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

["Just Add Ice"]

Very well said Dtro!!!!

On a side note turn the clicker on and we can get our catfishing fix in the middle of winter!!!

[aanderud]

I recently bought a $50 pflueger president reel for walleye fishing in open water based on many recommendations on this site and others plus my friend WWG has them on almost all of his rods. There are plenty out there saying it's a good reel, and it's nice to have the reviews without other guys jumping in and slamming on pflueger because that reel isn't as good as some $200 reel or some other $700 reel. For its price, it performs well.

Likewise, the title of this post is eagle claw reels, and the guts of the thread say that for anywhere between $15 and $30, people can get in on the "new" craze of fly reels in the winter. I see no reason that any other guy who works for or loves some other company that is selling (presumably better) reels for $100 needs to get defensive. There's room in every market for premium brands as well as those for the masses.

If this new Eagle Claw reel performs at ALL for $15, that's a bargain. I think this is the perfect opportunity for many to jump in on the new craze without spending a bunch of cash. I wasn't even going to bite on the $30 price, but at $15 I might just have to. Gives people a chance to jump in on a new style of fishing for less than the cost of gas for one outing to the lake and back (depending where your favorite lake happens to be).

[fisherman-andy]

I am sure Eagle Claw by now has heard of these CRAZY FM Hotspots anglers scooping up their inline reel like cookie monster munching on cookies that mass production is inevitable. Seems its to the point where the MFG cant even box them and being sold out.

I can only imagine which vendors are going to flood the market with their new multiplier/raft style inline reels next year...

[fishwater]

That's why they are called raft reels. Large rafts are headed from China piled sky-high with reels.

[TLfishing]

I picked up this reel yesterday, and I was wondering how you all felt about the ergonomics of this reel?

At first glance I thought it looked like a really nice reel at a good price point, but now I have some concerns (concerns mostly with ergonomics and NOT build quality):

If you hold the reel and rod in a "pencil grip" fashion, when you hook onto a fish, it seems like the reel itself would have a tendency to rub against the palm of your hand while reeling in the fish.

If the reel is attached in the traditional "fly fishing" manner (reel on the bottom) the reel and rod is out of balance, making it bottom heavy.

If you fish the rod and reel in the manner of traditional "spinning gear" the reel is not balanced and twist/pulls to the left because the gears and handle being on the left side are heavier. This makes it look and feel akward because nothing's aligned. Also, I am thinking the line will have a tendency to spool up on the left side of the reel due to this natural shift.

Am I missing something here? Do you guys think that this will effect or strain your hands and wrist over a long period of fishing? How would you guys mount the reel to rod to overcome some other these issues?

[SunnyFishin]

Sure better is better, and only a fool would argue that a $30 reel is better than a $100 reel (unless of course a different fool has put a $100 price tag on a $25 reel). I bet we can all find a $200 reel that is probably better than that $100 reel. Bottom line is that it comes down to value of your dollar. If that $30 reel performs decent and lasts 5 years that’s a pretty darn good deal at $6/year. That $100 reel needs to last about 17 years to equal that. The old saying about paying for what you get is generally a good practice though. For example, I feel I’ve got GREAT value out of my Abu 100’s I paid $20 bucks for that are now going on their 4 th year.

From the tone of the posts and considering the new membership status, I’m guessing SunnyFishin might possibly have horse in this race

The great thing about these discussions is we all have our own opinion and the long standing members here know one another and there is a history in which their helpful posts can be taken with a certain degree of trust. If someone who has been here and participated in discussions for the past 5-10 years with a good track record and says, “ah man this reel is junk” I’m most likely going to take his or her word and steer clear.

Unfortunately I can’t say the same about a brand new member. But that is just me.

Oh, and I’ll ask again, who is going to use any sort of clicker or bait alarm on a panfish rig?

Oh man...you got me good! You're right, I am a new member, weren't you at one time? When do posts become relevant? Do I have to spend 10 years and waste the time for 2,000 posts to be considered a good angler?

Also, no horse other than the shop I work at here has a few of these 6061 reels coming in and their rep up here is pretty nice (guy named Jon, cool dude)...they just sound like awesome reels.

Sorry I didn't bite into the homerism of a "good deal" when Eagle Claw is blowing reels out direct for $15, and we have the combo here on our shelf for $39.99. Have to love the big companies trying to help the local tackle shops...

Should I refrain from judging your character by the amount of posts you have? The time you must spend on here and not on the water?

[whitebassman]

I noticed the Reel Wraps on the one rod. I tried them last year on a couple of rods and love the extra grip they provide. Plus, it's easy to swap out reels quickly.

I like it so far. I wish now I had ask Dusty for two more for the rods I bought the previous year. Anyone know if those reel wraps are available anywhere?

