fly reel

[gman2002]

can anyone who's used a fly reel on there ice rod tell me a little about the advantages , other than line twist, do they hold up in the winter or are they for inside mostly ? how about what size or type.

[OnAFly]

I use an Okuma Sierra 5/6 and a Lamson Konic 2 for ice fishing and fly fishing. Both hold up well in the cold. The Lamson has a better drag, but costs 4X as much.

I put the Sierra on my JM sight fishing rod and the Konic on my TB Sweetheart outside rod. Works as good in the cold as it does in the warmth.

[blackdog1101]

I am a fly angler, and like OnAFly have some pretty spendy Ross reels, but I don't want to risk them on the ice. For ice fishing I have a Pfleuger 1492 fly reel on my main panfishing rod. If I recall correctly it cost about $25. I use it both inside and outside with out any difficulties. For panfishing in under about 20 FOW I wouldn't go back to a spinning reel.

IMO the benefit is the reduction in line twist, I fish very small panfish jigs on 2 lbs test, and the reduction in my jig spinning from line twist has helped me catch more and larger fish.

The downside is that you have to strip line off the reel by hand. You can't just open a bail or disengage the drag so the line falls freely off the reel.

[castmaster]

Are you guys using the reel to take line back in when you get a bit, or hand over handing it like with the old jig sticks?

Have used a fly rod/reel a couple times but never seen anyone fight the fish on the reel, but rather by stripping line.

[icekid10]

You just reel it in. With the ice fishing aspect of it its like a bait caster in that it doesn't give you line twists, but you can precisely present a bait.

I use the drag loosened up all the way much like free spool on a spinning reel. I thumb the spool when I fight the fish. I back reel to lower the bait and I can constantly pound the jig on the way down in shallow clear water.

Hope that helped a little.

Matt

[Harmonica Bear]

Aer these 1:1? or are they multiplier fly reels?

[OnAFly]

They are 1:1

I use the drag on my reels on hard and soft water, it's more consistent than my thumb.

[icekid10]

1:1. On my reel I think I get 9 inches per turn of the handle.I know for the winter use you want to put backing on it and then tie your line to that. Putting 3000 yards of 2# p-line would be a waste. I use it in shallower water. I usually don't fish deeper then 30 feet anyway.

[slipperybob]

Other advantages are;

jig control - raising or lowering your jig as you're working it

bite feedback - you have direct line contact and you will feel subtle bites better

bait feeder - deadstick and work it like a rattle reel

[blackdog1101]

There are times when slowly back reeling to drop the jig down will really get the fishes interest.

Like Icekid said, put backing on the reel first. I have fly line backing on mine, then some heavier mono (8 - 10 lbs test? I forget) and then my 2 lbs test.

[Dark Cloud]

I played around withflyreels alot the last two winters and realy enjoy them.

Line twist and coils in your line from small spinning reels are the biggest benifits.

Weight, balance, and drag are a few more.

Only drawback is stripping line to drop your bait in deep water. But that is bothering me less and less. Today I was in 13ft of water and if I grabbed the line at the rod tip and pulled line twice - I was down 8 to 9 ft real quick.

Last year I ran a cheap pflueger, a low end ross, and an okuma SLV. I picked up 2 more okumas for this season. They are light, have awesome drags, and are reasonable at around 60$. Another nice feature is you can silence them while keeping the drag activated easily. I like the 2/3 size on shorter rods and the 4/5 on longer rods..

Thorne Bros offers them filled with backing and then some mono, ready to fish.

Heres a good crappie from a few hours ago.

[OnAFly]

OK, there is one more downfall I've noticed as of late. The handle on a fly reel is small. This can make it difficult to reel with heavy gloves or mitten on.

Still, for line twist, there's no better solution than a fly reel.

[icekid10]

OK' date=' there is one more downfall I've noticed as of late. The handle on a fly reel is small. This can make it difficult to reel with heavy gloves or mitten on.

quote']

This is true, but I usually don't wear gloves if I am wearing gloves its on the hand that holds the rod and the hand I reel with is in my pocket. For me I guess I can say I will put up with that issue.

[OnAFly]

This is what I've resorted to as well, but it is a slight shortcoming.