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Reel recommendation? I don’t know anything.


To preface this, I have a ton of experience using spinning and levelwind setups for both fresh and saltwater, been drinking beer on boats and riverbanks since I was a teenager. Never tried fly fishing because it seemed too intimidating, though.

Now, my dad passed several years back and left me a couple basically brand new Orvis rods. A PowerMatrix 10 8'1/2' 3-1/4wt #6ln, and a Trident TL 9' 4-7/8wt #8ln. Didn't leave me any reels, though. I just recently moved back to the pacific northwest from SC, and figured I'd try giving these things a go and buy a Christmas present for myself in the form of more fishing shit.

Now for the reels. The PowerMatrix one is 3-1/4oz, so with that, I'm supposed to be looking at a reel that's 3/4wt? I found this one that seems to be in that range and isn't a random off brand thing, is this the size I'd be looking for? And what about the drag? Is the click pawl thing fine for small trout?

If there are better options out there around this price range, please share.

Thanks.

Edit: here are some pictures. https://imgur.com/a/LWyFM8t

Posted by airfryerfuntime

5 Comments

  1. hoooch on

    Posting pics would give you more informed advice, but the descriptions of the rods sound like a 6wt and an 8wt.

  2. swede_ass on

    I don’t know the history of why the nomenclature is so confusing, but the weight listed in ounces is the weight of the rod blank and is almost irrelevant. When we talk about fly rod “weight,” we’re generally referring to the weight of the line it’s designed to cast, which, again confusingly, is not generally listed by weight in ounces or grams as a top-line label, but just with a number from zero and up.

    So on your rods, where it says “#6 line”, that refers to a 6 weight line, and that rod is a “6 weight” rod. Likewise, the other rod is designed to cast an 8 weight line and is an “8 weight” rod.

  3. LAGxDarkForces on

    Ah, you’ve got it backwards. That’s the literal weight of the rods you’ve listed. Rods are identified by the length and by line weight. You have a 6wt and an 8wt rod there

    Edit: lamson is a great brand to find a reputable and more budget reel like the liquid S, as well as the orvis batten kill

  4. espngenius on

    You need a reel for a 6weight and another for an 8weight.

    Get an Echo ion reel at that price point.

  5. walking_with_wolves on

    Any appropriate line-rated reel (5/6 for a 6 weight rod for example) should work. Anything click and pawl or otherwise should work fine for anything 5 weight and under. Anything 6 weight or above you may want to consider a disc drag, with a sealed drag if you plan on fishing any salt. It’s all personal preference but IMO its hard to beat Lamson’s quality for their entry level reels. I’ve fished my Lamson Liquid 5/6 on my 5 weight for years and love it.

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