Straight mono on a large arbor fly reel

[spaceghost33]

Looking for opinions on using straight mono (20 lbs with 8 lbs leader) for steelhead. We run this
set-up alot because Michigan streams tend
to be snaggy and if you get hung up
and can't get to it, you end up needing to
cut your line. Which is why I'm not running
fly line. We're just fishing spawn bags
and sometime yarn flys. A few split shot
and a short underhand upstream cast.

Just wondering if the drag will still work
properly using monofilament on a reel
intended for fly line.

 

[fredaevans]

"...on a large arbor fly reel."

There in hangs the question. Why a fly reel vs some thing else, save for that's what 'every one else' is doing? What does that type of reel bring to the Party that another reel would/wouldn't?

A (sorry, a bad pun) 'reel question.'

Sooo bad Fred, soooo bad ...

 

[Ard]

Welcome to the NAFFF,

Speaking as a fellow who has never handled a spawn bag but handles lots of fish caught on my salmon and steelhead flies, I must agree with Fred. I hope you stay around, read some threads, look at some pictures and determine that your fly reel may be very well suited to steelhead fishing. Nothing quite beats a large fish taken on the fly.

Regards,

Ard

 

[MoscaPescador]

Hi Spaceghost,
Some Northern California fly fishermen are drift fishing with their switch rods. Instead of a fly reel, they use a centerpin reel with the corresponding drift fishing monofilament. It may be an option for you. If you learn how to drift (or float or centerpin) fish, you can catch fish very effectively.

Check out the Ross Flow centerpin reel.

You can find centerpin reels from Okuma and Islander, too.

MP

 

[spaceghost33]

I guess I should have added some detail. I DO fly-fish for brown and brook trout in northern Michigan (I started when I was 7, I'm 40 now). The reason we fish spawn for steelhead has more to do with the river we fish, much more suited to underhanding a spawn bag or yarn fly. Also, the rods we use are fly rods that have a spinning rod guides. For years we used the old Martin 72 multiplier (my father still does). About 10 years ago, he bought me one of the STH cassette fly reels. It's a great reel, but I was thinking of trying one of the Allen reels (the XL) which has a large arbor. I was just wondering if the physics of the reel (drag, etc) still work correctly with a spool of mono vs. fly line. I'm guessing if I load up 30 lbs test (close to the diameter of fly-line) so it takes up as much room on the reel as fly line would, it should be o.k.

I ordered one of the Allen 3/4 Alpha reels today and if it is as great as people say they are, I might go for a larger XL series for steelhead to replace the aging STH.

Thanks for all the input!

 

[Ard]

Hi,

I won't bust your chops this time, the reel should preform fine regardless of what you use for line. Now and again I have fish get my backing sailing through the guides and there is no change in the drags function. The thanks goes to MP since he didn't bust you for using ----- ---'- I can't even type those words again whoa

 

[spaceghost33]

That Ross Flow reel looks beautiful! Might not be in the budget (besides a fly-fisherman, I'm also the father to 4 year and 2 year old boys - so THAT's where all my money goes! )

I figured the spawn bag comment wouldn't be popular here.

Thanks again.

~Chris

 

[fredaevans]

For the type of fishing you're doing straight mono for a 'chuck and duck' set up should work fine. Only thing you might want to consider is backing off on the pound test to something more 'rod related.' 12-15 pound line is damned hard to break~

fae

 

[spaceghost33]

Thanks fredaevans, the only reason I suggested 30lb was that the diameter is closer to the diameter of a fly line. I wanted to be sure to use up about the same amount of space on a large arbor reel. I'm using 8 lbs Maxima as a leader so I don't break my rod. I'm using a G. Loomis GL3 10' rod.

Have a great weekend everyone!

~Chris

 

[sandfly]

get an Alvey reel, like a fly reel in the way you reel but can cast also. perfect for what you want. the 45C1 holds around 400 yards of 10lb. mono. I have used them for years at the beach. plan to use it on my pontoon boat.

Cabelas carrys them still I think, I got mine for 45.00 at Dundee Mi.Alvey Reels USA - Salmon & Steelhead Reels

 

[MoscaPescador]

Bob,
Good call on the mooching reel. Do you plan on spooling it with Dacron first then topping it off with mono?

