Fly Reel Fad?

[FirstIce]

Does all the hype of this fly reel craze make it worth it? Some people say there is no need for a fly reel and its just people jumping on a band wagon? I myself haven't had great success with mine. Somehow I still end up with line twist. Not sure why.

Any thoughts?

[20lbSloughShark]

Because jigging twists your lure in the water. Whats the big deal with line twist anyway? I've got to use a few of the inline reels now, and they do the job. I still prefer a spinning reel though.

[Northlander]

I prefer them in shallow water. Less line twist

[eyeguy 54]

not gonna buy one.....

[Alagnak]

2 words.

Helicopter lure.

[wormdunker]

just got 2 Eagle claws for $18 each. Interestingly every one I ever tried on a combo gelt like dump. Drags stuck, spools had catches, screws were falling off. Just junk. Well found two in clamshells at Dick's.

I have to say, I feel like I am getting more bites on them because i have less line twist. Nno matter what you do, you cannot get as much twist as a spinning reel. I have been fishing in 14' or less, sometimes sight fishing. I compared visually and my bait definitely spins way less with the Eagle claw in line. As a result I out fished some others in my group. Take it for what you will but I actually like what they offer.

the cons? The rod is not balanced laterally, the reel weight cocks the rod to the right. additionally it is not easy to hold it with a pencil grip because the spool edge is not protected. Finally the biggest issue is the line getting behind the spool or out of the opposite side of the spool. I have lean red o deal with it because it is a very nice feeling reel for $18 and it does the job very well.

[tunrevir]

I think where you will notice the difference with the inline reel versus the spinning reel is that it lays the line down straight with reduced line twist. If you are a diehard panfisherman these reels rock for light bite finicky panfish. A spinning jig is often given the cold shoulder while a stationary jig gets bit. The other thing is when fishing deep with lighter jigs and spinning reels the coiling from the line reduces the ability to detect lite bites. The flyreels are just another delivery system but I do like that it reduces the coiling and it sure has improved my catch rate for big gills and crappies.

Tunrevir~

[harvey lee]

I purchased one as I heard so much about them. I didn't,t really care for it and when it broke after approx 5 outings I threw it away, not worth the hassle to return it as that is usually a pain. I believe it wa a Black Betty or something like that's and the drag was poor at best. Can.t say I iced anymore fish with it either and I could not get use to the different feel. Back to my Stradic. I guess if one like's them that's great but not for me. My rod set up with a good spring bobber seems to ice myself a lot of gills without using one and that's mainly what I ice fish for

[FirstIce]

I have an Okuma slv. Every time I jig aggressively and then pause I see nothing but my lure going around in circles. It doesn't eliminate it for good from my perspective. I've been using 4lb trilene fluoro ice.

[castmaster]

I think some folks misunderstand what the benefits are and go into these reels expecting to much. They are another tool, nothing more nothing less. The "line twist" causing your jigs to spin in circles is caused mostly by the action of the jigging motion and lure itself. NO reel will cure this, a simple barrel swivel with a 18" leader is your best option for dealing with this. What you will see a great reduction in is the line "coils" you get with a spinning reel, especially those with a small spool size like most of the 500 size reels we all use on our spinning rods. The larger spool of an inline reel coupled with the direct/inline retrieval and letting out of line pretty much eliminates that coiling. No more waiting for those annoying coils to work their way through small ice guides. No more having those coils impart unwanted "action" on the fall of lighter jigs etc.

Certainly not a magic cure all, but definitely a tool I wont go without.

[harvey lee]

Other issue I had with mine was the line wanted to jump off the spool and get wrapped around the knob on the side of the reel. maybe I had the wrong model but I would not use that model if they gave me a couple for free. I spent to much time undoing the wrapped up line.

[dan z]

I like my clam spooler I have 3lb bionic ice line on it and it has iced many panfish in the past 2 seasons. I have it strapped to a scheels elite ice UL with a frabill titanium bobber. I can see every little thing happening with this set up.

[DTro]

Well actually I think the line gets twisted (not coiled) by traveling around the roller bearing on a spinning reel and from what I understand this is the main advantage to an inline reel.  Sure the arbor is bigger and that also reduces coiling as well, but when using a line like mono with higher memory all you have to do is hand stretch 5 or 6 arm lengths before you start fishing and you are good to go

[Fred_Bear]

Catch 10 bluegills or 1 little pike and the line will have enough twist to spin your little jig like a top no matter what kind of reel it is attached to.

Will fly reels have less line twist than spinning reels? YES

Will line twist and jig spinning be eliminated? Not even close... unless you don't catch any fish.

[harvey lee]

To be honest, I don't see how these fly reels will help me ice more fish. Maybe a little less line twist, I don't have that big of an issue with line twist to switch to a fly type reel reel.

After I used mine for 4-5 outings, I could not see the advantage to one. I had nothing but line issues arounf the larger sppol and got very frustrated with it and wondered why I even purchased it. Who knows, maybe I got a defective one. I am sure in time I could have gotten use to using it as it was really different with that larger spool below my rod. Seemed clumsy to me.

I have good rod's, very sensitive spring bobber's and from there, I do not know if the reel really makes any big difference.

As with any new product on the market for fishing today, get a few pro staff to pump it up and away the sales go.

