What reel
- RobertTreeve
- Stickleback
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What reel
I have one old spilt cane fly rod and intend getting a couple more, but would like to ask what is the best way to match a reel to rod, the modern way is wt line which matches reel rod and line, but this does not work with older rods so any ideas.
- Nigel Rainton
- Rainbow Trout
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Re: What reel
With the weight of a cane rod the reel size and weight is not that important. The rod weight will overshadow the reel. Just get a reel to hold whatever line you are going to use. I would recommend a Hardy Marquis, an old from eBay, not a modern one.
- Liphook
- Barbel
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Re: What reel
Also take a look at the offerings from JWYoung's, Sharpes, Grice&Young and Orvis. 'Ballancing' a rod and reel is a personal choice and so opinions vary, but provided you have enough capacity for your chosen line and sufficient backing to prevent your fly line 'pig tailing' then that's about right. Some like me prefer a slightly oversized reel both for 'ballance' and for speed of line recovery, provided it's not overly heavy. What length of rod and weight of line are you looking at?
- Olly
- Wild Carp
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Re: What reel
An old Allcocks catalogue has the rods line weight and the matching reel for each rod!
- Penninelad
- Arctic Char
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Re: What reel
In my opinion modern lightweight big arbour fly reels are not suitable for split cane fly rods.You can buy top quality Youngs Fly reels which are ideal.To assist with your Casting you need a bit of weight at the butt end.I use Pridex's and Condex's for my general trout fishing and sea trout fishing and the bigger Beudex for salmon fishing(I have failed to catch one this season!).They can be purchased cheaply from a well known internet site and they are strong and robust and well engineered.
Mark Davies
- Marc
- Sea Trout
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Re: What reel
Condex every time. I prefer a narrow spool and 3 and a half inch reel all day long.
Marc. (Prince of Durham)
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- Bobby Marlene
- Arctic Char
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Re: What reel
As Liphook said, opinions vary and you have to try some combinations as it´s a personal choice and depends very much on the rod you are using (length, line weight, taper). I always try to get the lightest reel that looks good with the rod and has the correct line capacity. You can always add weight with lead coil but you cannot make a too heavy reel lighter. Orvis CFO are nice reels for cane rods but unfortunately very expensive. Hardy LRH is a less expensive alternative. I like the CFO better because it is not a cage reel and you can use your thumb or palm to break at the rim of the spool (should that be necessary which is not often the case for me ).
Here some pictures of a CFO with a Dickerson 8013 taper made by Gary Marshall and a LRH with a 7 foot 4 weight rod that I made myself:
Good luck with your choice, Bobby
Here some pictures of a CFO with a Dickerson 8013 taper made by Gary Marshall and a LRH with a 7 foot 4 weight rod that I made myself:
Good luck with your choice, Bobby