First Fly Rod, Reel and line Questions??

On Wed, 08 Mar 2006 06:02:17 -0500, Charlie Choc
wrote:

On Wed, 08 Mar 2006 04:13:48 GMT, "jeffc" wrote:


"Dave LaCourse" wrote in message
. ..
A large arbor reel holds more backing than a normal reel.

I think there are different types of large arbor. If just the center hub is
bigger, it would actually hold less.

I have several large arbor reels (Bauers and Loops) and they hold less backing
than the corresponding small arbor reels for the same line weight. I think this
is pretty typical.

Assuming competent, rational reel design rather than reels "designed to
sell," it's not only typical, but mathematically highly probable. I'd
offer it'd be a certainty unless the reel is, for no apparent practical
reason, designed to avoid such - IOW, a unnecessarily (or even
ridiculously) wide or large reel. I'd further offer that such (a)
design(s) would actually be a detriment.

IMO, large-arbor reels acquired with the large arbor being the primary
characteristic sought are for those who know exactly why they _want_
them. There's nothing wrong with getting a reel that one likes that
happens to be a large-arbor, but that doesn't mean that one can "defend"
having it from a practical standpoint on the basis of it being a
large-arbor reel. For most FFers, and a great deal of FFing, the arbor
size is simply not material.

TC,
R

wrote in message
Assuming competent, rational reel design rather than reels "designed to
sell," it's not only typical, but mathematically highly probable.

For whatever reason, this reminded me of a mathematical problem whose answer
is mathematically correct, but (to me anyway) seemed counterintuitive at
first. Here ya go:

You have a rope pulled snugly around the earth at the equator (diameter =
7,926 miles +/-). How much length would you need to add to the rope to
raise it 6 inches off the earth at all points?

Joe F.

wrote in news:jevt02d2gihh8ac0296943tq2o3fo6toos@
4ax.com:

IMO, large-arbor reels acquired with the large arbor being the primary
characteristic sought are for those who know exactly why they _want_
them. There's nothing wrong with getting a reel that one likes that
happens to be a large-arbor, but that doesn't mean that one can "defend"
having it from a practical standpoint on the basis of it being a
large-arbor reel. For most FFers, and a great deal of FFing, the arbor
size is simply not material.

TC,
R

Actually, I've always thought of large arbor reels as a means of getting
people who already have perfectly functionable reels to buy more reels in a
saturated market.

This feeling was reinforced when I started seeing mid arbor reels.

--
Scott
Reverse name to reply

Hello,

Thanks to everyone for your advice. I bought a Okuma Sierra reel last
night for $34 which seemed to be a pretty good deal.

The rod I purchased is a Quarrow Big Horn- I've never heard of the
brand and couldn't find much info on them but it seems like a good deal
for $45 including travel case. does anyone have any experience with
this brand of rod?

Now, I have to wait until payday to get line,leader,tippet,flies, etc.
Then I call in sick and go fishing for a few days.

From what I've heard It looks like I'll go with DT line.

Now I'm looking at getting equipped for steelhead, but I think I'll
build my rod eventually, and continue using good old spinning/bait
casting until then. I teach at an outdoor education center and for a
class project we had a custom rod builder come in for 2 hours a day for
a week and 15 kids got to build their own 5ft spinning rods. A great
experience for the kids and me.
You guys have been very helpful-very interesting following the
thread-I'm going to try and stump some of my m-athlete friends w/ the
rope around the earth question.

"Erratic Grouse" wrote in message
ups.com...
2) Do I need a large arbor reel? Would you mind explaining what that
is?

The arbor is the center hub. If it's small and you wind your fly line onto
it directly, your line will be wrapped in tight coils - not good.
Traditionally you use about 100 yards of backing, which builds up the center
hub, so the actual fly line is not wound around the hub directly. As far as
I can tell, the only use of a large arbor reel is so that you don't have to
use much backing to still get a thick hub section. Unless the entire reel
is of larger diameter, in which case you can actually reel in the line
faster.

4) Which type of line would you reccomend? Weight Forward or a double
taper.

Contrary to popular belief, double taper line does not offer a "more
delicate" presentation. If you're going to be making longer, regular casts,
get weight forward. If you're going to be making normal length casts of up
to about 40 feet and will be making longer roll casts and line mends, get
double taper. It really doesn't matter much.

