Reel advice?

[mikechell 0]

Every rod I have (6) has that kind of line. Since I don't have an expensive comparison line, I can't tell you how it measures up. But I can get my flies out to the 60 foot mark in my front yard, so they at least shoot and cast that far.

[Cold 0]

 

 

With the guru there's really not much that can be a problem, its a machined reel and a sealed cone drag, very few parts to go wrong.

FYI, the Lamson lineup of reels do *not* have a sealed drag. Sure, there's an O-ring, but it's a press-fit, and the O-ring is not really in a place where it can seal the drag.

 

Ask around on a saltwater fly fishing forum, the system works to keep out spray and splashes, but any kind of a dunk will see water (and whatever's in that water) making it into the inner workings of the drag.

 

That being said, it *is* a great drag, but don't neglect it as you might consider doing with a truly sealed drag. You need to take it apart and rinse it after a good dunking, even in fresh water (there are often contaminants and particles). Just pull the spool and soak/swirl around in some tap water and you should be okay.

 

I have 2 Lamson reels (a ULA and a Litespeed), and they've been great for me... I really like their tough anodize finish. Only problem I've had was my Litespeed shipped with a bad bearing. Contacted Lamson and they sent me replacement immediately. Unfortunately, that one was bad too. So they sent me three replacements for that one. The first one of those was bad. The second one worked, and now, about 5 years later, it's still going strong, and I have one backup. Not sure what was going on with their bearings, but I'd guess just a bad run from their supplier.

 

With the Nautilus that was mentioned, the extra money buys you a drag that *is* fully sealed. I also have two of those (FWX models in 5/6 and 7/8 size) and while the drag is *sealed*...I'm just not really a big fan of it. It's smooth enough, but not as smooth as the Lamson drag (let alone the silky smooth drag of a Galvan), and it's range is quite limited. The low end isn't anywhere close to free spooling, and the top end isn't anywhere close to "stop a freight train"...so in a situation where 0 is free spool and 100 is locked down, Galvan might offer a range of 1-98, Lamson might offer, say, 15-75...and my FWX 5/6 might offer 35-60 (the 7/8 is better in this regard). Granted, I might be fishing with my drag set at "45" for 90% of my fishing with any reel regardless, but that extended range is there when I need it on other reels, not so with the Nautiluses (Nautili? Nautilux? Nautiles?).

[josephcsylvia 0]

I got my guru 2 in the mail today, im very impressed with build quality. Im going to put it up against some hefty catfish Wednesday to see how it preforms!

[onebadmofo 0]

The Lamson Liquid is a very good reel. I bought the three pack #2 and could not be happier. Excellent drag, light and easy to change reel retrieve direction. Had the plastic tab that is the clicker come off on one of the spools, called Lamson and they are sending me one no charge to repair.