Recent comments

Hello Jon,

Thank you for the interest and nice words about my reels.
As you probably has read in the article at the end, I encourage people to design and make there own flyreel when they have the skills and the equipment and use the article as a guidline and not to "copy" one of my reels. So I don't give any measurement drawings of my reels, I hope that you can understand that. Designing your first reel is a difficult part of the proces, making it your personal reel, but it is great to achieve. I hope that you can show me your reel in the near future!

Kind regards,

Tom.

Lars,

While I can see why you would want to avoid tangles, I have a bit more trouble understanding why the loose line would have a tendency to tangle significantly more on the casting hand side than on the retrieving hand side.

There's only loose line and risk of tangles until you have spooled it or the fish has drawn it through the tip top. Once the fish is on the reel, the problem isn't potential any more since the line goes in a direct line from the reel to the stripping guide or to your rod hand, controlling the line.

So this problem would occur while you are 1) picking up the slack or 2) the fish is running.

1) Why would picking up slack be less hazardous when done with the casting hand than when done with the other hand? When I spool line I usually grab it with the casting hand (since I retrieve and spool with the other) and squeeze it lightly against the handle and use that tension to control the line, which keeps the loose line away from the reel and makes even less likely to tangle.

2) When a fish runs with force (like a bonefish or a tarpon) I hold the line clear of the stripping guide (and the reel) with the hand not holding the rod, and whether that is the casting hand or not, and whichever way the handle points can hardly influence the risk of catching the handle that much.
I know tangles happen and I have experienced it myself, but I wouldn't consider it a risk that requires a change of habits.
Sure the handle will be pointing away from your body when the loose line is cleared in a run if you use the same hand for both casting and spooling, but as soon as you want to spool line on the reel (loose line or not), the handle will be where it is for everybody: between the hands, in front of your body.
And if you switch hands, you would at least have to wait until the fish is on the reel, and not do it as soon as the fish is hooked in which case you'd be in the exact same situation as I am: handle and loose line both in front of you, between the hands.

As I wrote in the article: I won't argue whether one method is better than the other, but I just don't think this is a really strong argument.

Martin

Submitted by Lars Matthiessen on

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In order to avoid the reel handle to catch the loose line it is preferable to have right hand retrieve when casting with the right hand.

I used to cast right and reel with the left. After some bad tendonitis in my right elbow I found a lot of relief by switching to reeling with the right and fighting fish with the rod in my left hand. I still cast and strip with the rod in the right hand but switch over at a good point in the fight. I think Lefty Kreh claims that everyone can reel faster with the "best hand" and I can believe that.

Another point on casting backwards versus changing hands: with a fighting butt on the rod the wrist can push on the fighting butt and the back cast is often stronger than the front cast..

Submitted by G.S. Marryat on

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I cast with my dominant (right) hand, and retrieve and reel with my left hand. One reason I reel with my left hand is that I have more control of the rod, and the fish, when the rod is in my dominant (right) hand, whereas my weaker (less dominant) left hand has the easier task of winding the reel.

Fred,

I can see the logic, but I have used my "bad hand" (in my case the left since I'm right handed) for retrieving and spooling for the last 35 years or more, and that is actually way my "best hand" for this. Whenever I get a rig, which is set up for right hand winding, I feel awkward and unable to control anything at all even though I should be much better with my right hand than my left.

So it's not that simple, and as I say in the article: it's a question of what you have learned and what the people who taught you did. To me as a right hand caster it feels absolutely odd to have to change the rod to the other hand to reel in line.

To each his own.

Martin

Submitted by Fred Rickson on

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It's simple....you need a "best touch" to hold or let go of the reel grip, and you need a "best touch" to palm the spool. Use your "best hand" to carry out these functions. Which side you cast from doesn't matter.

Submitted by norm frechette on

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another option for the body is gutermann sulky holoshimmer thread

Submitted by Rob Brownfield on

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I had never used this fly but decided to give it a try on a very low Aberdeenshire Dee. I could see pleanty of fish in the pool, but they were not really interested in normal flies fished in a normal down and across method. Rules for the pool say no weighted flies, maximum hook size 10 and floating lines only. So, on went a 4" Sunray dressed on a 1" plastic tube and, unfortunately, a size 12 single as I could not find any size 10's.

What followed was my best days fishing. I hooked 10-12 fish, landed 3 salmon to 12 pounds and a sea trout but lost two very big fish due to the hook pulling after a few minutes. The fly was cast square and stripped back and I rose far more salmon than I hooked. Seeing a double figure Salmon chasing a fly is amazing and great fun!.

Next time I will make sure I have slightly bigger hooks!

Great fly indeed, and so simple to tie.

Submitted by Jon on

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Do you have blueprints with dimensions and materials for the "third reel design"? I've just started a machining program and think what you've built is awesome!

thanks for any information!

Jon

Submitted by will stone on

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hello tim very nice tie i tied a few of these last week and fished the farmington river in CT.caught some big bows and lost a 18-20 inch brown i will definetly tie more of this pattern for future use thanks so much for your hard work and input

Submitted by Frederick Diedrich on

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I think this work station is just what I need. I am new to fly tying and enjoy it .

Submitted by Stuart Anderson on

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Bob,

Another fantastic read.....couldn't agree more with de-ja-vu on the return trip. You go in with a whack full of new flies....... almost the same results as the first time :-)

Barry,

I bought mine at a hobby/craft shop, the kind that has materials for people who sow, knit and work with fabrics. They are essentially clear pearls. The bag contains clear pearls in different lengths. I don't have it where I am now, so I can't check the brand.

You can also cut them yourself from fly tying tube or any similar thin, clear plastic tube, which should be easy to find.

Martin

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