"CLARK" reels?

[flymoron]

I have been looking at them on an auction site, does anyone have any experience with these?

thanks

 

[bigjim5589]

Have no experience and had not even heard of them. Did a quick search & looks like a nice reel. Features such as sealed drags are great, and usually only found on much more expensive reels.

Doesn't say where they're made. If they're being made in the US, (which I doubt) his prices are great. If he's having them made, like in China, still not bad prices. Put's me in mind of Allen, and there's been some posts on here & other fly fishing forums I frequent that folks are very happy with Allen reels.

IMO, would be worth checking out.

 

[kelkay]

Sorry, I've never heard of them either.

 

[Liphookedau]

I've also just noticed them on Ebay I'd not heard of them either until a couple of weeks ago.
Brian

 

[kelkay]

I went and looked at them. The seller is John D Clark. Maybe he is making them himself. It wouldn't hurt to shoot him a message, to find out more about them. They look good.

 

[leaded50]

check out the HVC China made, but great reel. Quality is decent, discdrag very good, ..... and as the Clark reel (?)

 

[sweetandsalt]

OK, lets be clear; reels like the no-name, presumably Chinese reels on e-bay are not made by "Clark" or even for Clark. Chinese boiler-plate reels are a dime a dozen and are produced by the container-load. One goes to the giant fishing trade show there (which I have never done but friends have) selects an existing ripped-off reel, specifies a color, machining variation on a theme, name and model number graphics and gives them money. A month or so later you put up a web site or, in this case, sell via auction and you are in the reel business. You need not know anything about reel design. I am not saying reels like these are junk, to the contrary, many are vary satisfied with re-branded big box store reels and many other products. Nor am I saying that a fishing company that has their reel designed in house but fabricated to their precise specs off shore is bad either...and there is a big difference between the made for reel and the rip off of that reel sold on an auction site. I have seen but not fished one of these Clark sealed drag reels and it struck me as superior in design to a number of made in America reels costing several times more from popular brands. We, the fly fishing consumer, drive demand for both the cheapest product available and the finest, made in America, work of reel art.

 

[plecain]

I have one. Paid $65 for it.

It's very well made. The machining is very good, but not great. There are a few swirl marks on non-critical surfaces.

So far, I've used it about five times. It's used for smallish trout. Its click-pawl drag is just fine for this application.

 

[Ard]

I'm still waiting for someone to swoop down on the Teton Tioga casywise is selling in the classifieds here. Affordable - yes, USA made Machined reel _ yes, I simply don't need it or I would buy it today.

 

[tfrank]

Ard, you're really trying to sell that reel Caseywise has up. I was going to make a joke about him using the money towards a guided trip in Ak but don't want it to be taken wrong.

For me it's no contest. That Tioga would be on its way to Md. if I needed a 6wt. reel. Them Tetons are tough and well made.

 

[Ard]

Hi Frank,

I just can't help it, I like the old reels and that one seems to be in mint shape. Casey was born and raised here right down at Homer so he doesn't need me to show him around. I'm thinking he could show me where to fish

​

 

[tfrank]

Hi Ard,

Haha. I should have looked to see where he is. I saw your post in the other thread. I used to have a herd of Tetons but sold a bunch of my stuff after a bad accident to pay bills. I thought I would upgrade it all to J. Ryall and Abel but the money is still funny. I like fairly stout reels for bigger weights, especially if they go on a lot of boat rides or going around riprap. The Tetons fit the bill and are generally overlooked.

 

[james_buttz]

I bought a john Clark reel and pole and I ain't no pro but these are a very very nice setup. I have had no trouble but john has a 10 yr warranty on both. Built like the very expensive stuff. I love mine. I won't buy nothing else. John got my business.

 

[GrtLksMarlin]

OK, lets be clear; reels like the no-name, presumably Chinese reels on e-bay are not made by "Clark" or even for Clark. Chinese boiler-plate reels are a dime a dozen and are produced by the container-load. One goes to the giant fishing trade show there (which I have never done but friends have) selects an existing ripped-off reel, specifies a color, machining variation on a theme, name and model number graphics and gives them money. A month or so later you put up a web site or, in this case, sell via auction and you are in the reel business..

Though I'll not post the website name, there is a site that offers roughly 100-150 different styles of fly fishing reels, of numerous sizes each style, and as you say simply give them a color, a logo to put on it, packaging advertising, and they'll send them to you by the thousands and MANY folks would instantly recognize, and many folks here use.

These are often legitimate serious companies reminiscent of the massive Japanese conglomerates of the 60's-80's that crushed American competitors through high quality products for next to nothing prices and very aggressive business strategies......The plan simple. Today is about investing in the company and getting the market share, tomorrow is about making a profit. The Chinese are doing nothing different except have the support of a government that will back them to any extreme to achieve that goal.

That said up until recently (last 20 or so years) it would have taken little to stop the tide of fly fishing products in that for the most part Western Nations were the primary customers......But we all like inexpensive, have wasteful attitudes of "use it up and replace it for new, latest and greatest, disposable better than long lasting", and our loyalty we like to hand off to the next guy, passing the buck second nature.

We did it to Germany and England, the Japanese did it to us, and now the Chinese are doing it to them.....It's not like the U.S. using Taiwan to manufacture, it's about becoming the world factory.

Get used to it.....It's what we asked for, our own demise.

B.E.F.