MP

 

[pszy22]

I've always heard, never use straight mono on a fly reel. The theory being mono tends to stretch, that collective stress can warp your reel spool. I never tried it myself, so I thought it might be so much urban legend. Was just reading a post the other day, on another forum, of a reel that was ruined as a result of being deformed due to the use of mono.

That aside, I hope you aren't planning on leaving behind miles of 30 lb mono thrashing up my Michigan rivers when you need to "cut your line".

 

[Ard]

I saw that 'line cutting' thing also but thought that thus far I have been unable to change the world so I left it go. Good point, I gather loads of braided and mono lines here every year. "It's their world I'm only living in it".

You can quote me there,

Ard

 

[boser]

I guess I should have added some detail. I DO fly-fish for brown and brook trout in northern Michigan (I started when I was 7, I'm 40 now). The reason we fish spawn for steelhead has more to do with the river we fish, much more suited to underhanding a spawn bag or yarn fly. Also, the rods we use are fly rods that have a spinning rod guides. For years we used the old Martin 72 multiplier (my father still does). About 10 years ago, he bought me one of the STH cassette fly reels. It's a great reel, but I was thinking of trying one of the Allen reels (the XL) which has a large arbor. I was just wondering if the physics of the reel (drag, etc) still work correctly with a spool of mono vs. fly line. I'm guessing if I load up 30 lbs test (close to the diameter of fly-line) so it takes up as much room on the reel as fly line would, it should be o.k.

I ordered one of the Allen 3/4 Alpha reels today and if it is as great as people say they are, I might go for a larger XL series for steelhead to replace the aging STH.

Thanks for all the input!

Spaceghost, you may as well order the XL. The Allen's are that good. I ditched my Ross and Redingtons and bought 4 Allens

Allens two colored line is way cool also...Boser

 

[Frank Whiton]

Hi spaceghost33,

Early on when some steelhead types started using mono on baitcasters the mono would distort the spools. The construction got better and the problem went away. Today with the light weight reels that are being built you want to be careful with large fish that you might find in saltwater. A fly reel with a skeleton frame/spool may be damaged when used with just mono. The problem is when you fight a fish the mono is stretched and wound tight on the spool and it gets tighter and tighter over time.

Frank

 

[spaceghost33]

pszy22, I ALWAYS clean up after myself on the stream or in a lake. It's not something that happens often, I was simply pointing out the fact that cutting mono is preferable to cutting fly line.

---------- Post added at 12:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:49 PM ----------

Thanks Boser. I did order a few Allen reels. An Alpha 3/4 for fly-fishing and an XL for Steelhead.

 

[pszy22]

Thanks, I really appreciate it.

If you fish Michigan streams, you unfortunately know not everyone does.

thanks again,

tight lines,

 

[spaceghost33]

Unfortunately, I have seen alot of line left in the water in Michigan streams. Sad really. How tough is it to spool up your line around 3 fingers and tuck it into your vest to dispose of later?

 

[burk48237]

As someone who has a lot of experience with Chuck and Duck, I would not suggest you run straight mono. Most fly reel spools are not made for the tension that mono would create on the spool. Warpage issues could be a real problem, and with some cast reels a spool could actually split under the tension of a line winder. Most guys who run mono on fly reels in MI still use backing and only run the mono (shooting line) for about 50 meters or so. Most of the guides and experienced guys who run mono use conventional backing and Albright or nail knot it to 50 meters of Climax Zip (it is an oval teflon coated low-memory shooting line). Then they run about 10 feet of a clear mono of about 15 pound test blood-knotted to the Zip and attached to a barrel swivel on the business end. The tippet (usually 6-10 pounds) is attached to the swivel (this eliminates long sections of mono breaking off). One other note, like all fly fishing rigs, be sure and coat your knots with knot sense or some other kind of knot cement and protection, those knots will be going thru your guides including your backing knots quite a few times on MI Kings.

You don't need anything more then about 100 feet of mono, the handling characteristics of the mono offer no advantage further back in the spool. As a suggestion you may look in to conventional indicator fishing with a floating fly line as opposed to chuck and duck, its as, if not more effective (for fair hooked fish) and is a lot less work. If you use the black bird indicators, you should be able to fly or roll cast to most drifts and the indicator gives you better depth control and less snag ups.

 

[sandfly]

trust me mosa they are not mooching reels, they actually turn and cast like a spinning reel. I have been know to throw a 2oz spoon over 100 yards in my old days before my heart surgery.