Needa Reel!

[Papasequoia]

So I picked up that Redington CPS that Midger found a sale on last month. I got the 8 weight 9' rod. I was thinking of using it as kind of an all-around rod for stripers, steelhead, small salmon or, you know, that fish with a face that only a mother could love. Any suggestions for reel and/or line for this rig? Not looking for the best or the cheapest, just something dependable and middle of the road. Thanks in advance! Jon

[Danny McB]

Check out the Scierra (i Think) reels. Our local shop stocked them for upper wieghted lines before he closed up. Basically its a pretty sound reel but the kicker is that it comes with four spools... so if your gonna want to target all of those species it may help in the long run to get a good deal with extra spools. I have not tried them but have heard great things... I would have bought them when my reel broke but the fly shop owner used his warranty clout and got me a new rig. Ill see if I can find a link.


Danny McB

[Rollincast]

Lamson Radius, size 3. (7,8wt) Fully machined and one of the best drags there is. On clearance at their website, http://www.waterworks-lamson.com $132.30. You can always pick up xtra spools from e-bay pretty cheap.


Randy

[Danny McB]

Heres a link....... The reviews on that site are not at all like the reviews I have heard so... I dont know, again I have never tried them out myself.



http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templ ... hasJS=true

Also to add to Randy's post I have a new Lamson reel and love it.... one of the best Ive owned

[RichardCullip]

Lots of great reels to choose from. I love the Galvan Torques but they might be more than you want to pay ($400 for a T-8).

I know the guys over on Dan Blanton's board have great things to say about the Sealevel Tempest reels. Good basic draw-bar cork drag reel that will handle bigger fresh water fish (like stripers) and will have the stopping power for lots of saltwater species. Check them out at http://www.sealevelflyfish.com/reels_SeaLevelTempest.html ($175 for a 7/8 reel or $190 for a 9/10 reel)

[RiverRat]

Do not get a Scierra! I used my new XDP once on the Kern and it got bent so bad I had to use a screwdriver to get the spool loose. I babied it that day to because it was brand new and cool looking. Cool looking piece of trash. I called their corporate to complain about their faulty design and the answering machine said "We're sorry but we have closed our North American Operations" I beat the out of my Tioga rockhopping for 12 years and never had a problem bending it!

Just bought a Lamson Radius on clearance and love it so far. It's drag has great control and adjustment. Better than my Tioga plus its a almost a true large arbor which I love after using it just once. Will never go back to a standard arbor size


shane

[midger]

Jon,
The Marryat 8.0 or 8.5 would be a nice match for the rod. You can also pick up a fly logic for a good price. I wouldn't pay $300-400+ for a reel that won't see a lot of use. You can check out the fly logics at:

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-Optimum-7-8-9-Wt-Fly-Logic-Fishing-Reel-Flyreel-MG_W0QQitemZ270309357885QQihZ017QQcategoryZ23818QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262

They come in black, green, blue, and platinum. I used to have a FLO 2 3 4 in green, but sold it. Te reel was very nice, I just decided I didn't need a mossy green reel.

[stanbery]

Jon

Check out ALBRIGHT 70% off right now $37.50 for the reel. The extra spool is $16.50
http://albrighttackle.com/items/fly-reels/gp/gp-reel-7-8s-detail.htm

jon

[Danny McB]

Do not get a Scierra! I used my new XDP once on the Kern and it got bent so bad I had to use a screwdriver to get the spool loose. I babied it that day to because it was brand new and cool looking. Cool looking piece of trash. I called their corporate to complain about their faulty design and the answering machine said "We're sorry but we have closed our North American Operations" I beat the out of my Tioga rockhopping for 12 years and never had a problem bending it!

Just bought a Lamson Radius on clearance and love it so far. It's drag has great control and adjustment. Better than my Tioga plus its a almost a true large arbor which I love after using it just once. Will never go back to a standard arbor size


shane

Well There Ya go on my reccomendation I actually looked a little harder for that reel at my local shops web site last night and he has since pulled it from his store as well, so I guess I only heard the few good reports it got

[darrin terry]

Moot point fellas. He picked up a reel already. Sage 3100. Sweet reel from what I have heard.

[Papasequoia]

Moot point fellas. He picked up a reel already. Sage 3100. Sweet reel from what I have heard.

Different thread, Darrin. I saw Thatsarumr's "gotta reel" thread, remembered I needed a reel, and started this thread and called it 'needa reel.' Thanks for all the advice though, guys. I think I have made my decision. Still wondering about lines though, especially since I will probably pick up an extra spool or two. Since this won't get a lot of use, I'm thinking WF instead of DT, probably a floating, and two different sink tip speeds? Debating between Rio, Cortland's 444 or other?

[darrin terry]

Oops. I would have sworn he started both. One in search of and one announcing the find. My mistake.

In that case, just buy a Galvan. Empty the wallet. Fill the spool.

Galvan Rush - R6 ($260/$121) or R8 ($320/$147) maybe. Same drag as the Torque, less machining so the reel is a little heavier than the Torque, but also cheaper. Extra spools are cheaper too. I have a Torque T6 that I love. The OB's are great from what I have heard as well.

http://www.galvanflyreels.com/rush.html

Not the cheapest but excellent quality and they are made here in CA. They also have a top notch rep. for backing their warranty.

[briansII]

Moot point fellas. He picked up a reel already. Sage 3100. Sweet reel from what I have heard.

Different thread, Darrin. I saw Thatsarumr's "gotta reel" thread, remembered I needed a reel, and started this thread and called it 'needa reel.' Thanks for all the advice though, guys. I think I have made my decision. Still wondering about lines though, especially since I will probably pick up an extra spool or two. Since this won't get a lot of use, I'm thinking WF instead of DT, probably a floating, and two different sink tip speeds? Debating between Rio, Cortland's 444 or other?

If you plan to fish for the multi species(maybe bass too?)you mentioned, IMHO not one floating line is going to be a perfect fit. I would say, for the CPS rod, a WF line like Rio Grand, or SA's GPX would be a good compromise. It will load the rod in close, but still boom out long casts. The taper is relatively short, for good turnover.....but maybe a tad bit less gooder at mending. I'm currently using a WF, Rio Grand 9wt to throw topwater bugs for stripers. Not ideal, but works well. I've used Grand lines for steelhead, trout, bass ect...

For sinking, i'd look at one of the super fast sinking lines for stripers, and salmon. I believe Richard has had good luck with Rio's Outbound T8(or was it T11?)line. I'm using Outbound T14 for my 8-9wt rods. A cheaper, but just as good alternative is SA's, Custom Tip Express. All of these lines come with an extra long sinking head. You cut it back to fit your needs.

Tough call on a medium sink line. Would be nice to have a clear intermediate for shallow work, but a type 3 is also very handy........get both?

I have nothing against Cortland, and use their lines.....tough to beat their original 444 lines and their clear intermediates, but for bigger game, I tend to go with Rio or SA. They have been specializing their lineup for stripers and steelhead a lot lately.

While i'm at it, i'd like to throw out another reel suggestion. Redington CDLs are a lot of reel for the money. If you can hold off for a couple month, Albright should be bring out a new reel or two. It should be a step up from their current GPX model, and very reasonably priced.

briansII