my reels are by Orvis
(BRF) and the fact that I know a shop that still has a few "Made in
England"
reels available which I'm partial to.

Having never fished for steelheads or salmon in upstate NY or Maine - nor
paid attention to the fly fishing equipment used, I sure could use some
sage
advice on what would be a good choice. Brother is a big boy (ex-cop), can
muscle in and persuade anything he can get on a hook but like me is
relatively new to fly fishing.

I know there are lot's of manufacturers of reels and everyone has
favorites
(like I do) and I would like to get him another Hardy but gotta stay
within
a reasonable budget - hence the Orvis choice this time around.

I thank you for your thoughts and your time writing them down,

Bob S.

I think the Orvis BMA5 would be a fine reel to go with that rod -
especially
with an extra spool :-) It has all the features of much more expensive
reels,
and if anything ever goes wrong with it, you'll have an easily accessible
company that stands behind their products...

/daytripper (need any more brothers? ;-)

Thanks and that is the reel I was initially looking to get but the made in
UK version wasn't available. The Battenkill Disc Drag model V was (in
Titanium) and so I ordered it and a model IV for my brother-in-laws upcoming
birthday.

So everyone doesn't think I'm nuts. A little over a year ago we got flooded
out and our walkout basement (and my office) was a disaster area along with
my small wood shop. Those that came to help us clean up and helped in other
ways are now getting a bit extra come their birthdays, anniversaries and
Christmas. I now have 5 new fly fishing fanatics to go fishing with
too.........;-)

The work was hard, it was super hot following the flood and they had to
drive over 100 miles to help us. Their help was priceless - so some new
fishing gear / accessories is nothing in comparison.

Thanks,

Bob S.

"Wayne Knight" wrote in message
. ..

"BobS" wrote in message
...

Got my brother a 9', 9wt, 5pc rod for his birthday this past week but
didn't get him a reel to go with it since I'm at a loss as to what would
be a good match - for him.

He will use that rod for steelhead and salmon and some big LM bass on
large lakes and rivers in upstate NY or Maine. Should I get him a
mid-arbor type reel or a large arbor reel? My thinking is that he
probably would get better mileage out of a mid-arbor reel since he would
have more backing than on "most" large arbor reels I've looked at. The
local shop is doing their best to hook me into an Abel... Nice but I
just want a decent gift for my bro - not a second mortgage.

I'm looking at the Orvis line since all but two of my reels are by Orvis
(BRF) and the fact that I know a shop that still has a few "Made in
England" reels available which I'm partial to.
I know there are lot's of manufacturers of reels and everyone has
favorites (like I do) and I would like to get him another Hardy

My understanding is that it's been several years since Orvis's BFR
subsidiary made a reel in England and they now are made in Malaysia, it
that's not important to you then fine. Personally, I just had one of their
new model CFO reels' drag fail on a foot long smallmouth bass.

My two cents worth is to get a reel with a sealed drag system or one of
the delrin drags or old fashioned click and pawl drag system . Avoid Cork
for NY winter steelheading. You're bypassing the Abels for the wrong
reason. Abel makes one of the finest reels on the market and that comes at
a price. But unless something has changed, and it's possible, the drags
weren't sealed and winter steelhead fishing and wet reels sometimes means
a small film of ice can settle between the drag, making all that money
wasted until it thaws.

There was a reel line made just for great lake steelheading, It's the
Harris Reel. The original company went under but now someone in Washington
is making them. That's where I would start and I would also consider one
of the Ross series of reels.


Wayne,

Thanks for the advice and your suggestion about not having a cork drag was
taken to heart. Please see my other post "Decision Made...".

Appreciate the time you took to answer my questions.

Thank you,

Bob S.

"Peter A. Collin" wrote in message
...
Bob,

I have a Lamson LP 3.5. Fished it for 15 years and it is a sturdy,
moderately priced reliable disc drag reel. Now, they don't make them
anymore, but you can find plenty on ebay - they made a lot of them.

Pete Collin

Peter,

Thanks for the suggestion and I did look at eBay. Only two spare spools are
up for bid today ($92 for two in case you're interested). I made a decision
based on suggestions from the group and posted a follow-up.

Thank you for your time and suggestion,

Bob S.

Orvis purchased "British Fly Reel Company" some years back and now they
moved the entire operation to China because wages in England are as high as
in the USA. Orvis really has a big share of the low to mid-priced fly reel
market in the USA.

This might be the last year (2007) for English made Hardy Reels. Their "LRH"
Lightweight is $495 usd this year in the USA? I think they will be going
'overseas' soon. China?

The Orvis MA (Mid-Arbor) is our top selling fly reel the past two years @
$119.00 usd for the III #5/6 size.

__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ______________________

Bob,

I would look at the IV #7/8 size Orvis MA reel for that rod if you want a
little more room for backing and to balance with that long stick.

I guess that is an older Loomis?

The Rio 'Steelhead' floater would be a good line for it too. Maybe a WF6F?.

--
Bill Kiene

Kiene's Fly Shop
Sacramento, CA, USA

Web site: www.kiene.com


"BobS" wrote in message
...
Still working on making the cork grip the same diameter as the Winston and
it looks as though manual sanding will be the method of choice. Thanks to
all that responded to my other post. I'll do a follow-up post when I get
one done.

On to my next problem - actually a nice problem to have if you're going to
have problems....

Got my brother a 9', 9wt, 5pc rod for his birthday this past week but
didn't get him a reel to go with it since I'm at a loss as to what would
be a good match - for him.

He will use that rod for steelhead and salmon and some big LM bass on
large lakes and rivers in upstate NY or Maine. Should I get him a
mid-arbor type reel or a large arbor reel? My thinking is that he
probably would get better mileage out of a mid-arbor reel since he would
have more backing than on "most" large arbor reels I've looked at. The
local shop is doing their best to hook me into an Abel... Nice but I just
want a decent gift for my bro - not a second mortgage.

I'm looking at the Orvis line since all but two of my reels are by Orvis
(BRF) and the fact that I know a shop that still has a few "Made in
England" reels available which I'm partial to.

Having never fished for steelheads or salmon in upstate NY or Maine - nor
paid attention to the fly fishing equipment used, I sure could use some
sage advice on what would be a good choice. Brother is a big boy
(ex-cop), can muscle in and persuade anything he can get on a hook but
like me is relatively new to fly fishing.

I know there are lot's of manufacturers of reels and everyone has
favorites (like I do) and I would like to get him another Hardy but gotta
stay within a reasonable budget - hence the Orvis choice this time around.

I thank you for your thoughts and your time writing them down,

Bob S.