spool fly line neatly onto the reel

[SargeRX8]

Hey all.

Have a bit of an issue. Ive tried 3 times to get even line lay and cant do it. Its bumpy and looks like shit. Ive checked online for nothing of use. Youtube shows people using machines.

Does have any tips? I could do it very slowly and cautiously but I will be there all week.

Also seeking a new fly reel for my 8wt. Anybody able to suggest something i can use in salt which isnt expensive?

[troutboy]

Hi sargerx8, are you referring to the backing or the flyline itself? An 8wt reel shouldnt be holding much more than 200 yds of 30lbs backing which wont take too long to spool by hand.If its the flyline you are referring to it can take a bit of practise to maintain even linelay espescially when playing a fish off the reel,if you find

that the flyline is catching on the outer rim of the reel you will have to use your index finger of your rod holding hand to move the flyline from side to side much like a game reel only underneath.Think level wind on a bait caster if that makes more sense.Giving your line a good stretch before using will also help it behave a bit better espescially if the line has been stored on the reel for a long period of time with little use.Also a line dressing such as rio agent x or something similar will have an old line performing like new after a quick treatment. As for saltwater reels ,anything anodized and with a sealed drag will be fine.A Lamson Konic springs to mind ,hope this is of some help Im sure there are others with tips as well. cheers troutboy

[SargeRX8]

Hey man cheers for the reply. I was referring to the fly line. It hard to lay evenly and I feel if I spend time there fixing that up, one cast and retrieve is gonna undo it all because when you're in a rush against a fish I don't think Ill be focusing on laying line but it bumps up too much at some points and any more it will make contact with the body of the reel. I use mucilin treatment.

[jimmy72]

Hey sarge,

I’m a little confused as to the exact problem, so I’ll start with the basics ..sorry if i sound patronising .

Troutboy is on the mark, but I’ll write a more long winded and most probably boring response anyway

gm

Fly Line on the reel is not meant to look neat, like say compared to the fishing line on overhead or spin reel, the backing yes it must be wound on tight and crossed to stop it biting into itself and jamming when the fish run.

Ok so you know that when/ before we start to fish / cast we pull off the reel 70-90% of the fly line.. say 60 – 80 foot (more on longer lines, less in tight situations, strip off the about the amount of line you expect to be casting plus say 10 foot more). To retrieve the fly and give it action we strip the line onto the ground by hand from below the bottom guide (don’t wind it back in using the reel) , - you strip the line onto the water, ground, boat deck or stripping basket or whatever as you retrieve your fly, you then cast again, so having it neat on the reel is never important, you want it loose in big coils on the ground to make the next cast easier.

If the line is badly jamming against the body of the reel when you do wind it in fighting a fish you have too much backing on - leave enough room on the reel after the backing is put on to be able to pretty much wind the line in any old how without it jamming up….. but we don’t really wind in 'any old how' you do use your index finger to lay the line roughly side to side when winding the line in fighting a fish as troutboy mentioned, with some practice it becomes second nature

If you feel you don’t have enough backing after making some more room, you might wanna consider using 40 - 50lb braid rather than Dacron backing to increase your capacity. Use 40- 50lb as it less likely to cut your finger off that 30lb and is still far thinner than Dacron.

Winding Machines? I’d guess any machines you see being used for winding fly lines are for a quick changing lines and /or for putting the line on a bigger diameter holder to reduce line memory / coiling of the line while not being used. Winding your Fly line tight on your reel and storing it that way will only increase the dreaded coiling and line memory that brings about tangles. As troutboy says smart people stretch their lines before fishing - the night before works leaving it loose in big coils on the floor or stretched between things like two poles or chairs, or around large diameter objects etc will reduce the tangle factor in the line

As for cost of a reel - sarge whats your budget?

I’m a fan of not spending too much but also keen on getting a decent reel with a decent drag and large arbour –, I have large arbour ‘Colton’ fly reel CRGii 8 -10, its made in the states and in my opinion very very good for the price( 250 or so with spare spool and postage.. think the reel was 170 on its own ) – manufacturer has an eBay store too, but website often has massive discounts, I have also looked hard at the okuma reels the Helios looks good for the price , I’m sure others have experience with other brands and models and can help on that one too

cheers

[SargeRX8]

Quality information here guys much appreciated. See I think you hit my issue. I'm coming from a egg beater/over head fishing gear so for me seeing line lay is generally crucial as poor line lay can result in wind knots, bellies in the line, biting in the braid etc. I think what I am trying to get at was pointless by the looks of things because after taking into consideration how you fish with fly gear, you really aren't going to fuss about the line lay because as you said, most of the line is layed on the ground or water ready for the next cast.

The way my reel is setup there is a good amount of backing with good leader but often I find my winds are too much to one side and the line will hit the reel at some points and I gotta pull the line and lay it on evenly so I can fit it all on. If you understand what I mean.

For me since this style of fishing is very far and few inbetween my usual methods of fishing, I am not too keen on spending much. The last time I used my fly setup was about 4 months ago. I found one nice reel which got a good review on eBay but unfortunately I can't find that reel anywhere. I'll try find the video of the reel and post it up here. The reel was 59 and from the states, suitable for salt water use and had a large arbor.

I found a spot to harass some bream with my fly gear so gonna try it out and if I like it, I'll probably dedicate more effort into it. I tried for trout and bass those months back but was really hard going as I wasn't wearing waders and there was next to no room to cast and fish. I was too unprepared.

[jimmy72]

hey sarge,

sounds like your on the right track. i have no idea about $59 reels.

if you can strecth the budget i'd hunt around some of the fly fishing websites ( both aussie and USA) that have classifieds , you might get a used $200 + reel for 100 or so, often they will come with a line and backing so its a good deal - most regular posters on a site wont sell lemons, make sure they have a high post count so they are more likely to be fair dinkum.

there are cheap ones of "fleabay", though id search about to read reviews before i spent money on an unknown brand - buy i'm told you can get reels that work for $5 - for an 8 weight you want around a 100mm diameter spool / reel

good luck on the bream they can be fun, i have some notes for fishing for them and what flys what retrieves work etc , i 'll PM you

cheers

gm