fly reel vs other reels

[eric]

Ok I just bought a fly reel and rod combo and was wondering what the advantage is on them over the spinning reels! I like the feel of it! But it seems as if the drag only works when you are not reeling in or maybe i'm not doing something right? It's the first time I put my hands on a fly reel and don't know much about them! The combo I bought is a 13 black betty!

[gofish]

The drag on flyreels is reversible(most of them), you have to flip a bearing over under the spool. Your Black Betty should have instructions to flip the bearing, which reverses the drag.

I've been using Okumas for a couple years and love them. I set the drag real light and just hold my palm against the spool to act as a drag when I need it.

The best part is the flyreel eliminates line twist.

The worst part is that they have a slow retrieve which doesn't work well in deepp water , but if you only fish the shallows ....no problem


gofish

[tench]

I've used fly reels on short rods in the shanty with an audible click instead of a rattle reel for night fishing.

I think the main thing for ice fishing is to find one light weight and with tight enough tolerances to keep ice build-up from affecting them too much. The simplicity definitely has its advantages.

For the retrieve I'd mark a "breaking point" on my rod for the line. When the rod started to bend at that point I'd stop reeling and use my palm as a drag until the fish stopped running so much.

[eric]

That's what I was looking for Tench!