Zach Matthews
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[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6JqCOtDLu0[/media]
Scott –
You’re probably right about the overall distance traveled being more than a few inches, but I would stand by my belief that the reel counterweights the rod until someone showed me some hard data that says otherwise.
Scott –
I have thrown a rod (for distance) without a reel; I find it to be harder actually. It feels like I am bearing the full load out on the end of a stick; a ball and chain effect, if you will.
I am not sure how Gary Borger’s personal style of casting looks but from the butt of the rod, the motion would be more rotational, as the rod rotates downwards, versus lateral, i.e. forward and back. Just pantomiming casting here in my office I can’t see how the reel really moves more than a couple inches back and forth, at least with my stroke. Thus I am not sure the “forward momentum” of the reel really would contribute much resistance to stopping.
Zach
Gerard –
The problem in the fly industry is that many of the manufacturers have been burned by fly shops (notably a certain fly shop) requesting these testers then dogging the product when it happens to be one the shop owners do not sell.
I am here to tell you, there is great variability in rod preference, but that variability exceeds the actual differences between rods.
I spoke with Ben Freeman, who is the author of the article, and he said they included the reels from manufacturers who responded to their request for testing equipment.
This article is well-written, although they’re overlooking the fly reels article we (I) wrote in American Angler when they say magazines have ignored this subject.
I think they’re off base in preferring the lightest possible reel. You need the reel to counterbalance the weight of the rod and thus pull the swing weight of the outfit down into the base. A heavier reel can counter-intuitively make a rod feel lighter and arguably easier to cast throughout the day. It’s the same principle behind why the best drift boat oars are typically weighted in the handles–it levels out the teeter-totter and makes it all easier to manipulate.
“As rods get lighter, you need lighter reels to balance them.”
That’s theoretically correct but they’re missing the forest for the trees; rods on average have lost weight in the tenths of an ounce range at most, whereas reels have become ridiculously light – losing several ounces versus the “norm” of 1995 or so. The result is rod designers are increasingly having to account for an overly light reel in trying to reduce swing weight.
The other major failure I would point out is the same problem George Anderson’s reviews have: not everyone is represented. Notably, I don’t see Nautilus, Galvan, or Bauer represented, and the absence of Nautilus is particularly remarkable given their popularity in the saltwater market right now.