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does anyone still make one worth taking home? dont tell me martin because i have tried four in the last two years and they will not keep enough tension to reel in line ! have used one pluogher(spell ?) no much better . martin use to be my favorite . I still have one made in U.S.A. about fourty years ago that works great but the new ones are a joke !
There's an excellent Italian automatic called the Vivarelli-- but they're not cheap:
https://www.dan-bailey.com/Via/viaLa...VIAUSERDOCLIST
Your best bet would be to find an old Martin on ebay.
I use Perrine automatic fly reels have several and not any trouble with them.They are no longer made but are almost always on E Bay search automatic fly reel
Auto fly reels have no place in flyfishing.
I won't go quite as far as Flyrod Man, but agree that the Auto's I have are collectors pieces(gathering dust). Especially on the rods made today they are too heavy and makes for a very unbalanced rod.
Just last night my grandson was saying he wanted an auto.
I took him out in the backyard and let him try my rod and then put the Auto on it and showed him why he did not want one.
Auto reels used to be really popular, especially in the south. Their "one hand" operation freed up your other hand to scull the boat.
I don't see too many people sculling a boat anymore.
Flyrod Mans negative reply to automatic fly reels realy upset me I was not going to answer but I think I need to. I will probably never will have the knowledge that Flyrod Man has about fly fishing. I am 70 years old and have been fly fishing sense I was 10 that makes 60 years. I have fished fresh water all over the US and salt water fly fished from Maine to Florida. I have 87 fly rods from 3wt to 10 wt about 20 of those are old fiberglass rods. I have Orvis CFO reels 3wt to 7 wt ,8 to 10 wt reels I have SA system 2 and Orvis DXR reels. I use automatic reels and my old fiberglass rods in the boat for bluegills. I really like them I don't think there is a balance problem ( my opinion ) I think if I can't say anything nice I won't say anything.
Riverboat, I commend you - for your gentlemanly response as well as for your dedication to fly fishing. Apparently uneducated responses from the philistines don't bother you.Quote:
Originally Posted by ausable riverboat
Good - it's better for the ol' heart that way! Wish I had better control!Incidentally, the first saltwater fish I caught on a fly - ladyfish in 1958 off a Rockport, Texas pier - were caught on a Martin automatic reel.
'Course, it didn't live very long thereafter, but that's not the point! :D
Bon chance, cher.
Pete
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flyrod Man
+1
I completely disagree. Being a casting instructor, I have been fly fishing for a long time. I have used auto's for many years for bream and other panfish fishing.
I have several Martin's which I have voluntarily made into retired conversation peices.
The Pflueger 1195 is probably the best choice now available and I own four of them and have gifted several of my close friends with them on rods that I purchased for them. I have one attached right now to a $300+ rod. It catches bream like no other. When you are catching 150 or more in a day. You do not want to hand reel that many in to release. I do not keep any bream and am fishing for them merely for sport. (Crappie taste better) I wish that those green trout (Bass) could fight half as much pound for pound that a bream does. I also wish that some of the stocker trout that are available to me to catch locally would fight one fourth as much pound for pound. I've never been known to be a purist, but just my opinion.
Zero
This is an interesting thread. With auto reels, it seems you either love 'em or hate 'em. For the record, I have never used one, mainly because I've heard bad reports on the newer models.
For you guys who do use them, what kind of drag do they have? How do they handle big fish? (I guess they handle them pretty good if Pete could land a ladyfish with one. :) )
DB4D - They were rather small ladyfish! :oQuote:
Originally Posted by deathb4disco
As far as drags go, I guess you could call the recoil spring that winds the "auto" part of the reel a "drag", depending on how tightly you would it, but it wasn't intended to do that job. A buddy had a Vivarelli (Sp?) that someone mentioned had an adjustable drag, but you needed a wrench (Allen?) to adjust it. It was a cute reel, but IMHO not worth 300 clams!
Pete
Does any one have an opinion on the Shakespeares? I have one that I was thinking of cleaning up. If it is garbage, I will not waste my time. This is for gill popper fishing with fenwick rod.
Thanks
Southbend-Been using them for years...:D:D
If you dont' think anyone use's them you're wrong. Go over to fiberglassflyrodders and lot's of folks still use them for panfishing up to bass. I have one at home but not sure what brand it is.
