| Not only does it not hold
enough backing or have a drag that can handle this fish but
also it doesn't balance out your entire package. Like a rod,
the reel must be up to the task at hand and mate well with
the other items required to form a proper set-up. The reel
should have a quality drag system and hold the proper amount
of backing while leaving plenty of room to reel up the fly
line. 300 yards of 30lb backing is the norm for sailfish;
that's a lot of backing. A large reel is necessary to achieve
this seemingly simple task. Again, however, this is only
one consideration, a good starting point.
Now that we know you need a larger reel, what else should
you look for? As mentioned earlier, the drag.
Cork , a seemingly outdated material, works well, especially
when used in combination with stainless steel, Teflon and
graphite drag systems. Tibor comes to mind and is one of
my favorites. Although, there are many fine reels on the
market and many of them are intended for specific uses and
have features to match. Is what you want is one that is smooth,
no matter how light or hard you have the drag set. A word
of caution; if you use a reel with a cork drag, you will
want to relieve all the pressure off of the drag at the end
of each and every day. Not to mention, that you will also
want to rinse any saltwater off all of your equipment at
the end of each day.
Balance should also be a consideration. Not only does it
feel right, it looks right. Reels, as rods, are sold in specific
sizes that mirror the size of rod you plan to attach it to.
For example; some reels are labeled, 9, 10, and 11. This
means that a 9, 10, or 11wt rod would be good choices for
this one reel. And, you could buy a spare spool, or two,
that would hold lines in all of these sizes and you could
use one reel for three rods, all with matching lines, respectively.
Some reels are heavy, some light. I tend to go for the lightest
reels that don't give up strength to accomplish this, a difficult
task. You will want a reel that is stout but not heavy. It
should have stainless steel where anodized aluminum can't
be used. This makes it durable and able to withstand the
harsh environment of saltwater and also be able to endure
lengthy battles with leviathans of the deep, year after year.
A wide arbor reel holds a great deal of backing without
having to go as deep into the reel, not only does this allow
a quicker line retrieval rate, it helps maintain a consistent
drag setting because the actual diameter, although, continually
changing during battle, doesn't change as much, as compared
to a smaller arbor reel. Moreover, this aids one's chances
of landing a fish that is capable of reaching speeds in excess
of 60mph (like a sailfish).
Also, you will want a reel that offers you ease of palming.
A technique used by the angler to apply additional pressure
by using one's hand to "cup" the exposed spools
rim. Not only can you be delicate here, you can simply stop
the reel with additional pressure, all the while, not having
to fumble with the mechanical drag at all. This ability makes
fighting a fish much easier.
Quality equipment is worth its weight in gold! I seriously
doubt that any angler headed off to the Seychelles has packed
up their trusty trout reel to battle a Giant Trevally (GT).
Nor, would he use his Tibor Riptide to tame trout on the
Yellowstone .
A bullet proof, lightweight, anodized aluminum reel with
stainless steel components, a killer drag and lots of backing
capacity is what you should look for, with saltwater species
in mind.
Trout fishing isn't nearly as demanding. the reel simply
becomes a line storage unit. But, you still want to mate
the correct size reel to the rod. Hopefully, you will fool
enough big trout to eat your fly, that the drag system on
these smaller reels can be incorporated into the battle.
In short, buy a reel that meets your needs and fits your
style. Again, balance out the entire package. |