I just don't see the day that the majority of fisherman will be using these fly reel's. Yes, some will as it is new and some will continue to use them but not enough of an advantage for the majority to buy them.

Then, I could be wrong too

[MaxGoldman]

Another possible reason for line twist with an inline may be spooling the line on wrong, if you're laying the spool of line flat on the ground and then spooling onto your reel, the line wouldn't be going on as straight as keeping the spool of line upright, matching the spool on your inline. I wouldn't expect anyone to do this since it's kind of common sense but just in case.

I have multiple eagle claws and don't see any jig spinning even while jigging, I like the reels a lot for panfishing. I'll have my line get wrapped around the knob and occasionally backlash when I set the hook but that is all from me not paying attention. I think the reels are capable of doing everything they should and for $30 you can't go wrong. As long as you don't buy a faulty reel to begin with, most of the issues beyond that that I read of all seem to be user errors. I am at fault almost every time I go out, but as long as you pay attention, make sure the line is on the spool, make sure you rotate the handle until it locks the spool in place, the reels are great IMO.

One thing I will say about when I personally have issues is when I'm hole hopping outside. That's the only times I'll find that the line will get caught on the knob (if it's cold and windy it's easy to lose track of what's going on), or wearing thick gloves I won't feel the spool lock in place so my next hookset has line spooling all over the place ha. But if I'm in a shack the things are easy to operate.

[ParaPro]

can someone post a pic or a video as to how the line is to come off the reel?? i just got one the other day and want to make sure I set it up right.. Thanks!

[Northlander]

I have the Clam fly reels because I didn't want to blow big bucks on fly reels if I didn't like them. I have had good luck with them and people that I let use them find them easy to use. I don't use the drag much, I usually palm the spool but others that have used them and used the drag seem to like them. For the $ I think they are a good intro fly reel.

[M1dwestF1sh]

I have a couple and have had nothing but problems. It's a good idea and when I manage to get it to work it does have a lot less line spin but IMO its not worth it.

[JbuZZo]

can someone post a pic or a video as to how the line is to come off the reel?? i just got one the other day and want to make sure I set it up right.. Thanks!

do a youtube search, they are already out there, that's how I learned to spool my 2.4:1 Straightline Frabill reel up

[amateurfishing]

I bought 1 okuma 2/3 slv and loved it so much that is now on all my combos, my bite detection and zero line twist issues compared to previous spinning reels makes this my absolute go to reel for the ice bar none. I have also tested in stores (& bought couple for kids) of the clam genz series, these are very basic starter types but are not comparing apples to apples to a brand like okuma. whether fishing 5 FOW or 45, I have such good results with these reels (higher bite detection and much higher hook rates) I don't even care when I have to let out enough line to get to 45 feet. it is all worth the wait & trouble for me.

for anyone that that has line wrapping around the spool backing, a pro store that set mine up said that means you have too much backing on it and the line is sliding into the crease

if you are having your line wrap around the handle, im not sure how this is possible if you always have the line tight, must be jigging real hard or something.

I have been nailing everything in the water with an inline reel and my spring bobber rods lately (2 inch perch, 8 inch gils, 9 inch crappies, & plenty-0-sunnies) and rarely miss a bite as long as the line is tight (which it ALWAYS is) for me.

[Catfish999]

I was in Fleet Farm last fall and I saw a Genz Ice Spooler for $10.00, so I snapped it up. It was a return and was not in a box. It was not working right, so I took it appart and put it back together. Now it works great. I put it on a 36 inch noodle rod and have been having fun with it all winter. I did have the same trouble Harvey had when I was fishing outside in the very cold and wind. The line would get behind the brackets, but once I moved into the portable and the wheelhouse, I have had no trouble. I spent half of the winter in 23 feet of water and that was not too deep for this reel. Maybe I do it strangly, but I just pull line out against the drag every time, 6 feet at a time. I get back down the hole quickly. I like when I set the hook, the drag lets out a wrap or two of line, but I am still tight to the fish. Then I reel like heck because of the 1 to 1 ratio. I also never set the hook on a tight line. When I get a tap, I let slack. If the line stays slack, I set the hook. If the line goes tight before I set the hook, the fish dropped it. This also works great for down jigging. I just jig slowly down and the fish grab it on the fall. This puts slack in the line and I set the hook. I could do all of the same things with my spinning reels. I just seems like more fun with the fly reel. Good luck out there.

[castmaster]

One tip for those having trouble with the line getting caught in the groove between the arbor and side plate, try spooling less line on the reel. I am guessing that would solve Harveys problem of line jumping off the reel as well. He may also want to try adjusting the line tension knob to add more tension/slow the rate of line spooling off the reel.

[slipperybob]

I've used a fly reel for almost as long as I've used a baitcasting reel. I however prefer the baitcasting reel.

[irishwalleye]

Added one to my rod bag this winter. So far it has become my go to rod/reel when fishing extra-light weight horizontal presentations (which are the majority of my fishing). Especially in shallow water. Once I upsize or go deep, it goes back into the rod bag. I tested identical Ratso's against each other this weekend and the straight-line combo easily out performed the open-face.

My verdict. They really aren't for everyone and more people bought them than should have.