Re: [VFB] Fly Rods, Reels, and Combos

[Mark Delaney]

Chuck,

The drag systems on most higher end reels does not include the "wind it down untill the line won't go out" feature that a lot of baitcasting and spinning reels have.  (You wouldn't really want it to, it would be a surre way to brreak the leader or tippet).  For bream and bass fishing I usually use a reel that only has a click drag.  Fo the salktwater stuff, I use a reel with a teflon disk drag system, since there is a much better chance for a relatively large fish.  I always put as much backing on the reels as they can hold.  I've never had a fish take mew into the backing yet, but I'm sure if i didn't I'd run out of line on the first fish I hooked next.  Rods?  Well, I've got two rebuilt 5 wt bamboo rods,  the $20 Shakespeare fiberglass/graphite composite combo I first learned to cast with (came with a level line, and I wasn't satisfied until I could cast ALL of it.  Weight forweard lines werre pure pleasure after that), a 12 wt graphite I built,  a 7wt Pflueger Summit IM6 graphite rod, and my newest a 10 wt Redington RS2 rod.  I've cast TFOs, St. Croixs, Sages, and some other high end rods, but believe it or not, the Pflueger is still my favorite rod, it fits my casting style.  A lot about rods is SO subjective, I find it really helps to be able to cast a rod of a friend or at a conclave (or somewhere!!) to decide whether I like the rod or not.  As an example, the Redington RS2 was a much slower rod than i expected, and it took me a while to get used to it.  Only took about an hour on the water, to start makiing really good casts.  But I have relatively slow rods (the bamboo rods) to very fast (the Pfleuger and the 12 wt).  So I have to adapt to which rod I pick up.  If you are wondering that Pflueger only cost me $32 (Similar Pfluegers are now about $65).  Good deals are out there.  I've cast a few mid/low priced Plfuegers & Wright & McGills (Eagle Claw) at about $50 that were pretty good.   If you want a TFO, they are grerat deals, and I've only seen one person who didn't like the rod they purchased.  Redingtons to me feel a little bit slower.   But all that is up to individual taste.   Simply, you don't have to spend $700 to have an extremely servicable set up.  There is something decent  in just about every price range if you search it out.

Mark Delaney
    


"So much water, so little time!"

http://chemprof.tripod.com/fishing.html