Reels for short, lightweight bamboo rods

[reidrods]

I'll stick with my Richard Bradley 2 1/4" reel. Chris Bogart was right. I should have ordered more of his reels.

I hope you fish silk, otherwise I suspect that you are a fan of tiny coils, or tiny streams where you only see a foot or two of line anyhow. Please share a photo.

NewUtahCaneAngler, my wife bought this reel to go with a 6' one-piece rod I built for small streams and, your right about tiny coils except I do fish silk and I also found that a 4 wt Sylk line cut down to 40' worked perfectly with this reel and doesn't coil. I regularly cast 30 plus feet with no problem.
The leader does coil though, so I usually just leave a butt section of leader on the reel. Sorry - I'm not smart enough to figure out how to put images on this post with my Chromebook.

[TFHough]

I totally agree with all of the Hardy reel references. After all, when one says "fly fishing", it is a Hardy design that is mentally pictured for the reel. However, not everyone has that pocket book, therefore, I nominate ALL of those vintage Hardy knock-offs from Berkeley, Heddon, etc. A simple click/pawl design in a sturdy frame.

[NewUtahCaneAngler]

All good! Silk, plastic, 1/2 of each and repros of expensive reels are all good. In many cases, we're talking about combos where the reel is really just a better place to store your line than in your pocket.

[Brian K. Shaffer]

Can’t put the line in your pocket -
All your flies are in there...

I like a real heavy reel on all my rods.
The Aaron 3/4 ... or the early Abel’s.5
Or any big bar stock monster.
The Ross R. Hart’s are real nice...
heavy ones.

I also like the Orvis click pawl
Battenkill reels. They are understated
class on cane ... and on any budget.
Buy a mint one for 100 - you bet!

[NewUtahCaneAngler]

My choices (and based upon the postings of others here, are shared by the respondents), address rods and reels used on smallish waters for smallish (but not always) fish. I mention this afer re-reading about the Paul Young Midge rod and a separate chapter about Lee Wulff's antics with short lightweight rods and Atlantic Salmon in Arnold Gingrich's "A well-Tempered Angler". If you're in need of 150' or more of backing on your reel, with perhaps an exception or two posted here, you should do your research in another thread

[NewUtahCaneAngler]

Here is another pairing. The rod is an Orvis Seven - Four Battenkill that weighs 3 3/8 oz according to Orvis. The handle with reel seat is 9 3/8" and the grip is 6 1/2".

This is a pairing from circa 1993 - Hardy JLH 2/3/4

and with a Hardy Duchess 2 3/4"

and with an Orvis CFO II

and with a Hardy Uniqua 2 5/8"

and with a Hardy Flyweight

and with a Hardy Featherweight

and with a Young made Orvis Flyweight


I like it best with the Featherweight, but it sees duty on the Rocky Mountain, so I'll be pairing the JLH 2/3/4 with this rod next spring

Merry Christmas to all,
Joe

[ibookje]

Purely on looks I also like with the Featherweight the best. Size of the reel seems to be more in balance

[JFL]

Many nice combinations to see here. Loved nr. 1 on page 2. Then again, I am not that far off myself.

A Godfrey BiMetal GBI40 on a Midge rod.

[fishugo]

Customers seem to like my limited edition 3” raised pillar for 4/5 weights. Unfortunately Covid restrictions keep me from assembling. Selling do it yourself kits shortly.

[fishugo]

Somewhere I showed a picture of reel with a 4 rod that I said was a 3. But I do use that reel on the 3.

[60InchDV8]

Gents....these are all exquisite pairings. I do feel compelled to point out an omission; the beautiful Bougle Lightweight models. These elegant fully ported reels are a light trout rod soul mates.

Here is a 3 inch Hardy Bougle Agate III Lightweight reel with a Partridge 7 foot 3 inch 4 wt Evening Rise. This special limited edition reel has a unique green enamel frame with a clear agate line guard framed in nickel silver. The face plate and spool contrasts with a matte silver finish.







Another Hardy fully ported Bougle is the 3 inch Lightweight MK VI reel complicating a Tom Ciemiega 6 foot 3 inch 4 wt. midge rod. This satin matte finished reel is look s great on any cane rod.

[Short Tip]

From the year's first outing and first fish on a dry fly of 2021. Payne 97 and a Walker TR-1.

[CMcDowell]

I found this meisselbach featherlight for my 3'11" bamboo.

[Short Tip]

I found this meisselbach featherlight for my 3'11" bamboo.

Yeah!

[uniquafly]

Here are some ideas.
Left to right;
7’ Divine Fly-Wate 3wt paired with CFO II
7’ Garrison 202E 4wt by Art Weiler paired with CFO III
7’-3” Garrison 204E 5wt by Douglass J Duck paired with a Fred Balling, Perfection Reel (I missed the post parameters for the rod by 3” on this one)
6’ Sewell Dunton #161 2wt paired with a tiny Julius Vom Hofe #3 1/2 hard rubber

[Flykuni3]

Yeah, just that photo posting rigamarole I don't like here. But the right reel for the right rod is important in short cane -- like a reel too big on a short rod, or a reel too small on a big rod is just wrong.

This CFO lll may seem too large for a 7' T&T TTT, but the weight is just right, and dark metal works with the rod. So I use it, DT2.

[NewUtahCaneAngler]

There is something about a CFO III that just seems right for 6' - 7' rods. IMHO, it is too light for 7 1/2' rods, but then again, I favor 3-piece rods which tend to be a wee bit heavier than their 2-piece siblings.

[Flykuni3]

Agree, it may seem too big but it fits in its own way. And that purring sound they make.

[jhuskey]

Quote: "This CFO lll may seem too large for a 7' T&T TTT, but the weight is just right, and dark metal works with the rod. So I use it, DT2. "

That rod/reel combination looks perfect!

[Flykuni3]

Just remembered I paired the CFO lll with Munsey Wheby's cool 7' for a DT2, excellent pairing. He sent the rod to me (out of the blue, thanks Munsey) to test out on our small streams in Southern California, and it performed beautifully. Am pretty sure he created it for that 1 oz. rodmaking challenge back in the S.E. It's strikingly dark, like one of those chocolatey Orvii.