I am going to wade in (pun not intended) on an opinion on the line for
this fella. I would, if I had it to do over, purchase the Triangle
Taper in a 6wt if I were a beginner for a 5wt rod. I realize I am
about to be pummeled around the head and shoulders, but that is what I
would really do...Wulff Triangle Taper Line TTF-J3-6 Ivory

Triangle Taper Line Link:
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/pror...gletapers.html

Padishar Creel awaiting a large number of bruises...

On 7 Mar 2006 14:47:54 -0800, "Erratic Grouse"
wrote:

Hello,

I recently purchased my first fly rod, a 5wt 4 piece. Now I need to
find a reasonably priced reel to go with it. Most of my fishing will be
for trout on small to medium sized streams in the Pacific Northwest.
There will also be the occasional lake and pond fishing for trout and
bass.

My questions a

1.) What is a good reel for a college student on very limited budget?
I'd like to keep the price of the reel under $50. I see alot of
pflueger reels priced inexpensively($30). I've also seen A redington
in my price range. I plan on upgrading at some point, so I can have a
back up rod or one for friends to use. My main concern is to be able to
some serious fishing from now until winter.

"Pflueger" covers a lot of ground. If you are talking a older, US-made
Medalist, it is a great reel in context (and as the first reel for a
beginner with a graphite rod, it probably isn't the appropriate
context). If you are talking about the newer Chinese-made Medalist
(such as can be had at Wal-Mart, etc.), it is an economy choice - you'll
get about what you've paid for: a 22.95USD reel (and yep, for some, a
wise, practical choice). If you are talking about Supremes, Trions, and
Presidents, you are talking about a different class than either. You
are also talking about more than $50.

Based on the fishing description you've given up to the use of the words
"serious fishing," the reel won't play the largest role - define
"serious fishing" please.

2) Do I need a large arbor reel?

No. No one _needs_ one. And again, in context, given the fishing
you've broadly indicated, you'd probably never notice having one. Here's
why: a large arbor, even empty, has a exponentially larger diameter
than a smaller arbor. On the first turn loading the backing, the large
arbor will load much more than the small arbor. OTOH, on the last turn
loading the line, the difference will be solely confined to and by the
reel's spool diameter (or internal diameter, if the spool is not readily
interchangeable) - let's call it "maximum capacity" diameter. Note that
this has nothing to do with the arbor's diameter or the overall diameter
of the reel. If the diameter of the line and backing on the reel is
3.35", the size of the arbor under it all is not material to the
calculation on a fully-loaded reel with one turn out. Assuming you have
two reels of the same "maximum capacity" diameter, one large- and one
"small"-arbor, that are fully loaded (NOT equally-loaded) with identical
backing and lines, and you strip 20' feet of line from each, the
retrieval speed will be about the same, regardless of the arbor
diameter. If, OTOH, you strip all the line and half the backing from
both, the amount retrieved on each turn will be a great deal different.
Here's a hint: the lines are the same length - how long is the backing?

Would you mind explaining what that is?

It has been explained, at least in terms of its physical description. As
to its (practical) advantages, see above. Basically, if your fishing
will be with 40-50 ft. or less of total line and tippet out, there are
none such as to make buying a large-arbor reel based upon it being a
large arbor a practical choice. Large arbors can be helpful when there
is a lot of line out - where the quarry is known for long runs - and a
quicker retrieve is desired . For example, bonefishing.

3) I've read that a good quality line is more important than the reel,
is this true?

In some cases, yours almost certainly being one of them, yes. In the
aforementioned bonefishing, no.

What would be a good line?

IMO, it's Impossible to even offer suggestions based on the info you've
provided thus far. What rod do you have? What is your goal with this
setup? Are you _sure_ about your fishing as outlined above - IOW,
again, define "most," "occasional," and "serious fishing." And how
large is the expected quarry as opposed to the water? I've seen some
pretty big bass in what looked like (or actually were) some pretty small
lakes/ponds.

I can probably drop another 40-50 bucks on this.

Maybe two cheaper lines would be better than a single line...maybe
not...see above.

4) Which type of line would you reccomend? Weight Forward or a double
taper.

Again, see above.

