Fly Reel Questions

[knee_deep]

Hi guys,
Back in June I posted how I had just purchased a new Sage 1880 Reel, and hadn't even made my rod for it yet. Well the Rod is finished and I'm all set to go. It's been a whirl wind of a summer and I haven't been able to make it out yet to try and catch my first fish on a fly. I will in a couple of weeks for sure. Obligations keep me tied up for the next few weekends. On with this story- I have been on every Fly Fishing web site I could manage just doing research and wasting my evenings trying to learn as much as I can. Well, the thought of me really getting into the Long Rod habit without someone to enjoy it with me made me a little wary. So, I figured the only way to be sure in the future that I might be able to enjoy this sport which I've yet to attempt- is to have two Fly Rod setups. My first rod was an 8wt - 4 piece St. Croix that goes with the Sage 1880 reel. Well the second one I built was a 7wt 4 piece St. Croix. I have yet to buy a reel for the 7 wt. I have a few ideas of what I want, but was looking for some answers on reels.

1) Are large Arbor Reels the only way to go when Fly Fishing in knee_deep saltwater?

2) What are the advantages/ disadvantages of a Large Abor Reel?

3) Is a 6/7 wt reel the way to go or is a 7/8 wt reel the way to go for my 7 wt. rod?

4) And why one over the other?

Having not done this yet I'm trying to decide what reel to put on the 7 wt rod. Any opinions on this would be of great help. And again in advance- thanks for your comments, any and all are welcomed to me.

Sidney

[ecofly]

most people try to balance reel to rod so its comfortable for a day of casting. unless u consider it too heavy, i'd go with a 7/8 so u have an extra for ur 8 wt rod if necessary. with size of reel, capacity comes into play. you'll fit more backing on larger reel. as for large arbor... the advantage is quicker line pick up and less line coiling. for me, when large arbors came out, i was sold immediately. unless you are using ur grandfather's reel, i'd go with a large arbor for sure.
good luck to you!

[W5CDS]

Large arbor is good. Just make sure it'll carry enough backing.

[Stiles]

6/7 or 7/8? I'd go with the 7/8. It will retrieve line faster than the 6/7 and hold a bit more backing.

[knee_deep]

Ok, so a large arbor reel gets more line quicker on the reel. This just gets the fish to you faster?

Get a 7/8 to have another reel for my 8 wt.
Is it important to get the fish to you faster?
I guess, what I'm seeking is the balance and lightness of my setup. Would the size of the larger arbor reel balance the same as a regular arbor reel of the same weight in ounces? Or does the mass of the bigger reel change the balance, and does any of this matter? Am I trying to find something that doesn't really matter too much?

I hope I'm not seeming difficult on this, I just have no idea about these things. I have conventional tackle down pat. All my casting rods are Waterloo's and all of my reels are Shimano's. When it comes to long rod's I'm totally behind on the learning curve, having not done it.

[W5CDS]

The mass should make no difference. Weight is the key in balance, I believe. The mass will only effect the effort required to reel in the line (or fish), and that's negligible.

As for the larger arbor, yes, getting the fish to you faster can make a difference, IF you're into catch & release. If you're going to keep the fish - and I mean EVERY fish - then it makes no difference. Releasing the fish, though, the sooner brought in and released, the better shape the fish will be in, due to less lactic acid built up in the fish's system.

[ecofly]

i like large arbors because they allow me to get the line back on the reel quickly and fight the fish from the reel which to me, is easier than stripping the line in.

[knee_deep]

I appreciate the input. The fish will ALL be released, and I never even thought about the stress on a Redfish, good point though. Been a Bass fisherman all but the last three years of my life and I do worry about stress on them, so why not give the red's the same respect. Now I need to make the choice of what I want my 7 wt. Right now my top three choices are Abel Super, Nautilus Feather Weight, and the Lamson Litespeed. The Lamson and Nautilus are very close in weight, but the Abel is almost, if not twice the weight of the others. Thanks again guys, means alot to me.

[mwillis]

For shallow water redfish you do not need to spend top dollar on your reel and you do not need the standard 200 yards of backing. That being said, I use Abel 3Ns and I also have a Galvan Torque 8. As others have noted, the key is balance and too light is just as bad if not worse than too heavy. E-bay almost always has used Abel 3Ns (square drag plate is RH or LH convertible while the pointed drag plate on older models is not) and if you are careful you can pick one up for $200 to $250. I believe the 3N is compatible with the Super 6 spool which would be a good combination for a 7 weight rod.

[Aitsurido]

All are great choices. I'm in love with my Colton CRG2 reels though, and the rods are velvet hammers especially the Leviathan. I have a 5# Slipstream for creeks and ponds, an 8# for bass and skinny water/inshore and and a 8/10 Leviathan for surf/BTB. Brand new CRGII 8/10 reel is only $215 w/a lifetime warranty.

Check the specs and see for yourself.

http://www.coltonfly.com/

[pearow]

somebody mentioned this but its important for the reel to be heavy enough to balance the rod so that it balances around the place where your forefinger fits on the grip; a long rod that is tip heavy really wears you out not so much from casting but from holding it all day long; also one that is butt heavy is harder to cast because you have a tendency to throw more open loops which cuts distance and catches the wind. Just saying.....-p-

[knee_deep]

again, thanks for all the input. i decided to go with the litespeed 3.5 from lamson, my fly rods are custom made by myself. They are extremely light. I went out fishing on tues. and was toying around with the balance and feel of it, the reel was tilting the rod in a big way. btw this is not the litespeed i'm referring to, it was my sage reel. i think that the lamson will make for a great setup. i bought it at Gruene Outfitters on Friday. cool place never been there, and Tiff is really nice, and very helpful. Thanks for the input.

[Ron Mc]

the only salty large arbor I own, I had to use gelspun backing to get enough on the reel.

I still prefer my full arbor reels with a lot of braided dacron