Paul, On your point below... I have an anti-reverse 12wt Billy Pate and a 14wt Abel direct drive. Each has it's strong suits and weak suits.
On the direct drive, I want my left hand fingers getting the heck beat out of them as I try to let go of the reel handle with a monster fish bending the 14wt. rod tip down into the water. If I let my right hand take that beating, I wouldn't be able to draw for weeks after I got home. A couple of guys on one dorado trip had to quit fishing as their reeling hands were so beat up and swollen, they couldn't hold the reel handle any more. They both got anti-reverse reels for the next trip. On the anti-reverse, one does not have a direct link to the spool, as the drag can go out whenever. So I find I'm constantly changing the drag setting for different parts of the fight- whether they're tail-walking or sounding, or coming in or running away. But my fingers are spared, and that's good, and less painful. DonO ----- Original Message ----- From: "Paul Marriner" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, March 08, 2007 8:16 AM Subject: Re: [VFB] LHW & RHW >Spinning reels are anti-reverse, most fly reels aren't. If you > palm the spool, or even have to frequently wind and release, your best > hand is the most sensitive.> Cheers > Paul
