IR4Jflyfishing
Well-Known Member
Well, as they say some things in life are worth waiting for.
Having owned two of mikes first generation reels I was pretty excited when I heard rumour of a new project. Luckily enough the rumours were fact and the wildwater series of reels was born. I believe it was early September when I got my hands on the first of the prototypes, granted in a parking lot you can't appreciate how well a reel functions but the overall build quality was similar if not better then the previous reels I had owned (which I was quite fond of). Fast forward a few weeks or so to late September and I find myself standing beside the "ganny master" in the place that gave him his namesake, it seemed as though we were the first people to run into our chrome quarry. Mike being who he is offered me his sage and "wildwater" to fish a few drifts, the same reel I had seen weeks earlier in the parking lot was now in my hands; game on.
Already knowing I was going to fall in love with the reel after only minutes if not seconds of handling it, I knew my bank account would be taking a hit. But let's talk about why, as mentioned previous and hundreds of times prior on the board Mike is man who stands behind his work, you don't feel so much as you are buying a reel but you are buying his hard work and dedication to making sure you can have the best fishing expierence possible. The first iteration of the riversedge reels was not without "issue" and Mike will be the first to tell you that; the weight was a little more then the average fella wanted to handle for a long days fishing, the startup left something to be desired (although extremely functional) and the spoil removal was difficult however in my opinion meaningless. All of these minor issues were solved in the second generation, Mike managed to drop the weight of the new reels by a few ounces well still managing to keep a bullet proof feel. Also in the stand still waters at the bottom of the ganny the wildwater has no problem paying out line to the floats desire, never once have I felt I needed a flick of the fingers to maintain a drag free drift. And lastly Mike has added a 4 screw centerlocking system to the new reels (popular amongsest most high end reels)
This brings me to the Friday before opener, and meeting Mike on the river to share a few drifts and pick up my new reel. Although she doesn't have a name yet, this one will be in the family for a loooong time.
Riversedge
Wildwater
5'
11.5oz
330yards 8lb mono
Also Below are attached pictures of the "process"
Having owned two of mikes first generation reels I was pretty excited when I heard rumour of a new project. Luckily enough the rumours were fact and the wildwater series of reels was born. I believe it was early September when I got my hands on the first of the prototypes, granted in a parking lot you can't appreciate how well a reel functions but the overall build quality was similar if not better then the previous reels I had owned (which I was quite fond of). Fast forward a few weeks or so to late September and I find myself standing beside the "ganny master" in the place that gave him his namesake, it seemed as though we were the first people to run into our chrome quarry. Mike being who he is offered me his sage and "wildwater" to fish a few drifts, the same reel I had seen weeks earlier in the parking lot was now in my hands; game on.
Already knowing I was going to fall in love with the reel after only minutes if not seconds of handling it, I knew my bank account would be taking a hit. But let's talk about why, as mentioned previous and hundreds of times prior on the board Mike is man who stands behind his work, you don't feel so much as you are buying a reel but you are buying his hard work and dedication to making sure you can have the best fishing expierence possible. The first iteration of the riversedge reels was not without "issue" and Mike will be the first to tell you that; the weight was a little more then the average fella wanted to handle for a long days fishing, the startup left something to be desired (although extremely functional) and the spoil removal was difficult however in my opinion meaningless. All of these minor issues were solved in the second generation, Mike managed to drop the weight of the new reels by a few ounces well still managing to keep a bullet proof feel. Also in the stand still waters at the bottom of the ganny the wildwater has no problem paying out line to the floats desire, never once have I felt I needed a flick of the fingers to maintain a drag free drift. And lastly Mike has added a 4 screw centerlocking system to the new reels (popular amongsest most high end reels)
This brings me to the Friday before opener, and meeting Mike on the river to share a few drifts and pick up my new reel. Although she doesn't have a name yet, this one will be in the family for a loooong time.
Riversedge
Wildwater
5'
11.5oz
330yards 8lb mono
Also Below are attached pictures of the "process"
