Sage Smallmouth Rod - what reel?

[roosterfisher]

My wife bought me a Sage Smallmouth rod for our anniversary. I've never fly fished before, but I guess now is a good time to learn. However, I need to get a reel first. I'm a little confused about what size reel I need for this rod as it does not have a line weight rating. I'm new to fly gear, but I have a huge fishing gear fetish...I really like nice gear. I'm looking at maybe a Tibor Back country (7-9wt would surly work with this rod), or a Nautilus FW (not sure which size would work best). Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[David Lee]

Welcome to the board , Roosterfisher !

In my humble opinion ......

Both reels mentioned are overkill . They will work great , but Smallmouth don't really go anywhere . Not to say they don't fight like the devil (they DO fight like the devil , but you already know that !) , but you can use a reel that doesn't have such a high price point and blow more $$$$$ on lines/flies/etc. .

If I were you , I'd look for a reel that had a LOUD drag or clicker ..... 3 1/4-3 1/2 inches diameter . A friction drag will work fine . My short list would go something like this -

SA/Hardy #6 (sounds like a Cat in a blender when a fish runs ....)

Pflueger 1495 Medalist (the one I use - tough as a tank . Make sure to get an OLD , American-made one .)

Teton #7 LA (it'll double as a light Steelhead/BIG Trout reel)

Abel #2 Big Game (Ooops !! That one is total overkill , also ..... but it'll take down any Pike/Catfish/Musky/creature from the Black Lagoon you have the misfortune to hook . Go with the Matt Black guide finish)

Avoid the 'modern' reels that have mucho holes/porting/'chicken-wire' frames - Smallmouth reels used in creeks will get dirty and you don't want a bunch of muck inside your gear .

Again , I'm sure some expert will point out that your two choices listed will work great , but having spent countless hours crawling around in creeks chasing Smallies with a reel older than myself .... I'd go with the 1495 .

Just my opinions .

David

[David Lee]

I forgot something -

Go kiss your Wife . Do it right now !! She must really like you to get you such a swell gift !!

D. -

[andanb]

I bought the cross water. It is cheap easy to cast because it is light with good balance for the rod. It has a large arbor. Bass don't fight hard enough and long enough to need a reel for long runs. Usually bass fishing I use a heavy leader. I never get a fish on the reel and I have landed some large bass with that rod. I might change my thoughts some if I were going to use this rod for stripers. Although I have caught some stripers up to about 7 pounds...these small ones never get onto the reel either.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Some are using theses rods for saltwater situations so that might be the only time you might spend a little money for a better reel.

[roosterfisher]

Thanks and Sorry for the rookie questions!

This rod will never see saltwater (just river smallies). I'm going to show some restraint, and buy a “cheaper” reel........those high $ reels are sexy, but the money would be better spent on a box full of poppers.

I'm still a little confused on what size reel, as I've read that this is a 7wt rod, but the line is 290 grain (10wt ?).

So, do I need a fly reel designed for a 7wt rod, or a 10wt line? In general, when you over line a rod, do you match the reel with the rod line weight, or the line weight that you plan to use?

I realize that I will never see my backing fishing for smallmouth, but I need a reel that will at the very least hold the line.

[David Lee]

If I were you , I'd look for a reel that had a LOUD drag or clicker ..... 3 1/4-3 1/2 inches diameter .

Trust me .

Buy an old Pflueger Medalist , make sure it's an American-made one . My main 1495 has been dropped , stepped on , drowned , sunk in mud/water/sand , fallen off tables/tailgates/bumpers , scratched to hell and gone , and still works like a champ .

You want model 1495 DA (left/right hand) , or you can order a new drag-plate to make it reversable . Look on Ebay ...... they can be had for WELL under $100.00

Having said that on a board run by my friend Bill Kiene , here's the other side - there's NOTHING WRONG w/ buying/using a modern reel . Kienes fly shop (or whatever flyshop you choose to shop at) will carry plenty of great reels , American-made , or otherwise . Look at the reels that Kienes carries (on the products page) and check-out the different ones .

The nice thing about a new reel ?? If you run it over , or MOBY manages to blow it up .... you can send it back to the folks that made it . I tend to be a little touchy about shelling out $$$ for a shiney new reel , knowing that in a season or two ..... it's gonna look like it was made in 1938 -

Should you choose to buy a Pflueger , send it to Bill Archuleta for a tune-up . I bought a backup 1495 from a guy that had used it in saltwater - I tried to take it apart to convert it to left-hand .... the screws broke into powder . Archuleta not only fixed it up ..... he tuned it so well that it is now the SMOOTHEST Pflueger I've ever held !

The bottom line ??

Fish do not care what you use to catch them on .


Oh , I almost forgot - ask Bill Kiene about his Pflueger collection . He doesn't use them anymore but each of his reels has a story (more likely 5,000 stories) and they all have seen many , MANY years of action .

Hope this helps .

D. -

Archuleta's Reel Works
733 Detrick Drive
Grants Pass , Oregon
97527
(541)956-1691

[Hairstacker]

So, do I need a fly reel designed for a 7wt rod, or a 10wt line? In general, when you over line a rod, do you match the reel with the rod line weight, or the line weight that you plan to use?

In general, I match the reel to the line and fish species. (I mention fish species because that gives an idea of how much backing I want.)

There are no industry standards for "rod line weights," so you may find folks using, for example, everything from a 7wt. line to a 10 wt. line on a rod designated by the manufacturer as a "7 wt.," depending on how they want the rod to feel and perform when they cast it and their application. Since a 10 wt. line takes up much more space on a reel than a 7 wt. line, it becomes necessary to match the reel to the line, not the rod.

Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with that specific line, so I don't know how much reel it takes to store it. If you decide to buy a new reel, the best bet would be to take the line with you to a fly shop and have the store match up which reel model in the reel series that you've selected that would be best sized for that line. As part of this, you will also need to tell them how much backing you want. Many fly shops will also spool it all (i.e., backing and line) for you so that you can be sure it's the right reel before you even walk out of the store with it.

If you have to buy it sight unseen and can't find someone who knows the answer, it becomes somewhat of a crapshoot. Fortunately, reels will hold several different line weight sizes with the difference made up by the amount of backing, more or less, than you can get on the reel.

Since you have a nice, light-weight rod, I wouldn't want to put an anchor of a reel on it if I could help it. Maybe others will chime in with their guesses but, if it was me, I would probably order an 8 wt. reel and see how it goes. If it didn't fit, I would probably order another slightly bigger reel, as well as a new rod to match my new 8 wt. reel, since you can't possibly have too many rods or 8 wt. reels that match them. :D

The other option, of course, is to send an e-mail to Sage and ask for their advice on reel-sizing this line.

[roosterfisher]

I called Sage (not sure why I didn't think of that). They said that a reel rated for an 8wt line would work best.

Thanks!

[Charlie Gonzales]

If you havent already made a purchase, I would suggest the Sage 1680, very inexpensive($99.00) and will hold that line and probably about 75yds of 20# backing which should be plenty for most bass fishing. Good luck and enjoy your new rod.