bass_man
Well-known member
Is it necessary to back the drags off on fly reels for winter storage as I do on my casting reels?
Storing Reels For Winter Question
- Thread starter bass_man
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Thread Starter
Well-known member
This is a smart ass answer..Why would you store them?
Winter is the best time to fly fish in mho..
What kind of reel? Pawl type drag? No you don't have to back it off, as its mostly a gear with a set screw to increase tension.
If you have a konical drag where a rubber diaphram is used backing off the drag might be a good idea.I have friction(disc) and konical drags on my reels and I Do Not back off the drag but thats just me,,I also dont store my gear for winter. I fished on Jan 2 this year and in some sub Zero stuff in Feb. Both Amazing days. not to mention March&April.
my $.02 worth
Winter is the best time to fly fish in mho..
What kind of reel? Pawl type drag? No you don't have to back it off, as its mostly a gear with a set screw to increase tension.
If you have a konical drag where a rubber diaphram is used backing off the drag might be a good idea.I have friction(disc) and konical drags on my reels and I Do Not back off the drag but thats just me,,I also dont store my gear for winter. I fished on Jan 2 this year and in some sub Zero stuff in Feb. Both Amazing days. not to mention March&April.
my $.02 worth
bass_man
Well-known member
Have one Konical and one disc type never thought about fly fishing in the cold weather, in past never had to much action on top water lures had to go to under water stuff . I fish mostly for LM bass and pickerel.
I release all the drags whenever the reel is not in use, most manufacturers recommend this also. Unless you are the type who frequently submerges your reel I would not worry about any other storage prep.
Ard
Ard
cattech89
Well-known member
I hope Im not completely hijacking this thread but I think this question applies.
I have read several times, once from Ard i think, that when storing reels for a couple months or over the winter its best to remove line from the reel and let it hang or lie in loose coils. My question is do you remove the line from the backing or leave them attached and store them together somehow?
I have read several times, once from Ard i think, that when storing reels for a couple months or over the winter its best to remove line from the reel and let it hang or lie in loose coils. My question is do you remove the line from the backing or leave them attached and store them together somehow?
Hi Seth,
I haven't said or done that for a while. In the 1970 - 1980's I was gung ho on all things fly fishing and I did that every winter. Yeah it was something to do but was a chore. Then during the 80's I became a serious winter fisher and quit doing it.
The old lines had a lot more tendency to retain memory than the new formulas do. I don't take them off and if they seem a little coiled when I pull them from the reel I just draw the line through a tightly clenched hand a few times and the combination of friction heat and stretching has them in like new condition in no time
I haven't said or done that for a while. In the 1970 - 1980's I was gung ho on all things fly fishing and I did that every winter. Yeah it was something to do but was a chore. Then during the 80's I became a serious winter fisher and quit doing it.
The old lines had a lot more tendency to retain memory than the new formulas do. I don't take them off and if they seem a little coiled when I pull them from the reel I just draw the line through a tightly clenched hand a few times and the combination of friction heat and stretching has them in like new condition in no time
cattech89
Well-known member
Hey Ard,
May not have been you then. Im happy to hear you say that. It seemed to me that the work to benefit ratio was not that great. Back before I began taking fly fishing seriously my setup could sometimes go a year without seeing the light of day and when I did pull it out I dont remember having to much of a problem with line memory.
Thanks for the input. Thats one less thing I need to worry about.
May not have been you then. Im happy to hear you say that. It seemed to me that the work to benefit ratio was not that great. Back before I began taking fly fishing seriously my setup could sometimes go a year without seeing the light of day and when I did pull it out I dont remember having to much of a problem with line memory.
Thanks for the input. Thats one less thing I need to worry about.
MoscaPescador
Well-known member
That is very good practice. Any compression style drag (cork, Rulon) needs to have this done, so the disks do not stay compressed. For some spring loaded click and pawl styles, backing the drag will take some load off of the spring. For other systems, follow the manufacturers recommendations.
I think that it is a good idea to remove lines off of reels if they are not going to be used for awhile for memory reasons. I have some lines that are only used from one day to a full week out of the whole year. It does not make sense to keep them coiled up for the rest of the year.
I only keep a few if my reels spooled up. I have a portable line winder made by Struble that I use to wind on and off lines. The line winder winds the fly lines in larger coils. I store my lines in a worm bag.
Struble line winder
Worm bag with lines
MP
bjweller
Well-known member
I have read / heard that you are supposed to release the drags--but I think that is old school. I recently bought a Lamson reel and the owner of my local shop said, "Try to break this reel--I dare you." He said those things just keep working even if you mistreat it--which is my kind of reel. The manual even says do not take the reel apart. It said to occasionally rinse it with tap water, and again my local guy said he doesn't even do that.
Thread Starter
Well-known member
Good advice.
25 years of fly fishing
70+ days a year on the water
15000 miles of driving to rivers and streams annually
I have never removed fly line from a reel I have never backed off drag,but I probably will now for my Ross.
My Lamson reel is amazing where my Ross reel Fails constantly
When I fish cold frozen days the disc freeze's up and the Ross becomes useless.
I've submerged the Lamson and that thing just keeps on singing.
25 years of fly fishing
70+ days a year on the water
15000 miles of driving to rivers and streams annually
I have never removed fly line from a reel I have never backed off drag,but I probably will now for my Ross.
My Lamson reel is amazing where my Ross reel Fails constantly
When I fish cold frozen days the disc freeze's up and the Ross becomes useless.
I've submerged the Lamson and that thing just keeps on singing.
I back the drag off on all of my reels... even between outings. I know for 100% sure that it certainly it can't hurt 'em!
I also used to take the lines off of the reels I didn't use during the winter. The newer lines coupled with large arbor reels just don't seem to need that. Besides, the spools lines come on aren't that much larger than those on large arbor reels.
Now that you brought this up though... darn it!, I will take the lines off of my smaller conventional reels this winter. Especially the lines from reels that don't allow for much backing.
I also used to take the lines off of the reels I didn't use during the winter. The newer lines coupled with large arbor reels just don't seem to need that. Besides, the spools lines come on aren't that much larger than those on large arbor reels.
Now that you brought this up though... darn it!, I will take the lines off of my smaller conventional reels this winter. Especially the lines from reels that don't allow for much backing.