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[HOOK]

I have not once gone into a shop to have them suggest things to me. I do ALOT of research online on rod weights, reel weights, line capacities.......etc before I even step foot in the shop. That's if I even bother to not buy online. If I did it the way you want to I would end up spending way more then I meant to which would translate to death by wife later on 


HOOK - likes classic looking click/pawls, I own 3 Hardy's already and think an old Dingley or a Speyco might be next in the quiver 

[RalphH]

you will do fine going to Fred's.

FWIW like Mr Forbes I also have a couple of Trions. They are a good sturdy reel. I have had not had good luck with Redingtons. They are however simply replaced under warranty (for a small fee) when there is any problem.

So many good reels are being produced in the factories of the far east for such reasonable sums it makes little sense to spend a large amount of $ on a reel. You can buy 2 or 3 equivalent reels for some of the more expensive stuff.Most come with some sort of lifetime warranty.
 
Lamson is one company that has an excellent rep for product quality and they make reels at just about every price point. 

I am not a fan of click and pawl reels. No Hardy reel is a classic unless it was made 60 or 70 or more years ago. I bought more than a few Hardy's when I first started fly fishing in the early 80s. The 'classics' knockoffs like the St John M2 and the Marquis developed loose rivets on a regular basis with consistent use. By consistent I mean they had to be replaced every year. The replacements were never as reliable as the factory installed rivets. My Golden Prince twice has the spindle seize when I was in the field. I sold what I could and use the few I still have as backups.

I have since bought only disk drag reels and haven't had any issues. Most good disk drags will last several years or more before the drags are worn. My SA system 2 reels both went over 20 years.

[FlyFishin Magician]

I have a number of Hardy's myself, and they are all in near-mint condition and I've used them hard.  My most used Hardy is probably my Ultralight DD 8/9, but it does have a disc drag as opposed to a click & pawl.  I intend to use my Marquis for steelhead, where my Lamson will likely get more "heavy use".  We'll see.

As I've mentioned before, I do really like the Lamsons and their pricing is not bad for what you get.  Just watch out for that "gland cap" issue I mentioned before.  I can't comment on the other reels, but I'm thinking with today's technology, you don't have to spend a ton of dollars to get a good quality product.

[Spawn Sack]

Thanks a lot guys I've been researching a lot of the reels mentioned and like a lot of them.

I emailed one of the fly instructors I know and asked his opinion. He said if you can afford it to go with the Galvin Rush Light R-12 or the Torque T-12 for the rod I have. Here's a link to the reels:

http://www.galvanflyreels.com/rush_reels.html
http://www.galvanflyreels.com/torque_reels.html

He said in his opinion they are top notch and well worth the money. The R-12 MSRP is $370 and the Torque is $500. I'm definitely NOT looking to drop $500 before taxes on a reel, but I could possibly swallow $370. $70 above the high end of my budget which is no big deal.

Any one own or have an opinion on the Galvans?

[HOOK]

the R-10 at 9.4oz should also fit your rod nicely.

I personally don't get excited over a lot of Galvans stuff. they are pretty basic looking for their cost but I know a couple guys that own them and love them

I think there is reels of equal quality at lower prices. do side by side comparisons of lesser value reels and the Galvans (or do google reviews)

the Rush seems like its components compare very close to the Allen and Pflueger reels

[pwn50m3 f15h3r]

Will these reels work? They sound like they will.
http://templeforkoutfitters.ca/reels/43-prism-ii-reels

[HOOK]

yes that reel would work.

again its very comparable to the Allen and Pflueger reels. its also comparable to the Lamson's with its sealed drag system, sealed drags are great if your one of those people that like to set their rod/reel in the water with your fish for pics or set them on the ground. without a sealed drag water will cause your drag to "slip or stutter" sometimes or all the time, sand in the drag will cause the same thing but also grinding and wearing it out very quickly

I like to use click/pawl because I can set it down without worry. I just make sure to open it, clean it and lube it every few trips. If I set it down and think it got sand in it I can just pop out the spool and give it a solid rinse in the river and pop it back together. Of course on my solid face reels its not as easy to take out the spool so I do it at home. I don't put my gear on the ground/in the water very often.

[RalphH]

Grit is a problem with any fly reel. Click and pawls are no better. It's a matter of getting the grit between the spool and frame. I find it easily rinses out. Just pop out the spool and rinse both. Viola!

