Eagle Claw's inline ice reel! Are U into the fly ice reel craze yet?

[Hawg]

They have the 13 in the store for $10 more.

JP if you haven't left for home yet you can take mine for a while, I'm only 3-4 blocks from GM.

[pushbutton]

There is 3 left in St Cloud. I am never one to jump on the latest and greatest bandwagon, but Momma keeps buying shores and purses so figured why not. Many times have seen my lure on camera spinning in circles with the fish just staring at it, wondering what might have been if it was not......probably the same staring....but at least this way I will now know My biggest concern is backlash like on a baitcaster and exactly how the differnent drag system works.

[whitebassman]

Yes two handles. Not machined aluminum but if it specs are same as 6061 then the value is much greater at $30 vs $100

[DTro]

Yes that would be quite a big difference if it is plastic, but heck it will be lighter.

["Just Add Ice"]

Lakeville has 1 left and EP has 1 Left... Tried calling the Gander corp to get one shipped and they dont even have it in the system yet. These look like the ticket for the price. Good luck for those that get one!!! Looks like they will be gone pretty soon.

Lakeville guy laughed when I asked him. Say all the calls he has got this morning have been asking for this reel

Reeds, Marine general and TB all had none

[DTro]

They have the 13 in the store for $10 more.

JP if you haven't left for home yet you can take mine for a while, I'm only 3-4 blocks from GM.

Im pretty sure that's the black betty and not the 6061, but i could be wrong...

["Just Add Ice"]

Im pretty sure that's the black betty and not the 6061, but i could be wrong...

[Hawg]

I might be wrong also. It is the Black Betty but it's made by 13 somethings so I was probably wrong. Anyway 13 is the name of the other company one they had for $10 more.

[Hawg]

I just looked on the net The name of the company that makes the Black Betty is 13 Fishing.

["Just Add Ice"]

I just looked on the net The name of the company that makes the Black Betty is 13 Fishing.

13 Fishing makes

Black Betty which is out on the shelves all ready

They also are the makers of the 6061 reel which will come out later.

Same company but two different reels. The eagle claw looks more like the 6061 reel made by 13 Fishing

[JP Z]

Hawg,

Thanks for the offer. I'm back a the office, I'll just keep peaking.

Anyone have a pict of the 6061?

[DTro]

[bobbymalone]

Aside from the Black Betty, the in-line reels I've seen posted here so far seem to be heavy and have clunky drag systems. These seem more like the "latest gimmick" than an actual well thought out and designed piece of equipment. I'll stick with fly reels for now until the design and technology improve. I mean there are fly reels available with disk drags that will stop a steelhead, have 12" line refrieve, weigh under 6 oz, and cost $60. Ice fishing reel manufacturers should be able to do better than what they are currently offering.

unless it doesn't spin the handle when the drag is letting line out, then I am not interested.

I've never used the drag on a fly reel on a fly rod. Either my fingers on the fly line or the heel of my hand on the reel itself serve the function.

If you are getting 12 inches of line retrieval on a fly reel, you must be strapping a size 8 reel on a ice rod. That sounds clunky as heck to me.

I'm not super gung-ho about these new reels, but I'm definitely interested. I'd say the design and technology has already improved... using a fly reel on an ice rod is sorta like using a wrench as a hammer. It works, but it's not even close to what I'm looking for.

[JP Z]

Thanks, yeah that will throw loops. Just like the Black Betty is gonna be a BUGGER when it comes to throwing loops. I know from experience with the exact same reel.

[fisherman-andy]

This was one of the prototypes for the 13 Fishing 6061. These reel design are very similar as with Eagle Claw. They both look like copy cats of the raft fly/inline reels. However further along the design of 13 Fishing reel has changed, it has a longer handle for easier holding and maybe some other modifications unspecified here.

[Tracker55]

Sort of makes you wonder how we ever caught fish with line wound around two nails driven into a stick.

[fisherman-andy]

Ok, im back! I see there's some frenzy over this reel now. I for sure one am not going to complain. I was able get my hands on this reel from the Gander in Woodbury this Morning.

For the price point I think it is the best fly/inline ice reel for the budget. Its only drawback is its housing is made of some sort of ABS or Polycarbonate plastic, with some cheaper looking plastic internals mix with metal parts. In after playing around with this reel I returned my Frabill 241. I still have the Clams ice spooler on a spring bobber rod. All in all the reel looks nice with the fake carbonfiber design.

Took me some second guessing to figure out how this reel works while I was playing with it. And imma gonna say it looks like a winner!

