I am sure all of you are
familiar with the Orvis Battenkill fly reels. I have been searching for the
Battenkill II Reel for some time at a decent price. Well, I found the reel the
other day on Ebay for the unbelievable price of 65.00 used regular price 145.00 plus tax. Just goes to show
if one has patience when shopping for fly fishing equipment, good things will
follow. I bought the fly rod that I was going to used with the reel some months back when Cabelas had a clearance on their Redington Trout Classic fly rods for
75.00, regular price at 150.00. 
With this 5 wt reel/rod combo I’m ready now for those 14” to 15” rainbows on the tailrace and some huge bluegills on the lake.
The Poudre Canyon Special & Yankee Smelt by Alan at Small Stream Reflections --Alan does a fantastic job creating fly patterns that he has tied. I gave my son these streamers for Christmas and he had all four streamers framed.
The Brown & Grizzly with the Red Baron both by Alan--Sorry for the distorted frame size in the image; I have big-time trouble keep the glare out of the picture when shooting anything that has glass in it--any suggestions how to avoid that? Many thanks to Alan for tying these great streamers--my son has a special place on the wall for them.
Well, Bill, I can totally appreciate your efforts of looking for great deals as they come down the pipe on great fly fishing gear. I haves used The Orvis reels mentioned here, darn wish I still had them, and they were great reels. Wonderful work on the frames and those are some beautiful streamers. Oh, and before I leave, I love nice Bluegills!
ReplyDeleteYou can't go wrong with an Orvis reel. The Battenkill is a workhorse, and I have many. Great price.
ReplyDeleteNice job on framing the streamers.
Hey Bill,
ReplyDeleteKelly has that same reel on her 6 wt TFO and it's been flawless... despite lots of abuse.
We caught three really nice Crappie today on the Cahaba River so they're definitely biting now. We brought the two larger ones home- 12 1/4" and 12 3/4".
Think you might want to get out on Smith next weekend? Sunday looks to be the better day.
Let me know what you think.
Hi Bill, is this the new Battenkill model I've been hearing about? Good looking flies and good idea to frame them...Cheers
ReplyDeleteMel
ReplyDeleteCrappie was my goal on the small pond, but none to be had, bluegill was fun. Yes the streamers framed up nicely ---thanks for the comment
Alan
ReplyDeleteI am really impressed with the Battenkill--I got one for my retirement gift, some years back, but lost it and the fly rod on a float trip. I have been trying to replace the reel ever since. Lucky to find this one--thanks again for tying up the streamers--thanks for the commmet
Bill, the new rod and reel combo looks like a nice add to the arsenal. Those framed flies look spectacular. Are you using a flash when taking the picture and that is what is causing the glare?
ReplyDeleteJay
ReplyDeleteA 12” crappie is a plus anytime. I would really like to go and fish Smith but very few crappie or bass are biting now. Fishing on Smith is extremely slow because of heavy generation. They run the generators everyday, and when they are pulling water it make fishing terrible. The trout fishing below the dam has stopped. No one has been able to fish there as far as wading is concerned since the first of January. I want be here this weekend, I will be at Tannehill State Park with my Nephew and his sons on a bow shooting contest. Hopefully the lake will be back to normal which is 500.00 soon, right now it is at 506.35. Generation is slow at 500.00. Hopefully the level will be back to normal in a couple of weeks and we can go. I caught more crappie last year during the months April and May than any other time on the lake. Glad you and Kelly made it out and landed some slabs. Thanks for the comment
Howard
ReplyDeleteThe Battenkill is a great fly reel even for the full price Orvis sells it for. This reel is a replacment for the one I lost on that nightmare of a trip I made two years ago on Bear Creek. It has taken me this long to replace it. Thanks for the comment
Trail
ReplyDeleteYes I am using a flash, I will turn the darn thing off next time I take a picture. I am using the Battenkill/Redington combo for the bluegill and larger trout--should work great. Yes the streamers are fantastic framed. Thanks for the comment
Bill, turn the flash off and add a little more background light and that should solve your glare problem. Tight Lines!
ReplyDeleteGood to see I'm not the only one who likes to wait for a bargain. The early bird doesn't always get the worm!
ReplyDeleteThose streamers certainly are suitable for framing, just beautiful!
A little early for crappie yet around these parts. Good to see you got out and had some action though.
Hi Bill
ReplyDeleteI have used the Battenkill before and really like it--I was thrilled to be able to get it for 65.00 and that included shipping. I will probably start my bluegill quest before I start crappie fishing. Thanks for the comment
Trail
ReplyDeleteI will the suggestions a try--thanks for passing that on to me.
Those are beautiful flies, I have always wanted to get a nice set of flies framed myself. Great Christmas idea, I am sure your son loved it!
ReplyDeleteAtlas
ReplyDeleteMy son has always talked about having flies framed, he got he wish this Christmas. thanks for the comment
All kinds of good stuff. I've never heard of those species of panfish except from your blog. I'll be interested to see more pics of those fish.
ReplyDeleteKevin
ReplyDeleteGoogle Coppernose bluegill and you will find out what can of fighter these bluegill are. They grow much faster than the average bluegill and can get to 2 lbs. in three years. thanks for the comment
Love my BattenKill. It's on a 3wt. 7.5 foot rod rigged for small streams.
ReplyDeleteKevin
ReplyDeleteYes I agree ---I wish I could find the smallest Battenkill for the 2-3 wt for 65.00--keep looking--thanks for the comment
Fly
ReplyDeleteThe Battenkill and the Redington are the two lightness fly reels that I have found. Both are exceptional reels. Thanks for the commmet