It's about the reel.

[Fishigan 0]

What are you looking for when the game is on and the fish is fresh?

Feel free to comment about what the 4th, 5th etc...etc.. things are. The more info I get the better.

[Steeldrifter 0]

Its hard to pick just one out of those options for me.

 

In my salmon&steelhead reels this is what I look for. First and foremost it HAS to have a STRONG yet SMOOTH drag system on it, has to be machined and light weight, smooth action on the retrieve, easy to adjust drag.....and it cant have a loud annoying clicker on the retrieve or the drag, i hate that

 

Matt black finish is also a plus IMO to keep the reflection down.

 

SD

[Fishigan 0]

That's the input I'm looking for. Thanks dude.

I like the solid drag, easy adjusting while in battle, then super smooth action. Then I look at 4th design and 5th capacity.

[Redleg 0]

I think smooth is the most important. But I think strong and machined is inherrent to anything with a smooth action. When you got a fish screaming down the river, you don't want your arm pumping like a steam piston from an unbalnced reel. Your only gonna use the drag your leader allows you to. But again, the stronger drag systems contribute to that smoothness. Looks are a strong quality, but I think when a reel is made with optimum performance, people are gonna use it, then the competition are gonna make theirs look like it too.

[Fishigan 0]

Looking at the I might have worded that "drag that can stop a truck" wrong. My meaning was for a drag that could handle say a dozen or so steelhead that are fresh and fast in a day with out failing.

[fcflyguy 0]

It depends on what you are you using it for

for me cost is a big factor

 

for steelhead I want something with a good drag

for local trout drag is not inporant to me

a machined reel is better but more money

most of mine are okuma reels for the money you just can not beat them and they are a good reel

 

Fcflyguy

[Fishigan 0]

Keep the votes and comments comming folks. This will all be put to good use.

[Guest]

For my limited salmon experience I would say that a large arbor with a good drag is a must. I went into my backing several times trying to land one of those beasts so the extra backing on a large arbor is defienly a plus.

 

Personally, I used a Bass Pro White River 8wt setup and honestly it held up to a week of salmon fishing and the dragged held up nicely and had no real problems. I think those reels are like $40 or something. I don't like the setting on my Okuma reel near as much as the one on the Bass Pro reel for some reason.

[Steeldrifter 0]

Actually Will, there is less backing on a large arbor reel. The main advantage of a LA reel is that it picks up more inches of line per revolution than a standard arbor. The less backing really doesnt pose to much of a problem though because most times if a salmon gets that far away from you then you wont land him anyways. I usually just use a standard arbor harris and load it with a ton of backing, that way it "acts" like a large arbor but I also have that extra backing there just for peace of mind.

[Redleg 0]

Actually Will, there is less backing on a large arbor reel. The main advantage of a LA reel is that it picks up more inches of line per revolution than a standard arbor. The less backing really doesnt pose to much of a problem though because most times if a salmon gets that far away from you then you wont land him anyways. I usually just use a standard arbor harris and load it with a ton of backing, that way it "acts" like a large arbor but I also have that extra backing there just for peace of mind.

I have the same thoughts. When I DO get into the backing, a lot of the time there is somebody helpful downstream with a net anyway. I would even bet a standard arbor would hold up better in the long run than the large with less leverage on the axis, maybe that's nitpicking? Besides they're easier to stow than a large arbor.

[Kodiak Commando 0]

I think we can all agree that all the factors of a reel are important. For me the most important thing is a good smooth solid drag when fighting any salmon whether it's pinks and reds on my 5 wieght, silvers and chums on my 9 or kings on my 9 or 10. You can get away with a decent drag for salmon in small rivers in alaska or great lakes tribs but nothing short of excellent will work for a fresh salmon especially kings or chums in the open ocean or lake close to the ocean. I have to say i like the screaming reel myself, it sounds good to me!

 

I also have to say the second most important thing is that my reel is machined, they are just more durable. I also have to say i prefer large arbor reels, and if you get the right one you can hold plenty of backing. My 9 wieght reel has a 250 yards of backing on it and picks up line reel fast. This is a big plus when a big salmon takes out 200 yards of line because the faster you can reel them in the less time the fish has to get off.

[rhino 0]

to me stop a truck drags just are not needed to many people put way to much drag in these reels. when you are only useing 20%of the tippets breaking strength the most you will use on a large fish like marlin on 30 pound tipet is 6 pounds and on 10 pound tippet for salmon you are useing 2 pounds of presher measured with a spring scale at the reel not the tip top this is mostly why break offs on light tippet happen :devil:

 

 

 

 

 

 

good luck and tight lines rhino

 

 

 

hay steel drifter it rhino iam on this site now to

[Guest]

I think that there is too much of a fixation on drags on fly reels. For most fish, I only set the drag just enough to keep it from free spooling. I'll use my palm or finger tips to control to slow down a fish. The only fish that get any special attention from my drag setting are Tarpon, Permit and Bonefish.

 

 

[atroutbum2 0]

For me, the reel has to be pleasing to the eye, it could be the best reel in the world, but if it looks ugly to me, i aint goint to buy it.

 

After that, a smooth action and a well designed drag are what i look for.

 

 

[Fishigan 0]

bump.....trying to get at least 100 votes.