The Eagle Claw reel itself has drag and free spool. The free spool is engaged by pressing a knob on the spin handle and tension is adjusted by a another small turn knob on the reel. NO MORE PULLING LINES like a regular fly inline reel.

Drag is set like a you do on a bait caster. Drag will run with you holding the handle if a larger fish is on the line just like a bait caster. I felt the drag could've been made a little more smoother but hence plastic/metal parts.

The reel has a small switch button to allow you to turn on/off the noise clicks.(for those who like the sound of retrieving and drag) The free spool falls freely with proper tension adjustment on most lures/spoons even tiny panfish jig heads. Be careful not to have the tension too lose or you will end up with a birds nest.

I have paired it up with my 24" DH 7 Deuce ice blue camo noodle rod and am really fired up right now wanting to test it out on the ice. Smeared a tear off my eye just now...

[bobbymalone]

that thing looks like it's desperately in need of a line guide. not so important on a fly reel, but when running 2lb mono on there... I don't think it would hurt.

[whitebassman]

Drag does not spin the handles.

It's got a 2.6:1 ratio instead of 1:1.

[amateurfishing]

I currently use Okuma 2/3's and the drag is great. To me that makes the use full feature. Drag to me is very important. If I am fishing for trophy fish it's a must. No matter the size, I like to set my drag for performance, because to me, it does matter.

thats what i got on my new TB powernoodle for $75 this past spring, customer service was excellent and cant wait to try it on the ice. i do see the "fad" exploding this year but also wonder how well built some of these cheaper versions may be

[DTro]

Looks pretty darn good for the price!

My only worry would be line pile without some sort of line guide or level wind.

How sensitive is the free spool? Will a 1/16th fall on its own? 1/32th?

[blackdog1101]

Quote:

unless it doesn't spin the handle when the drag is letting line out, then I am not interested.

That's not a problem in my mind, having a multiplier isn't a big deal to me. But if it is for you then yes, it's a deal breaker.

Quote:

I've never used the drag on a fly reel on a fly rod. Either my fingers on the fly line or the heel of my hand on the reel itself serve the function.

If you've got a steelhead, salmon, or saltwater fish on, you'll appreciate a good drag on your fly rod. Otherwise you'll probably burn your hand. But for trout and other smaller fish I agree, using your hand is great.

Quote:

If you are getting 12 inches of line retrieval on a fly reel, you must be strapping a size 8 reel on a ice rod. That sounds clunky as heck to me.

Yes, if I were putting a #8 reel on a panfish ice rod it would be clunky. My point was simply that the technology already exists for excellent reels that have 12" retrieve and solid drag systems, that weigh under 6 oz., and are affordably priced.

I agree a fly reel is not the perfect solution for an ice rod, but I think if the manufacturers took more time to do some more engineering they could come up with a better product than what we've seen so far. I question the durabililty of a plastic reel on the ice, I'd prefer cast aluminum. I also wonder how solid the gears and drag on the Eagle Claw be when the whole thing weighs 5.5 oz? From what I've seen so far I'd rather have an Okuma 4/5 fly reel with a long "leg," if there were available, like a regular spinning reel.

[bobbymalone]

the multiplier isn't that big a deal for me. I can pull panfish up from XX feet with a whole lot of cranks or 2/3 less.

I just don't wanna have to let go of the reel handle for the drag to work. That's my only beef with fly reels on an ice rod.

and the plastic doesn't bother me too much... if it isn't junk. The frabill reel looks like the parts don't quite fit together, the hallmark of cheap chinese manufacturing.

[FishinFools]

I lined one up and tied it to my desk drawer. The drag works just like a spinning reel: if I pull up on the rod, it takes out line against the drag, handle does not turn. You can then crank it down to the hole and pull up again, repeat.

The only difference in action compared to a spinning reel is that when you reel up against the drag, and you crank in excess of the drag setting, the handle just rotates, it does not turn the spool, obviously. On a spinning rod, the spool rotates with the bail against the drag in that situation.

This is exactly the reel I have been trying to find. Fit and finish is better than anything else I have seen (of course I have not seen the new Betty first hand) and it free spools very well to drop the lightest of jigs (at least in the air).

Had anyone heard of this reel from Eagle Claw before today? Came out of the blue! Can't wait to try it with a fish on the other end!

[DTro]

I've seen the word "raft reel" mentioned in a few threads here and there. I didn't know what that was, so I Googled it.

Funny, all these reels aren't really all that new at all, and it looks like China has tons of them.