[Bently]

yes that reel would work.

again its very comparable to the Allen and Pflueger reels. its also comparable to the Lamson's with its sealed drag system, sealed drags are great if your one of those people that like to set their rod/reel in the water with your fish for pics or set them on the ground. without a sealed drag water will cause your drag to "slip or stutter" sometimes or all the time, sand in the drag will cause the same thing but also grinding and wearing it out very quickly

I like to use click/pawl because I can set it down without worry. I just make sure to open it, clean it and lube it every few trips. If I set it down and think it got sand in it I can just pop out the spool and give it a solid rinse in the river and pop it back together. Of course on my solid face reels its not as easy to take out the spool so I do it at home. I don't put my gear on the ground/in the water very often.

After I have finished fighting the fish {and presume it has finished fighting also },I then give up the rod and toss my hat down, this is where my reel goes to protect it from any damage, I then follow the rod until i get to the end , then grab the leader and remove my fly while tailing the fish and laying it on it's side, works good for me and i don't ever worry about getting dings or the likes of in and on my reels.

[TayC]

After I have finished fighting the fish {and presume it has finished fighting also },I then give up the rod and toss my hat down, this is where my reel goes to protect it from any damage, I then follow the rod until i get to the end , then grab the leader and remove my fly while tailing the fish and laying it on it's side, works good for me and i don't ever worry about getting dings or the likes of in and on my reels.

That's how I do it as well, learned it by watching some Bob clay videos.

[HOOK]

I've tried that but because I play my fish hard and get them in quickly they are always still ready to fight, nothing worse than being half way down your rod and the fish takes off dragging your stuff across the rocks 


Only time I might put my reel down in the water is for a picture, usually I lay it across my thighs but sometimes you cant.

[Spawn Sack]

Thanks a lot guys! Unrelated to the reels, I do like the idea of dropping your hat and placing your reel in/on it when you're mucking around trying to release a fish. I agree with HOOK that there are few things more annoying that laying your rod+reel down carefully to release a fish and it takes off dragging your gear along with it! Most of the time I try to "high stick" the fish up close to me then stick me rod butt in the ground, grab my leader with pliers in the other hand, and release the fish without my rod+reel touching the ground. However at times I'm forced to lay both down which always makes me cringe. I'm going to try the hat idea next time I'm in that situation!

Back to the reels...I've been looking at them all online, some look pretty sweet! Based on price, specs, reviews and of course appearance I really like the Allen Kraken and Solitude 5. However they are a little light at 8.11oz for the Allen and 8.14 for the Solitude.

I was looking at the Redington Delta 11/12 ($259.95) at Fred's in Abbotsford the other day. Nice looking reel! Weight is 9oz. Has any one tried the Delta or have an opinion on it? Overall they (Fred's) did not have much of a stock of spey reels. Some Hardy's which look nice and I think were around $300. I still have to research them. I haven't checked out Fred's Chilliwack yet but it's so small in there and so busy lately I'm not too crazy on looking there.

Probably going to check out Sea Run in a couple weeks. Went to Wholesale sports on the weekend and young guy working the counter new nothing about them aside from "what's popular." I know a lot of staff at Sea Run are big into the spey scene so I'm hoping they have a good stock of spey reels for me to look at.

[Spawn Sack]

Also, what's the deal with this "gel spun" backing vs regualr backing? I've never heard of it however I see a lot of the reel companies list the reel capacity with both lines and the gel spun is about half the diameter. I'm guessing twice the price???

[BNF861]

Gel spun is thinner diameter so you can fit more on a reel in less space. Can be good if you have limited capacity on a reel. The trade off is its more expensive. I personally have just stuck with standard Dacron on my reels.

If you are looking for more shops to check out for reels, I would highly recommend Micheal & Young fly shop (M&Y) in Surrey. They are great and fly/spey specific.

[HOOK]

I do not like gel spun for two reasons. it costs to damn much for something that barely comes off the reel and it must be put on tightly or it will dig into itself cause it to grab as a fish pays out line which could result in lost fish.

Did I not tell you to take your rod with you to look at reels ?? pretty sure I did. Does anyone at WS really know anything about fishing ? I leave them puzzled about something fishing every time I'm in there and they can never answer a question I may have

Those reels might fit very well being pretty close to 9oz. like I was saying that a 9oz+ will probably be slightly too heavy but that's how I like it (also how a lot of spey guys like it)

I know you cant try out those reels however you can take your rod into a shop and try other reels in similar weights as them and see if they balance. If not then you know you need a bit more weight in the reel. remember that putting on the backing, running line, shooting head will also add weight to the reel (probably less than an ounce though)


EDIT - I decided to go and look up your rods actual weight and it is 7.9oz. the rod I use says its 8.7oz and a 9oz reel balance it perfectly. I would bet a slightly lighter reel will work nicely on your rod