Fatman
I have two Martins 8A that I use for bream. They are at least 40 years old. I never had any problems with them. One exception the cover and spring attachment some how came unlocked and the cover and spring fell in the water. I sent the rest of the reel to Martin with an explaination and guess what. No questions asked. They sent me a brand new 8A in the box. And they also thanked me for using their products.
I don't say they are the best, nor do I knock any other brand. I have never owned any other auto flyreel but Martin 8A. I don't saltwater flyfish at all. I am strickly a bream and bass fly fishermen. I can't atest for crank and drag on other reels. I use the line to fight the fish. This is only thing I can say.
I have always used Perrine reels because everyone around here used to use them and they repaired them free. From what I have been reading Martin sounds like a good reel am now looking on ebay for an older Martin.
Auseable, Ebay often has 8A models. As for as todays newer Martin auto reels are concern, the 8A topps them by far. I got a newer model for a friend of mine.NO COMPARISON. I got 40 years of at least 90 good days a year.
Definately an inertesting thread. I had never even heard of an automatic fly reel until now but then again I would have never looked for one.
I can only imagine what a "purist" fly fisher I know would say. He scolded me for using a reel that technicaly had a drag as much as it was. I think he would throw me in for using an automatic one. He would also say using anything but plain old cane poles is flat out cheating.
I don't see the issue with them, I doubt I will ever use one but hey, if I am still fly fishing at 85+ and need one then I am gonna buy one before I quit doing it.
I have a pemco made minnesota. It's been great it's over 15 yrs old still picks up the line fast. If you don't no how to use them don't .But if you think they don't have a place in flyfishing you're wrong i caught many trout and several kinds of fish with no problem.
Okay, now we can probably agree to disagree about the auto fly reels. I had two as a youngster in the 60's, a Perrine and think the other was a Shakespeare. Got my first single action and like, "WTH have I been doing?..." So we can disagree on that but the rest of this is truly opinion, you don't want to keep 'gills, then don't, but while I purposely target 'gills and crappie, I eat 'em both and I can tell you that crappie are NOT better eating than gills. THey're just different eating than gills. So there.Quote:
Originally Posted by Zero
On automatic reels fish 4 all said the magic word "PURIST" . I have lived on the Ausable River for over 30 years and have whitnessed it go from being able to fish with any kind of tackle to no kill, flies only, catch and release. The purist fly fishers have gott most if not all the best trout rivers changed to flys only and a lot to catch and release. I live down stream from a lodge that has an Orvis shop the purist have all the latest gear my wife calls them orvis wantabees. I watch them from my chair in the living room They can't cast and 99.9% of them couldn't catch a fish if it was in a barrel.That said I will use my automatic reel and my old fiberglass fly rods to catch gills and eat them.
Been flyfishing since I have been about 10 years old. Have used several models of autos over the years. Martins , Pfleugers and others. I do not like the extra weight the autos hang on the rod.
Wherever you flyfish you will do a lot more casting than catching so weight has always been the prime reason I do not care for autos My arms ( even when I was young and in shape ) never got worn out from catching but did get worn out from casting. I stumbled across a lightweight # 4 action 8-1/2 foot custom fly rod matched with a single action Reddy reel and thats all I use now.
Purism has nothing to do with it personally. Supposedly the ultimate purist is one that only uses a bamboo rod and dry flies only. I like to catch fish too much to marry only one style of pursuit. But my favorite way to catch any fish would be on my " flea"
rod as I have named her.
Long time ago I was working a pond filled with large bull gills. I was on one side of the pond and an older gentleman was on the other. Both of us respected the others privacy and did not intrude each others spot. After he finished he came over and started a conversation. He was astonished that I was so young and casting like a demon. I informed him that my maternal grandfather got me started at age 10. I learned on a fly rod that he had won in a trout tournament back in the 30's. We chatted for awhile and he informed me that I was the only kid he had ever seen fly fishing in Ohio.
As he got up to go he said " Fly fishing is the best and most fun thing you can do as long as you are standing up. " I was much older when I found out exactly what he meant. That still brings a smile to my face after 60 some years now and then.
99% of the time I'm useing the auto and the other 1% I send wishing I had taken the auto with me.Casting from a boat it takes up lose line quick when swamp bass are eating bugs.
