I have a question

[Technical Sloom 0]

On 3/26/2022 at 12:58 PM, Capt Bob LeMay said:

the drag is reduced to zero  

Hope this helps

1. What's the purpose of reducing drag to zero? 

2. Very helpful comment, thank you. 

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

Pretty simple... Most drags work by compressing drag washers against metal washer(s) or a metal plate.  If you don't remove the drag pressure when not in use eventually two things happen, sometimes together... You put a permanent compression on the drag washer or washers, greatly reducing its effectiveness and you also make them begin to stick to the metal washer(s) or plate... causing a "sticky" or uneven drag - not what's wanted at all.  The best reel drags you can buy (for any reel - fly, conventional, spinning....) are glass smooth with no sudden jerks which can pop a leader under stress... at any setting.  Guys who fish in the salt have additional worries since the metal washers will tend to trap salt and begin to corrode as well.

These days many high end fly reels have sealed drags that you can't even access - if there's ever a problem you send them back to the manufacturer... Properly caring for your drag system greatly prolongs it's life - sealed or un-sealed...

 

Hope this helps .. .I was actually taught to repair reels way back in 1972 - long before I took up fly fishing in the salt - and the basics of reel repair, maintenance, etc. don't change whether it's a fly reel or a high end spinning reel - or even something you'd use for marlin or tuna... 

[SilverCreek 0]

The man that changed saltwater fly fishing goes back to Capt. Bob McChristian who invented the Seamaster reel. 

Seamaster Fly Feels at one time held over 90% of the IGFA saltwater fly fishing records over 50 lbs. Captain Bob McChristian invented the back plate cork drag in which the side plate of the fly reel was faced with cork and the side of the line spool was the other side of the drag face. The entire reel frame then dissipated the heat from the drag.

Seamaster held the patent on this drag and no other fly reel could match a Seamaster for taming oceanic fish. If you were going for marlin, sailfish, large tarpon, you needed a Seamaster.

I heard of Seamaster in an article over 40 years ago that stated that the two most prized fly reels were the Bogdan and the Seamaster.

Here is an article about Seamaster from the Miami Herald in 1982. They are no longer made. I had to personally meet with Bob McChristian when I was in Miami for a medical conference to get him to sell me reels. I was into collecting reels and I wanted a Seamaster.

So I went to the address on the Sunday that I flew in. The address was was in an industrial park and led to what looked like a garage with a mailbox. I looked in the mailbox and there was a letter from the President of CBS. I was at the right place. There as no name or any other indication that the world's best saltwater reel was made in this place with every part made by one man.

The next day, I went back and met Capt. Bob McChristian and he agreed to sell me a Seamaster. It took over 18 months for him to write me that my "number" had come up and that I could buy a reel.

https://midcurrent.com/2003/08/11/seamaster-reels/

[Charlie1947 0]

On 3/22/2022 at 9:24 PM, Poopdeck said:

How somebody treats their gear doesn’t concern me in the slightest and It’s better than holding a fly rod in the teeth for a hero shot. I can’t be the only one that chuckles every time I see someone posing for a fish picture with the rod in teeth.

My vest has a velcro strap as do most fishing shirts. I lift the rod up so it won't touch the ground, then velcro just below an eye, problem solved!

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

I used to buy feathers from Capt Mac (gorgeous big strung saddle hackles) - all those years ago, mid seventies… I could never have afforded a Seamaster back then.  By the time I could afford a Seamaster he was long gone… Towards the end of Fin Nor’s time in Miami I became a dealer for their reels to be able to offer them to folks I was building fly rods for… Then they too went out of business…

My timing could have been better - but no one I knew would have predicted how things would go… all those years ago

[Ephemerella 0]

My freshwater reel gets wet and or put down on gravel all the time. It is a (4-5 wt) mid-grade large arbor reel about 6 years old, no longer on the market (~$200 new), from a merchant you all would recognize as a purveyor of fine sporting goods and clothing.

Two bad things have happened to it as a result.

1) The aluminum alloy is apparently much softer than the vendor advertised, as it is dinged up worse than an older cast-aluminum reel I own with many more years on it. Cheap $#!~ from a nation known for low cost labor, stealing intellectual property, and cheating customers when it comes to meeting product specifications. I shoulda known better. So should have the merchant. 

2) There is an anti-reverse bearing assembly (unfortunately part of too many modern reels) made of a cast nylon "cage", steel hub, and steel roller bearings. The steel roller bearings rusted and the reel seized up. The bearing sits in a "waterproof" cavity with an o-ring seal - but alas, water got in. Repair was simple - a short term cleaning with waterproof grease and a coarse cloth to polish the rust off; and as a longer term fix, I found an industrial supplier of the same bearing (they have model code numbers stamped on the hub) that sold them in small quantities, so if it locks up again I can replace the bearing.

Lesson learned: I will open the reel hub up and dry it out to keep this from happening again after any trips where the reel gets soaked. And avoid reels imported from certain nations when I buy my next one. 

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

Many good quality high end plug casting reels have that same "one way bearing" setup as well. If I can get the part all is well - otherwise that's another reel I won't be repairing. It's  a good idea to tear down any new reel to verify that there's grease on things like bearings before that first trip (if the manufacturer has used a design that you can even access..).  Once that bearing starts rusting it will be all downhill from there.  Freshwater is relatively harmless compared to the salt.

Those of us who've been working with reels for a lot of years can remember when some brand new reels in the box came without a speck of lube on the inner workings so we learned not to trust any new piece of gear until we'd verified its condition where you couldn't see without a tool or two.... 

[Charlie1947 0]

On 4/11/2022 at 5:21 AM, Capt Bob LeMay said:

Pretty simple... Most drags work by compressing drag washers against metal washer(s) or a metal plate.  If you don't remove the drag pressure when not in use eventually two things happen, sometimes together... You put a permanent compression on the drag washer or washers, greatly reducing its effectiveness and you also make them begin to stick to the metal washer(s) or plate... causing a "sticky" or uneven drag - not what's wanted at all.  The best reel drags you can buy (for any reel - fly, conventional, spinning....) are glass smooth with no sudden jerks which can pop a leader under stress... at any setting.  Guys who fish in the salt have additional worries since the metal washers will tend to trap salt and begin to corrode as well.

These days many high end fly reels have sealed drags that you can't even access - if there's ever a problem you send them back to the manufacturer... Properly caring for your drag system greatly prolongs it's life - sealed or un-sealed...

 

Hope this helps .. .I was actually taught to repair reels way back in 1972 - long before I took up fly fishing in the salt - and the basics of reel repair, maintenance, etc. don't change whether it's a fly reel or a high end spinning reel - or even something you'd use for marlin or tuna... 

Thanks Capt, you just educated me! I appreciate you!

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

I actually used to teach this stuff - years ago at a local community college (night classes, lesson plans and all…) so it comes naturally.