HTH,
R

"Erratic Grouse" wrote in message
ups.com...
Hello,

I recently purchased my first fly rod, a 5wt 4 piece. Now I need to
find a reasonably priced reel to go with it. Most of my fishing will be
for trout on small to medium sized streams in the Pacific Northwest.
There will also be the occasional lake and pond fishing for trout and
bass.

Greetings Dwayne,
I'm from the Pacific Northwest, there are some nice rivers and streams here
that will suit that 5wt very well, the Pit River, the McCloud, Hat Creek and
certain areas of the Shasta. The 5wt may be a little light to punch the big
flies used for bass, but you can use the lighter flies, just be careful not
to break the tip.


My questions a

1.) What is a good reel for a college student on very limited budget?
I'd like to keep the price of the reel under $50. I see alot of
pflueger reels priced inexpensively($30). I've also seen A redington
in my price range. I plan on upgrading at some point, so I can have a
back up rod or one for friends to use. My main concern is to be able to
some serious fishing from now until winter.

I've seen the Pflueger Medalist 1492 & 1494 under $50 on ebay. I have a
1494 and a 1594, this is what I learned my fly-fishing skills with. They
are ok reels to start with, but later on if you decided you would like to
get serious you may want to upgrade. The Galvan reels are very nice, but
more expensive.


2) Do I need a large arbor reel? Would you mind explaining what that
is?

Large arbor not really needed. The large arbor reel is larger diameter in
the center where the line wraps around. This gives you a faster retrieve
and less coil memory on line. I don't use them, but some anglers will swear
by them especially with the larger fish 8wt and above.


3) I've read that a good quality line is more important than the reel,
is this true?

I believe this is true, stick to the name brands, there are also a split of
anglers between DT (double taper line) and WF (weight forward line). You'll
have to decide for yourself on which to use. Personally I like the WF line.

What would be a good line? I can probably drop another 40-50 bucks on
this.

You'll probably get a mix reaction here, think every fly-fisherman has their
favorite. I like the Scientific Anglers (SA) GPX line, but again, it's just
my personal preference.


4) Which type of line would you reccomend? Weight Forward or a double
taper.


Thanks for reading all of this and thanks in Advance for any responses,

Dwayne


Good luck Dwayne,
If you're in the neighborhood, drop into the Upstream Fly Shop in Los Gatos,
CA and talk to Curt. He's very honest and will set you up. He knows the
Pacific Northwest very well and he can be trusted to guide you in the right
direction.
http://www.upstreamflyfish.com/pages/846917/index.htm
-tom

Tom Nakashima wrote:

If you're in the neighborhood, drop into the Upstream Fly Shop in Los Gatos,
CA and talk to Curt. He's very honest and will set you up. He knows the
Pacific Northwest very well and he can be trusted to guide you in the right
direction.
http://www.upstreamflyfish.com/pages/846917/index.htm

The one time I was in that shop, years ago, they seemed very
disapproving when I said I wanted to buy a creel. :-) The funny thing is
that they stocked them, and I bought a very nice Arctic Creel that I've
used many times, mostly for whitefish and stocked trout.

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

A pflueger medalist 1495 is a good all around reel that will always be
cheap, has an adjustable drag, reversible crank, cheap spools and lots
of them around second hand. Only trouble is you can buy them new for
about the used price for the older ones.

If you are a new fly caster a double taper line will let you roll cast
and feel the line on your back cast. The dealers want to sell you
several weight forward lines which will not roll cast or spey cast like
a double taper. they think you need a line for every spe cies of fish.
If you pay attention to learning the principles of casting you can do
about everything you want to do fishing with a double taper line and
have more fun with it. You can cast just about as far with a double
taper and have a much better feeling cast. The double taper loads your
rod so it feels good and you want to cast it. The Pfleuger is the first
large arbor reel. You don't need the large arbor reels they are selling
now because you want a reel and a couple of spare spools One with a
sink tip and another with a full sink line. The large arbor reels are
too bulky and their spare spools are too bulky for your fly vest.

A cheap double taper line from a big box store - 15.00 or so at K Mart
-will do you just fine until you are more familiar with the craft. Then
you can spring for a stiff floating line which will be easier to handle
in a boat or standing up than a weight forward. It will also cast
farther because it doesn't tangle up much and goes through the guides
better. The high end lines cost more than the reel. Don't be afraid to
clean and dress your floating line. It will pick up easier and go
through the guides faster and farther.

Good Luck
Bill