Balanced Rods With Reels

[ogilvie]

Little is spoken of the importance of physical balance between reel and rod. Many of the "old time" Spey Casters really liked the big Hardy Salmon ,Cascapedia,Bougle, Perfect, and the Farlow ,Ari Hart, Megoff,and the list goes on. But most of the rods were very heavy...but as we all know the rods have become much lighter in weight and the reels have as well.In the Single handed world this is also very true....in fact several reels made today have adjustable reel seats to slide the reel to your preferred location for your own balance and casting style.

The larger 11 to 12 wt Spey reels made of Quality Aircraft grade Aluminum will weigh approx. 7-10 ozs. The classic reels do weigh more up to 15 ozs. for some of the old pre-war versions.

An intereesting topic that needs to be addressed when selecting your ideal reel.

[headscan]

Gawesworth goes into this in his Spey Casting book, specifically about having a reel that makes the rod's balance point at the same spot where it would be most comfortable to grip with your top hand. I think he mentions that if the balance point is too high or low that it can be more tiring to cast. There's a formula he gives for determining the ideal reel weight for your rod, though I haven't tried it.

[Guest bigbadbrent]

That's why i tell people to bring in their rods if they're looking at getting a new reel. The balance will be a little bit more forward, due to the lack of a line on it, but its better then buying one that is completely off. I think balance is the most important thing when purchasing a trout reel. It will be interested to see what reels will match those new Orvis's, considering how light they are, but still toss a big line.

 

 

Headscan, its the same for single handers as well, you want the rod to balance right where you're comfortable gripping it. I think as long as it balances inside of the cork you're fine..

 

Rather have a lighter reel thats unbalanced due to the reel weight, then a too heavy reel

[ogilvie]

I think that you are going to find many more reels in the near future offering the sliding reel foot...it is not a new concept and very practical. Hardy did offer this as did several other companies and a few still do. As you say,the light physical weights of the new Orvis and Sage rods along with the Hardy Angel series has opened the door for this to become more featured...and it's not a difficult task to adapt existing reels!

 

C

[CDone]

Talking with Roger from Exclusive Reels last night and it looks like Ari 't Hart is going to enter the Spey reel game, maybe he will come up with something like this in a larger size.

 

 

Colin

[headscan]

That's why i tell people to bring in their rods if they're looking at getting a new reel. The balance will be a little bit more forward, due to the lack of a line on it, but its better then buying one that is completely off. I think balance is the most important thing when purchasing a trout reel. It will be interested to see what reels will match those new Orvis's, considering how light they are, but still toss a big line.

Headscan, its the same for single handers as well, you want the rod to balance right where you're comfortable gripping it. I think as long as it balances inside of the cork you're fine..

 

Rather have a lighter reel thats unbalanced due to the reel weight, then a too heavy reel

 

Yeah, it's just as important to balance a single hand rod with the reel, but I think that's a lot easier to do. For example, the majority of 6 weight single hand rods are about 9' long and probably weigh roughly within an ounce of each other. Easy enough for the reel manufacturers to make their reels so that they'll balance most of the mainstream mass marketed rods (Sage, Loomis, Scott, TFO, Orvis, etc.).

 

With a two-handed rod you can get a lot more variation I think. I was looking at the Meiser Highlander rods and he has 7/9 rods in five different lengths - 13', 13'6, 14', 15', and 16'. All five of those rods are going to need a reel with roughly the same capacity, but the reel that balances the 13' won't necessarily balance the 16'. Meiser doesn't list the rod weights on his site so I can't say for sure (probably because the weight changes with the different custom components he offers). I think there are just more variables to consider when picking a reel for a double hander.

[ogilvie]

Talking with Roger from Exclusive Reels last night and it looks like Ari 't Hart is going to enter the Spey reel game, maybe he will come up with something like this in a larger size.

 

 

Colin

'

Is that the rod you did for Roger?

[ogilvie]

Choosing the right reel for a specific rod is very important but not all that difficult...Capacity and balance are the two primary considerations..then cost. The Hardy Zane Ti (Titanium)weight an astounding 14 ozs..! it also retails at $10,000.00,it's mate the Zane ( Aluminum) weights in at 10 ozs approx and retails at a reasonable $1,100.00;in comparison...

Good Spey Reels will generally cost in the range from $400 to $800...and there are plenty of them

[Guest bigbadbrent]

Colin, i think the Ari 't Hart's are a little above the high majority of fishermen, though they are absolutely works of art

 

Courtney, i think it's harder to get a good reel that matchs your rod for a great price, thats the biggest problem. Sure i'd love to have a Saracione, but i know im not going to afford it

[CDone]

'

Is that the rod you did for Roger?

Yup. Only 10 more to go.

 

 

 

Colin

[ogilvie]

Very nice job Colin..Only 10 more? These Are fun little reels and the rod designs are great...there is a market for these within our ranks ....somewhere.

Brent,It really isn't difficult to find a reel to match any rod...even Two Handers. It is about your desire to fulfill a need,the look one may wish to portray,the fish being sought and the Balance...simple as that. Perhaps the fly fisher that desires to fish a 3 weight 7' Cane rod that costs $3500 can answer better the need! On all my Two Handers I will fish or use a $400 reel and have every confidence in it's performance. I have had Hardy Reels collapse,Lampson,SA's System 2, Evotec,Leeda and a few others. My needs are somewhat different than most...Salt and Fresh with large fish constantly being a possibility and at times 20-30 --25lb fish in a day of hard fighting! That said,to find a match for a normal single or Two Handed rod can be a simple as matching category weights...

In the World of Spey and Big Blue Water Fishing the criteria is somewhat altered and more specific....

Of all the reels that I own and have used there are Two Manufacturers that stand out that gain my confidence...The Hardy Ultralite and Swift(Swift handles could fall off in the first edition) ,and the XS Reels from Snowbee. My needs are simple,,the reels have to work ,and for my buck...no Cork! I hate to hear that screeching noise of dry hot cork,or the sound of the gears disentregateing.

Simple is good!