There is probably a really obvious answer to this but is there a reason why fly reels click so audibly when you pull line from them? I'm fairly new to fly fishing and from my experience so far the trout can be an easily spooked beast, as anglers on rivers or stalking fish on clear waters we are taught to stay low, no sudden movement, move quietly, etc. etc., yet then as you pull line off to cast you make this unnatural sound and risk spooking the fish you have just worked so hard to avoid spooking!

Maybe not all reels do this (I have a Sonik SK3 cassette and one I things I love about it is the barely audible click when you pull line from it) but on a busy day at a local stillwater last weekend it sounded like a woodpecker convention so it made me think that most do.

Any thoughts?!!

Lets you know if a fish is taking line, addes some drag, kinetic energy from the spool is turning into sound, making you sound when you do catch a bigun.

But I do take your point about the unnatural sound, however if you go to the pool and dive you the water what was noisy above the water turns in a grumble below

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It's basically the ratchet and pawl type mechanism that most reels use as drag. A toothed cog with a point that sits against it at a changable tension, to allow line to be pulled at varying degrees of tension, to allow the playing of the trout on the reel.

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Fish are less likely to be spooked by a noise than say movement or vibration, as they are associated with predators and thus provoke an instinctive reaction to flee. Let's not forget, fish do not have the ability to recognise anglers for what they are, so a sound associated with angling is hardly likely to send them fleeing.

I had an Abu fly reel for donkeys years, no click system but a good drag all the same. It was grey and dull alluminum so no flashyness either. Got battered eventually so I got shut. Some reels are a lot noisier than others and a lot flashier.
Why is it that most fly rods have to have a crome top eye? Greats flash again. Even G Tecs have this along with glossy varnish over the wippings, the rest of the rod is dull/matt varnish.

NOISE? Not a problem above the water level!! But below the water level with your feet while wading can be a problem! When we speak of stealth; and a softly softly approach to catching wild fish? It's more to do with keeping out of sight; and trying not to cast any shadows, or smack the water with your fly line while casting!

The noise of your reel has no affect on the fish! They're not spooked by your reel click.

Two types of click on reels - the cog, pawl and spring type! Also a variation of this the cog clicker stick and spring, also the continuous fixed click a circlip spring and click, then we have about 20, variations of the basic systems ! Check! No check, rim check tension screw, etc.

Same goes for all rings,I've not seen any other metal used for snakes and lined rings apart for chrome on fly rods.Does make you wonder,i own a G-Tec by the way,doesn't have snakes but still chrome

So in answer to your question i dunno either

Neil

100% correct.Fish cannot hear as you understand it.But that line along the length of their body(lateral line) is Brilliant at picking up underwater vibration.That's what you have to look out for.1 Heavy footfall and they will be gone.
I like quiet reels. and I really hate reels that click on winding in.

Jim

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But are you aware that sound is the vibration of particles in a wave motion and so we have sound waves in air AND in water.

You could turn it on to silent Presuming that the sonik has this facility. I don't think that there are many decent reels these days that don't..........birdsnest

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