Recommended reel weight for Sage One

[NeilRowe]

Gary

I dont do all those weird forms of fishing but I do a lot of fishing with 9 to 12 wt rods. Imbalance just does not work here either. Which makes me wonder why certain reel manufacturers overport their reels to remove mass? You end up moving to a bigger reel in their series to achieve the correct mass and hence balance.

Borger's recommendations would have been at a time when heavy reels and shorter rods were the norm, and high-sticking (arm outstretched most of the day) was also not the norm.

If you are fishing shorter/lighter rods (say 1-3wt 8ft rods), then balance point is relative and you can get away with a slightly unbalanced, but lighter outfit, especially if you are not nymphing the modern way.

If you are going to be fishing Euro/French/Highsticking style with your arm outstretched most of the time over the course of a whole day and using a 10ft rod, then balance is vital and the reel needs to have appropriate mass. Otherwise the rod will be tip heavy and you will end up with a very sore forearm from having to use your arm muscles to apply upwards force (to counteract the mass imbalance) to keep the rod in the horizontal position when nymphing.

[GGY]

Gary

I dont do all those weird forms of fishing but I do a lot of fishing with 9 to 12 wt rods. Imbalance just does not work here either. Which makes me wonder why certain reel manufacturers overport their reels to remove mass? You end up moving to a bigger reel in their series to achieve the correct mass and hence balance.

Marketing. Lighter is *obviously* better, except when it is not.

[NeilRowe]

So true Gary. Well said

[gkieser]

How do you like that nautilus fwx?been thinking of getting one?

I really like it! Nice and smooth drag that handles turns of pace really well. Quite light as you can see, and just looks so darn pretty! I am not sure there are any other reels under $300 that could really compare. It feels a little rough and unbalanced when you reel in, but that's a minor irritation really.

[saflyfish]

All my 4wt's are 8.5ft and i wonder in this instance with the lighter rods (2.3 - 2.7oz) a lighter reel would be better?
The nautilus fwx 3/4 which im keen on is 3.6oz.Maybe too light?

[GGY]

All my 4wt's are 8.5ft and i wonder in this instance with the lighter rods (2.3 - 2.7oz) a lighter reel would be better?
The nautilus fwx 3/4 which im keen on is 3.6oz.Maybe too light?

Maybe not. With a short(er) rod, the effect of the lever and length of b (~7.5) in the formula above mean that the lighter reel may work well.

Try borrowing a friends reel which has a similar empty mass. String the rod up with the reel, fitted with line & backing and run 3-5m of flyline through the eyes, then check for balance point.

[saflyfish]

Thanks Gary,i did think the 1/2ft less would make a difference.
Balancing fly rods and reels seems to be a science nowdays as you have proved