Re: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Re: Reel and line recommendations for 4wt Glass Rod

Richard,

I lived at Cape Lookout and fished an average 200+ days a year for 12 years.  My first day of fishing the salt was at the Cape, in the surf,  catching 36" stripers on an old Fenwick glass rod with a Medalist reel.  Did a lot of palming of a spool that day.  From that point I tried to find rods and reels that did not break the bank.  I bought a couple top of the line Pflueger reels then found my first Airframe at the 1/2 Price shop in Kinston,    I have yet to have one fail in any aspect and I have fished them many hundreds of hours and caught thousands of fish on them including a gross or two of Cape Lookout Albies up to 12 pounds and not from a boat but from the surf.   The only draw back that I've seen with the Airframe is the large arbor needs to be a bit smaller so you can get another 30-50 yards of backing on it.
When and if we ever see what has taken place in the spinning reel industry take place in the fly reel industry I'll buy a "quality" reel but at the $400-$1000+ price tags I see for reels and rods today, I'll continue to fish my TFOs and Airframes.

Be safe out there, the Albies should be showing at the Cape any day now.  The big drum are in the surf at Cape Point now and it's quite a run.

Tight loops,

John

On Fri, Mar 2, 2018 at 4:30 PM, Richard Farino <rfarino@gmail.com> wrote:

"For the life of me I have never understood why fly reels cost so much more in relation to other forms of fishing reels,  but they do."

 

Easy.  Volume.

 

I'm willing to stake my reputation on a guess that the number of conventional reels being produced by Shimano alone vastly outweighs the number of fly reels produced by all fly reel manufacturers.  Period.

 

Because of this volume, manufacturers have to be competitive in pricing.  Fly reel manufacturers have a little of that going on, but they have to charge a premium for their products just to keep manufacturing.  Talk to Tibor Reels sometime – the real name of the company is Ted Juracsik Tool & Die.  They don't just make fishing reels.

 

They also keep the independent retailers alive by giving us better margins than Shimano ever will.

 

Surely it's easier and cheaper to buy a Prius than a Tesla and they're both electric cars.  Surely a Nokia flip phone gets the job done as a phone a lot less expensive than an iPhone 8.  You choose what you want based on your likes, wants, budget, and needs.

 

I wouldn't choose an Okuma 7/9 for any of the false albacore fishing I do down near Cape Lookout.  The Airframe is a graphite composite reel, which is basically a plastic reel encased in carbon for strength.  Same with Redington Crosswater reels, Orvis Encounter II reels, and Loop Evotec and Xact reels.  I've fished in choppy conditions and slammed gear against gunwales and aluminum grab rails and bent them but still somewhat functional.  I've also seen composite reels fall off the back of a tailgate and land on the handle and break clean off.  They reels will usually have a warranty, but you still have to send it in and wait.

 

Personal taste.  If you like the Okuma reels and they work for you, by all means use them.

 

 

From: <tidal-potomac-fly-rodders@googlegroups.com> on behalf of John Mathews <lowcountryneophyte@gmail.com>
Reply-To: <tidal-potomac-fly-rodders@googlegroups.com>
Date: Friday, March 2, 2018 at 9:47 AM
To: Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders <tidal-potomac-fly-rodders@googlegroups.com>
Subject: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Re: Reel and line recommendations for 4wt Glass Rod

 

For the life of me I have never understood why fly reels cost so much more in relation to other forms of fishing reels,  but they do.   I started seriously fishing the salt some 15 years ago, 200+ days a year, and sarted looking for a decent rod reel combo that would not cost more than the vans I drive.  I settled on the Lefty TFO rods and the Okuma Airframe reels.  The Airframe  comes in two sizes, 4/6wt and the 7/9 wt. and is very light weight and really durable.  The drag system works as well if not better than most reel I've experienced costing 10 times what an Airframe cost.
With all that said, here's the bad part.  Okuma no longer offers these reels in the US.  Why I don't know but they are readily available on the European market and from time to time I find one on Ebay here in the US.  I just scored a 7/9 wt one last week, brand new, on Ebay for $30.00.  Even with the shipping from Europe they are still a great reel buy.at under $70.00.  
If you're not in a hurry just watch and shop Ebay for one here in the States.

Tight Loops,

 

John
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.XOkuma+airframe+fly+reel.TRS0&_nkw=Okuma+airframe+fly+reel&_sacat=0

On Thursday, March 1, 2018 at 3:53:59 PM UTC-5, William Hea wrote:

Hey, all!

 

I grabbed a Cabela's 6'6" CGR 4wt glass this week for $40 and am looking for a reel and line to pair it with. Goal is to have a small trout stream and bluegill setup. Looking for a reel that:

• Fits 4/5 weight rods
• Durable (I'm super clumsy)
• Less than $120
• Not too heavy
• I'm thinking an Orvis Battenkill II or a Lamson Liquid but have no strong convictions about brands or styles.

I'm planning to pair the rod with a Hook and Hackle DT4 or a Cortland 444 Peach DT4 line. Open to other recommendations. I don't imagine needing to cast beyond 30' often.

 

Thank you for your help!

 

-Will

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