Large Arbor Reels.

[flybob]

Being a newbie, and always having questions about gear and tactics,

Large Arbor Reels for freshwater fishing, what are your thoughts, advantages, disadvantages?

Bob

[gabe]

Bob, if you are fishing for a fish that will pull significant drag, then use a large arbor. I use them on everything, but you really don't need them for creek fishing. I use them on my ultralights only because I like to use my ultralights on decent sized fish. In the end, it's not really the drag that's the deal. Smaller arbors still can have great drags. However, if the fish pulls line on you and then turns around and runs at you, you want to be able to pick up line as fast as you can (by reeling in). That's when the larger arbor comes into play. The larger the arbor, the more line picked up per revolution.

A list of my reels:

Lamson Litespeed Hard Alox 5/6 (large arbor)
Wright & McGill Dragonfly 7/8 (large arbor)
Lamson Konic 3/4 (large arbor, on my 3wt)
Wright & McGill Dragonfly 3/4 (large arbor, on my 2wt)
Orvis Battenkill Mid arbor (I don't use it anymore)

In the end, I just choose to do everything in large arbor. They look great and I know that they will pick up line when I need them to, especially when fishing barbless.

what he said.
as for me, I've been fighting a lot of my fish by hand on my set drag reel. Even carp.
I just find it more fun. Since I'm hardly on the reel though, I like to be able to slap spools to pick up line as quick as possible, so I don't get tangle as I chase a fish, or the fish doesn't go running through my line.

[flybob]

Thanks for the insight/knowledge guys!

There is just so much stuff out there.

I guess if I were going after "Samson" a LAR would come in handy, or fishing the salt maybe, but alas as the TROPHY fish in my signature indicate, I don't think I will be needing one anytime soon.

Bob

[JGray]

I don't know if you run into it much in California, but another reason we use large arbor reels out here in Colorado is because they keep the coils larger on the reel. It isnt that big of a deal in warm weather because the covering on the fly line stays soft. But if you are crazy like me and like to go out in January and Feburay with day time highs in the teens, the line coverings stiffen up (especially cheaper lines). It comes off the reel still coiled up. The larger coils are easier to deal with than a pile of tight coils.

[gabe]

I don't know if you run into it much in California, but another reason we use large arbor reels out here in Colorado is because they keep the coils larger on the reel. It isnt that big of a deal in warm weather because the covering on the fly line stays soft. But if you are crazy like me and like to go out in January and Feburay with day time highs in the teens, the line coverings stiffen up (especially cheaper lines). It comes off the reel still coiled up. The larger coils are easier to deal with than a pile of tight coils.

thats a good point. I do have problems with my Orvis line on my 3wt reel coiling up during the winter season. Oddly enough, My SA Saltwater Floating line on my 6wt. has never stiffened up on me during cold days.