[kbullick]

Im just starting out fly fishing, learning the basics. I have a crystal river fly fishing kit that my wife bought me for Christmas. It works, and I have been learning. I am thinking about getting new line and aslo a new reel, both seem pretty crappy.
Does anybody have any experience with these Pflueger® Automatic Fly Reels?

http://www.basspro.com/Pflueger-Automatic-Fly-Reel/product/46130/

or how about any of the white river brand reels that bass pro shop sells?

thanks!

 

[crabman00]

If there is nothing wrong with the reel you have, I would put the money for new purchases into a good line. That will make a bigger difference in the fishability of your outfit. The automatic reel adds nothing to your outfit except additional weight.
Not sure what species you are targeting, but for most light tackle flyfishing, the reel is nothing more than a storage spool for the line.

 

[kbullick]

I knew the line would make a big difference. The one I have now has a lot of memory and curls around all over the place.
I was however under the impression that the reel made a huge difference. But truthfully I don't know where I got that idea now that I think about it!

 

[Chiefly Fly'n]

I would not get an automatic. Even when they were well made, they were very limited in their range of usfullness and are a pain to load backing and line onto. The reel for most freshwater fishing is of little significance....but usually more expensive reels are more durable....but a lot of inexpensive reels work great. A new line may be a good investment....but you may want to just get in the habit of stretching the line you have. Even some good lines may need to be stretched before each use.

 

[EvBlue]

A really nice line to start out with is the SA Headstart. It's a half line weight heavier to load the rod well. Pretty much a bass taper line. Has the slicker coating of their more expensive lines but they keep costs down by keeping the length at 80 ft. AvidMax online has them on clearance if they still have the line weight you need.

 

[RouseD]

Was the line already put on your reel? If not, did you use backing? If you didn't, that could cause more curling than normal. Just wondering. Hope you have as enjoyable times as I have fly fishing.

 

[fishdoctor]

I've used the Pflueger single action reels for bout 3 decades with no problem, I agree that an automatic just adds weight to a lite outfit. and I stretch my line if its curly when I start fishin. just hook ya hook into something solid and give it a good stretch! I use poppin bugs a lot for brim an usually go one size larger on the line than what the rod is rated for, an get the best line you can afford. I'm still usin an old Fenwick fiberglass rod for the poppers, but got a Cabela's Spring Creek 2 weight for bead head nymphs an spiders several yrs ago...a 6 inch brim will double it over!!! a 10 incher will scare ya...

 

[kbullick]

Thanks for the info guys.
Chiefly Fly'n: Ive never heard of line stretching, I will have to start doing this.
EvBlue: I will look into that line, thanks.
RouseD: No backing on my reel. I just used what came in the kit, a thick white line and a tapered leader. It also came with a couple flies like this:

fishdoctor: thanks for telling me how to stretch a line! sounds easy enough.

I feel like i learned a lot I didn't know. I had a buddy who was going to teach me how to fly fish, but he ended up having to move out of state for work. so I've just been trying to teach myself.

 

[Chiefly Fly'n]

Some lines are more "curly" than others. And, as RouseD said, if you don't have backing underneath your fly line making the reel spool larger in diameter (or have a med. to large arbor), the line will tend to be more curly since the wraps around the reel spool are smaller in diameter.

Stretching your leader to get the curls out and stretching your line is pretty routine. Sometimes I stretch the line between my hands...stretching 3-4 feet at a time. Sometimes I put a section under my foot and pull both sides to stretch about 12' at once. I have had a friend hold the end of the line and stretch about 30-40 feet at a time....or loop it over a post or the side view mirror on my truck. If you are trying to shoot long casts....50-80 feet or more...stretching the coils out of the whole length of line will make a big difference...

 

[Chiefly Fly'n]

teach me how to fly fish

Learning from a qualified instructor can really move you along and expedite the learning curve. Watch for annoucements here about instruction at the Pechmann Center (check this site for previous threads) .... take advantage of the classes offered at the WNC Fly Fishing Show in Asheville the first weekend in Dec.....classes at the Fly Fishing Show in Winston in Feb..... A lot of your clubs like Trout Unlimited Chapters and FFF clubs like Carolina Fly Fishing Club offer some excellent classes. And, of course, I and other retail stores routinely offer private and group classes. There is a ton of info on the web....the Orvis web site offers some good instructional videos as does Winston Rods.

 

[kbullick]

Thanks again for the info. I will definitely do this before my next fly fishing trial.
Also at some point I will take my line off and a backer. It sounds like doing these two things will make learning much easier!

 

[Chiefly Fly'n]

Well...maybe. You make want to consider a visit and let's review your gear....cast it for a performance evaluation/demo...and look a options, if any are needed. May save some time and $$$...

 

[RouseD]

Until you can get some help from someone who can teach you well, there are videos on youtube that will help. Could get you going. Richard at Carolina Mountain Sports would be a super good choice for quality instruction.

 

[kbullick]

Its possible that I will be in Huntersville for the day on the 10th or 11th. If so I will stop by and look you up!

RouseD: I am just now beginning to make sense of some youtube videos. I am more of a hands on learner. Now that Ive put in several hours making mistakes I can follow them much better.

 

[RouseD]

The main thing is to not get discouraged. I was rotten at fly casting for almost an entire year. Once I started leaving my spinning gear home my learning curve went up more quickly.

 

[backlash]

Learning from a qualified instructor can really move you along and expedite the learning curve. Watch for annoucements here about instruction at the Pechmann Center (check this site for previous threads) .... take advantage of the classes offered at the WNC Fly Fishing Show in Asheville the first weekend in Dec.....classes at the Fly Fishing Show in Winston in Feb..... A lot of your clubs like Trout Unlimited Chapters and FFF clubs like Carolina Fly Fishing Club offer some excellent classes. And, of course, I and other retail stores routinely offer private and group classes. There is a ton of info on the web....the Orvis web site offers some good instructional videos as does Winston Rods.

Thanks Chief!! The Pechmann Center's Winter Fly-fishing Clinic schedule will be posted the first week of December. We have a new on-line registration system that can be accessed at Pechmann Center Events Registration. You can also see upcoming the Facebook Page JEPFEC

 

[kbullick]

The main thing is to not get discouraged. I was rotten at fly casting for almost an entire year. Once I started leaving my spinning gear home my learning curve went up more quickly.

Its true that I only practice with my fly rod when I leave my spinning rods at home.

 

[kbullick]

For a backing can I just use some 20lb mono?

 

[RouseD]

I've used mono, but use regular fly line backing now. Richard (Chiefly Fly'n) or backlash could give you a much better answer.

 

[Chiefly Fly'n]

Mono is never recommended....partularly for salt...since it stretches....and could deform spool if wound on under a lot tension....

But In freshwater where you may never see your backing when playing a fish, I guess it would be ok. Recommendation is usually always a non-stretch Dacron. But if you just want to make the arbor of your reel larger in diameter.... A variety of cordage could work