Reels for short, lightweight bamboo rods

[Greg Reynolds]

That's a truly beautiful rod Darrell...

[Flykuni3]

Thanks, agree, those dark Orvis rods, so rich looking...but then I look at a blondie with Chinese red wraps, and then at a warm caramelish….

[adkfan]

Couple ol Pfluegers balance a couple of my shorter Grangers nicely
WM7030V with Golden West 80
GG7630F (with patent pending uplocker)with delite 80
GG8642DS with delite 80


GG8040V with Delite 60

[Tommasini]

2 3/8" Young on a 5'-2" Payne. Perfect fit!

[Short Tip]

2 3/8" Young on a 5'-2" Payne. Perfect fit!

Wowzah! Really nice.

[NewUtahCaneAngler]

I've noted before that I'm a fan of the Hardy Duchess reels so I picked up a 3" that pairs perfectly with my 6 1/2' - 7' Orvis multi-piece rods

Here is is with my modified Rocky Mountain Fly & Spin


and with my Seven - Four (reel with line is a bit too heavy for this rod)


and with a 7' Pack Rod


I like the visual and physical balance characteristics of these pairings, with the exception noted

[Flykuni3]

Can't forget the good ol' Pflueger Medalist, 1492 here, with Pfoot expertly installed by Russ at Frazier Mtn. On a Duracane Appalachian Trail rod. A good reel for rocky conditions...for anglers who slip a lot. Ouch.

[NewUtahCaneAngler]

The proportions on the 1X92 series Medalist are just about perfect IMHO! Such a great classic looking reel. Thanks for sharing Daryl.

[cdmoore]

There's a whole slew of Kineya reels I would add to this list, starting with my 300A "Little Wing"...no pics to post at the moment but there are plenty photos of Mas's work around.

[PYochim]

Winston Perfect 2 7/8"



Hardy Featherweight



Paul Hermann Tiny Trout. This will go on the Schroeder quad where the Winston Perfect currently resides and that will go to another rod.

[Grouse]

[NewUtahCaneAngler]

Thanks to a forum member, I've added a St. George Jr. in LHW to my growing collection of reels for short, lightweight rods. The problem is that I only have a few of these shorties left. Here is the Junior on my Sweetgrass with the tourist handle. The reels weighs 3.5 oz empty. I may have Glenn Bracket duplicate this grip on a 6 1/2' Orvis Fly and Spin that I'm trying to decide whether to keep or not.

[red 1]

I think this reel just looks great on any rod I put it on.
Just wish I could find another…

[fefferje]

I have 3 combos to post:
The 1st is a 2 1/4” Montague 60 with a Winston 7’ 3 wt Leetle Feller
The 2nd is a 2 1/2” Pflueger Hawkeye on a 6’ 4 wt. Leonard 36 clone
The 3rd is a 3” Dingley Perfect on a 7’ 4 weight Winston






I took the smallest reel and the lightest of the three rods to go fish the upper Connecticut. I was fishing a section that was about 100’ across. It was late August and the water was low and just reaching the marginal level for brown trout, 68 degrees. With the water uncharacteristically warm and low I waded out in my shorts and small rod and even smaller reel. The reel doesn’t hold a complete DT 3 Sylk line. I wanted very much to fish this combo even though I could have been undergunned. Happily I came upon a hatch of tiny blue winged olives. The fish were jumping to get these tiny bugs. With an olive tied on I made many accurate 50 foot casts and caught a nice group of small wild browns. When I turned to head into shore 3 guys all suited up we’re waiting for me to call it a day. They couldn’t get over how small the Montague was. It proved along with the Leetle Feller to be a very effective combo. Jed

[NewUtahCaneAngler]

I think this reel just looks great on any rod I put it on.
Just wish I could find another…

It sure looks great on this rod. Is it a Kineya or an original?

[NewUtahCaneAngler]

I have 3 combos to post:
The 1st is a 2 1/4” Montague 60 with a Winston 7’ 3 wt Leetle Feller...

They couldn’t get over how small the Montague was. It proved along with the Leetle Feller to be a very effective combo. Jed

And some of us think that the original CFO II is small!

[Caneghost]

A combo that means a great deal to me, in tribute to my friend and mentor the late, great Ed Shenk. Master rodmaker Tom Whittle did an outstanding job creating a 7' four weight that I can fish fine and far off on my Catskill rivers with Ed's reel.
Ed's Hardy Featherweight adorning the Shenk Tribute Rod.

[RSalar]

I made this 6’ 2oz rod as a tribute to Lee Wulff. Based on the photo, he was using a Beaudex J W Joung & Sons reel.

[upstate]

Kineya reel model 301

[red 1]

I think this reel just looks great on any rod I put it on.
Just wish I could find another…

It sure looks great on this rod. Is it a Kineya or an original?

It’s an original. I keep looking for more. I think they are the sharpest reel in that period.