[whitebassman]

And let's stop the bickering and get back on topic here.

For this price point it is awesome that it offers the same features as the yet to be available 6061 at $100.

I myself have an order in for two 6061s. But jumped at the value of the eagle claws. How they last over time who knows. But who here hasn't upgraded rods and reels every five years or so as new tech comes out??

[fishwater]

You can buy a bag of 100 bands and a nice spreader tool in the livestock section of Fleet Farm.

[fisherman-andy]

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).

I like to also re-confirm the drag feature as stated by FishinFools. The spool does not rotate against the drag if the fish is pulling. The handle just rotates, no spooling in. However this should not be a concern for light tackle anglers going after panfish, perch & tullibees.

As far a features wise this reel would satisfy most, something that has been lacking compared to the typical straightline fly reel. Again the finish product looks good. As for durability and issues no one is going to know the full outcome till the reel has been put to use on the hardwater. Being that the reel is made from plastic/metal parts is its biggest downfall. Don't be surprise if we see an upgraded version made from better materials next season.

But from a price stand point, $15-$30 I am not going to complain compared to the other options on the market for similar value. Even if it sounds like a cheap thrill it's one experience I'm willing to risk due to low cost. I too have a pre-order for 13 Fishing's 6061 reel which I am definitely excited about getting my hands on.

[cichlid_baby]

I handled a few of these fly (style) reels on some premounted combos at the local store.. honestly.. the ones I looked at were very uncomfortable. How do you even grip the rod? or have clearance for your fingers? How can you make a good hookset? It felt so awkward and unbalanced.

So.. that was that... not gonna jump wagon anytime soon. I am sure some of these reels are already addressing these issues with different reel foot designs but the ones I saw were more tradition fly style reels.. and they did not impress. I'll throw my money into something else this year and stick with my 750 series shimanos all the way.

[SunnyFishin]

And I apologize if I come across as loving that 6061, probably more of a bias towards Eagle Claw blowing it out at $15 vs. what we can sell it for (hence being here).

...when in fact, at the end of the day I'll use my SE500 for 95% of everything. Unless something here in these multipliers blows me away (which I'm hoping for).

[DTro]

Lol, nobody said your post wasnt relevant, Sunny and nobody questioned your character, you just seemed pretty defensive towards the 13 fishing reel. But, you are right, i should fish more...

Still waiting to hear which panny guys are going to use that fancy line out alarm on the 6061

[SunnyFishin]

I don't really think there is DTro, other than maybe the most expensive dead stick combo on planet earth...

I'm just the angry guy behind the counter man, nothing against either reel. Just trying to fill the tiller and keep it real.

[pushbutton]

Still waiting to hear which panny guys are going to use that fancy line out alarm on the 6061

This guy!

[DTro]

Bazinga

[Fishin4fun_MN]

I wanted stand alone reels to put on my own rods, but this was the only way I could get them locally. I plan on taking them off the cheap eagle claw rods and reselling the rods on a garage sale to make up the difference in price. May even set one up for my nephew as a starter rod as he now wants to start ice fishing with me.

[openingact]

Aside from some of the bickering... there's a lot of good info on here. Definitely unfortunate that Eagle Claw through the local tackle shops under the bus by under cutting their sales price.

I had 2 6061s on preorder which I cancelled seeing these reels. Just couldn't help myself. After feeling out the normal Black Betty, I have no doubt the 6061 will be quality. Just a little steep.

Though I had already head from Matt at 13 that these were being made over seas I didn't realize that it was already such a popular item. Seems like just about anyone could put an order in for their min. qty and sell them once they come in.

[whitebassman]

I like it so far. I wish now I had ask Dusty for two more for the rods I bought the previous year. Anyone know if those reel wraps are available anywhere?

cold snap reel wraps...thanks to andy

free shipping now too

[bobbymalone]

unless of course a different fool has put a $100 price tag on a $25 reel

a fool?

more like a genius.

going like hotcakes

The pics look sexy, but I'd never buy a reel I haven't held in my hands.

How many people have actually seen these things?

[Coon]

Are you supposed to put a backing line on first or just load the reel up with the regular fishing line?

[Eric_Kruger]

depending on the size of the arbor im sure I will use a little backing, a pony spool of 4lb line doesnt take up a whole lot of space

[FISHINGURU]

I never knew so many people fished for the little ones.

[Eric_Kruger]

just an fyi mankato Gander has 5 of them on the shelf.....

[whitebassman]

depending on the size of the arbor im sure I will use a little backing, a pony spool of 4lb line doesnt take up a whole lot of space

i don't think any backing is needed. its marked as 4 lb will be 75yds. which is about the whole spool of your avg ice line.

with the 2.6:1 ratio, really no need to do backing.