Fly Reel Review+Catfish On The Fly

 Has anyone noticed the price of fly reels? Most of you know that I fish with the G-Loomis free spool reels, which cost between $150.00 and $ 200.00. That is the most I have paid for a fly reel and probably will never pay more than that price. In fact, at my age, I don't intend to buy another fly reel ever. 

With that said, the three main components that entail fly fishing for me are the fly rod, fly reel, and fly line. The least expensive of the three for me would be my fly reel. One can spend big bucks on a fly reel, but in reality, all it will do is keep your line spooled and provide a decent drag to fight a large fish. In fact, the click and paw fly reels don't have drag. Both my Battenkill reels are the click-and-pawl version, which I like especially when fishing for trout on the tailrace and bluegill on the lake. But what if you want an inexpensive, small arbor reel that features a smooth dial drag setting? 

Enter the Avid fly reel by Maxcatch; at 50 bucks, this reel is a bargain for fly fishermen who don't want to hear the click, click sound of the paw and click version reel. My son Jason purchased this reel at the beginning of this year, and he and I have been using it. I use it sometimes when he is out of state working, and he uses it when he fishes with me when he is home. The reel is super light and measures 2 3/4 inches in diameter with the width of the spool 1 1/4". He has paired it with his Redington 2 wt. 7 1/2 ft. fly rod. To experience the ultimate in light-action fly fishing, this combo will deliver. In fact, I like the combo so well that I have started using it over my click and paw Battenkill combo. 

To get a more detial description of this reel check out their website at Maxcatch Fly Fishing. I thought I would never like a colored fly reel, but after seeing this one up close I was sold. 

I fished the combo one evening last week on Walker County Lake, knowing that the spawn was over for the year, I was there mainly to cast this 2-weight. As usual, nothing was happening on top, so I fished subsurface using my stand-by Krystal Booger. It didn't fail, as it caught the attention of some active catfish that put the 2wt. to the test.

I haven't a clue what these catfish thought this fly was, but I didn't care, hey I was landing fish using one of the lightest fly rod combos I've ever fished with!!

 

The Tungsten Bead Krystal Bugger

 

In the second week of April, I published a post discussing this small 1/16 oz. bugger while fishing for bluegill on a windy morning at Walker County Lake. However, I didn't share how I discovered this fly. Many of you probably have a place where flies go to rest, unused until they are rediscovered. For me, that place is a set of small plastic drawers in my fly fishing closet. I found this particular fly at my son's house, tucked away in a small plastic container with other flies that seemed destined for the "fly graveyard." It was the only bugger fly pattern among them—a chartreuse beadhead with an olive green body in size 8. That morning, the bite had slowed with the previous flies I was using, so after lunch, I decided to try something different subsurface, and the bugger was my choice. At the time, I didn't have a name for it, so I simply referred to it as "the bugger." After fishing with the fly that afternoon and successfully landing numerous larger bluegill that were not spawning, I realized I had found a winner. That night, I began searching the web for a beadhead bugger and discovered the name "The Tungsten Bead Krystal Bugger." Since discovering this little gem early last summer it has caused me to have a different opinion concerning small wooly buggers. It's funny how flies that seem useless can turn into some of the best options when nothing is happening on the surface. I have a feeling the trout on the Sipsey will be interested!

This bluegill nailed the black krystal near the bank and believe me there is no mistaking the hit. I don't believe this fish was in the spawning mode, because it hit the fly in water at a depth of 6 ft. Notice the colorful tail fins. The last image was a big gill taken fishing Walker County Lake in April where that morning I wasn't having any luck fishing surface poppers so I tied on the bugger and got results. This is one killer fly not only for bass and bluegill but it is sold to fish for trout out west, I purchased the fly from Yellow Dog Flies in Montana.

 This quality male spotted bass hit the black bugger during gusty wind conditions while fishing the levee on Smith Lake with my son last week during a morning trip. I was actually fishing for larger bluegill when this 18" plus male spotted bass inhale the fly. I landed the bass using my 9 ft. 3wt, which was the highlight of the trip for me. 

I've found that the best leader setup to fish this fly is a 7 1/2-foot furled leader paired with at least 2 to 2 1/2 feet of 5X or 6X fluorocarbon tippet. This combination increases the sink rate and improves overall presentation. This fly will become one of my main flies to fish when the surface bite slow. Next Thurday will be my next trip to Smith to fish for the spotted bass and big gills, so that morning I have decided to fish only this fly for most of the trip and see what kind of results it will produce---stay tuned!