The snow is piling up outside my window at this moment and I thought discussing rod reel balance might be enjoyable on a winter's day.

I have always used reels that are light for example for many years I used the Hardy Princess for my large river dry fly fishing on #5 weight rods. It balanced to my liking on a Hardy 7 1/2 ft 2 piece #6 cane rod which I used a Cortland 444 DT#5F line and managed very close to 100 yds of Micron 20 lb backing which I find useful on the large rivers I fish.
Some anglers have told me the reel was too large for that rod but I preferred it that way as I believed the counter balance of the reel helped in casting making the cast effortless.
I have also used the original Ross R-3 reel of very similar proportions to the Princess on my 9ft #5/#6 and 8 Ft #5/#6 rods for much the same reason.

Now when fish CZN I have begun to use smaller lighter reels as the counter balance is no longer necessary and total weight reduction is more important when extending the arm continuously for hours on end.

I am interested in how others set up their rod & reel and why they do it that way.

Tight Lines!

Bobby

Have you ever tried threading up your rod and line in the usual way, removing the reel and putting it in your pocket and then casting with no reel attached?

It's a personal thing but I found it better and so I tend to choose the lightest possible reels, usually in carbon reinforced plastic.

richard

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Who resides on the right bank of the Derbyshire Wye and is lulled to sleep each night by the mutterings of a weir, dreaming that "When the rivers and their inhabitants come first, we ALL win..."

For the graphite rods usually there is no problem to find a reel to balance the rod well, some prefer large arbor reels other - more classical designs. There is a way to balance a light reel on a rod and I use it when I need to balance some of my cane rods - 8'6" and
9'. I like the look of my light hardy reels on boo , so to make them heavier for better balance while casting I reel on the spools with a couple of Rio T-14 /30f of extra fast sinking line made with some tungsten core for making your own patterns of sink tips or shooting heads/ until I balance the reel and rod to my liking. Bonus: no need to spend more money to get one of the heavy cascapedia or other s-shape reels to balance the rod although they look nice

Something I had in an article a while back.

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"A traditional wet fly addict"

Uk representative and Instructor for Fly Fishing Masters - www.flyfishingmasters.co.uk

Distributor for Terenzio Silk and Artificial Silk Fly Lines - Pay distributor retail price.

There are hundreds of pages on the forum on this matter.and it ends up the same every time.nobody can agree.
My 2p's worth is that lighter is better.

Jim

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The Fishermans Friend is the Flirty Fly,Fickle Food for Fleeting Fish.

I too like a balanced outfit Bob, but when CZN for some strange reason I prefer a heavier reel, it helps to keep the tip high without having to lift it.
It just feels better to me, and I specifically bought a heavier reel for the purpose.
S.

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"A glint of sun has warmed the air,The flies will soon hatch out, To lure and tempt from their deep lair, The bonnie speckled trout." SKB tackle supporter. I love Furled Leaders.

Just one Steven

I like lightweight reels and a light line rated rod; but sometimes use a slightly heavier reel specifically to balance the rod, especially when fishing a large River! otherwise it's the lightweight option for me!

Its all rubbish on this forum, the only important thing is that the colour scheme fits.

A green reel, red rod and yellow fly line simply don't match. But never fear, for the paltry sum of 9.99, a picture of your favourite rod and your star sign, Dingbat Enterprises will provide a colour scheme that will suit your hair, vest and catch you lots of fish.

Yes, for now FS.
S.

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"A glint of sun has warmed the air,The flies will soon hatch out, To lure and tempt from their deep lair, The bonnie speckled trout." SKB tackle supporter. I love Furled Leaders.