looking for a reel

[coldfeet]

I finally got a weekend off work and was up north at the in-laws cottage where an acquaintance of theirs found out I dabble with a fly rod but had broken the tip. The next day he brought an old Fenwick 8 wt 8'6" over and seeing as he's 83 and his knees act up he wouldn't be using it. I asked him what he wanted for it so he said $50 so I bought it. The aluminum tube was probably worth the money alone. It's graphite, (probably when they first started using graphite) feels decent enough so now I'm looking for a reel for it. Any suggestions?

 

[Madriverfisher]

The million dollar question is what do you want to spend

 

[ChaseChrome]

check out hipwader.com...a slew of Hardy reels on the block...UK made in this case
CC

 

[coldfeet]

HaHa not a million dollars mid range, back in the spring one of the reels Rob H suggested the Ross CLA.

 

[coldfeet]

House of Hardy hmmm yes I like these someday a cascapedia might be in the cards

 

[coldfeet]

I need to come into some money and splurge on a spey and give that a whirl. too many rods and reels to want not enough scratch

 

[Madriverfisher]

I uses cla I love it I also want a cascapedia to put on a new Spey rod I'm buying and I also like the ultra lite reel hardy you have some many choices in the mid range price I'd go with Ross maybe Lawson lite speed I think it's called sage has a new reel coming out soon cc I saw that post a lot of those are vintage reels so that would work with an older fenwick

 

[Jacklake]

OK, back to reality.
It is an old Fenwick, and probably somewhat slow in action. (Is it black - is the handle cork?) There should be a model name near the handle. As an 8wt it is probably physically a little heavy and cost about $200 when new. Therefore the first consideration is to get a reel that balances the rod properly (for weight). When holding the rod horizontally you should have a reel that (with line on the reel) balances the rod when 30ft of line is beyond the tip.
Secondly, you want to use this system, not be careful with it. Therefore, I suggest an older or newer Pflueger Reel, a $50 Bass Pro reel, or any $50 - $80 reel that is described as the size to hold an 8wt line (plus some backing), that has the most metal and the least plastic, that balances the rod. You could look at Redington, Sage (lower price model), Orvis, Fenwick, etc. I thnk most of them are made in the same factory anyway.
This rod will be best for salmon, steelhead, and pike. It will cast bass poppers OK, but will be a little tiring after about an hour.

 

[ChaseChrome]

I uses cla I love it I also want a cascapedia to put on a new Spey rod I'm buying and I also like the ultra lite reel hardy you have some many choices in the mid range price I'd go with Ross maybe Lawson lite speed I think it's called sage has a new reel coming out soon cc I saw that post a lot of those are vintage reels so that would work with an older fenwick

Yeah great prices on those Hardys man...

I use Bauers...love 'em (tanks)...and the mid-arbor Orvis is a great reel also...

 

[chris f]

i'm new at the fly game, but have a hardy ultralite on my greys 6wgt rod, decent reel and nice and lite as the name implies.Check out the echo ion reels, read a lot of good things about them for the price, that might be a good match for your rod coldfeet.

 

[AKnook]

I use Ross reels and just picked up a CLA 3. This is a tank of a little reel. I have used it on grayling on my 5wt and rigged it on my 8wt to fight sockeyes. It has performed well and is a workhorse. Good bang for you're buck IMO.

 

[coldfeet]

Thanks y'all as always sometimes you get better advice in one post here than at the store. It's a Blackhawk graphite, quite light and whippy compared to the cheap 8 I broke. Will try it out, good backup rod and perhaps starter for the young'uns

 

[Dopefish905]

2nd the echo ion series..hard to beat
For the money(100ish), landed some big angry carp on them and the drag is smooth and strong.

 

[swiftcurrent]

Jacklake makes sense. I have Hardy's, Bauers's, SA's, Ross's, And lots of others too, including a Basspro and Ion. All these companies make excellent reels. Ulitmately, make sure it balances the rod and has enough line capacity and drag for what ever you plan on using it for. The Ion is probably a good choice, its light'sh and has both a soild drag and good line capacity. For about $90 its a lot of reel.

 

[coldfeet]

Had some fun with the new old rod throwing little dries and caught a bunch of chubs the other night after dinner. It seems really sensitive and flexible for an 8, was kind of surprised how it flexed with a little chub on the end of it.

 

[remyboy1]

I have a orvis reel for sale////just sayin

 

[coldfeet]

pm me brother