This is the exact situation where I've heard autos are favored. As I said before, this has been an interesting thread.Quote:
Originally Posted by Turtlebait
Setting and casting from a boat seat in moving water a feller hasn't got time to fool around when a jogjam is coming up quick.Even in still water from a boat seat the auto will get you out of the brush faster as not to lose the fish in it.Holding line in one hand,flyrod in the other hand while one foot is trying its best to control the T.M. while the other foot watches for a bad back cast,the auto is number one in my book.
A redneck fly rodder cann't listen to things like your eblow cann'ts,11 oclock,2 oclock things and tip target things.Stay out of the brush if you cann't learn the fly rod can be used in any angle no matter what time it is.Sometimes your eblow will be out haftway across the river,lake,creek to get the cast under or over the brush.You cann't ack like you know what your doing when casting from a seat while listen to olden oldies.Sometimes I get so lazy I fish both the forward and backward cast,reminds me of a monkey with a limber switch.
How ever I sometimes put on my fancy shorts and wade off in a creek with the old crank reel.While letting line out the current will get your lose line sorta tight as to not wad up in the reel when reeling line in.Setting in a boat seat all your lose line is wadded up at your feet.You cann't crank fast enough sometimes as to get the tangled up fly line without stopping and untangle the wad while fighting a fish.The auto can whip it up so fast it hasn't time to tangle plus save the day on a miss placed roll cast.
To each his own,no matter if missed matched rods and lines aren't in order the sport is fun,do what works best for you.
everyone I know in mississippi (north) uses a auto for bream fishing . have only seen a few with a manual crank . I have caught as many as 300 per day. would not want to crank that many .
I'll add a little extra "interesting" to this thread :Quote:
Originally Posted by deathb4disco
My Grandfather had two flyrod/autoreel outfits ... and never did I see him "fly fishing" with them :eek:
He used them to Crappie fish with ... tightlining with minners !! He'd wait until the Crappie pulled the rod tip into the water, then hit the trigger on the auto to set the hook. Worked like a charm :p
Fast forward ... now I have them !! Both auto reels are put away as mementos, while both rods are rigged with reels (one BC & one Spinning), and used for fishing with a slipfloat/minner rig. It keeps my memory of him alive & well, since I owe my love of fishing to him & my Grandmother .... plus they've caught some brute Crappie for me, too. I'm sure that's something he'd be proud of, knowing that his rods were still catching Slabs.
And I actually DID use the rods/reels, "as is" ... for many years, after I inherited them. The fly line just got too old & worn out, and was too expensive to replace back then (when I was a poor boy). So I took it off, released the tension on the auto reels, & put them away. Then, a couple of decades later, after I had my fill of "Bassin" & got back into primarily Crappie fishing ... I rigged them with some extra reels I had lying around, and the rest is history.
The reels are :
South Bend Oren-O-Matic #1126 Model A
Martin Automatic Mohawk #8
... cp :cool:
I've always been on the cheaper side of buying equipment up until recent years. Dad left a couple of auto's when he passed but they were broken. I never fixed em, and didn't care for the weight. In theory I would think that you would strip and hit the trigger to gather line instead of piling it at your feet. For some of the buggin I have done that would have done fine. I did put Dad's 8' - 7wt Browning Silaflex back in service this year and though much heavier in the hand than than newer 4 wt, it's fun to fish with Dad now and then. Good thread, purist or not, with lots of history and education. I just like catchin' fish, no matter what the gear.
I've never used a auto, so I would'nt know but I have a coupe of martin fly reels and have never had a problem what so ever, mine are kinda old made in the U.S.A but I still use them !
Quote:
Originally Posted by bluegillfisher
Have a Shakespear lay flat automatic Grandfather gave me when I was 4 years old. He got it for retirement present along with a steel extendable hex shaped rod about 7ft long.He could not deal with mechanical things. Gave me real and took rod tied line around end and tightlined around pond banks and along creek edges. Wish I could see in one pile all the fish that old pole caught. Got a fiberglass rod 3 or 4 years latter and tought myself to catch bream and bass from farm ponds. still have that old reel on shelf loaded with original line I had put up for some reason. Took it out to pond last year and still works fine. Use one of the new martins now for bream. Never had a problem. Thank the good Lord for Grandparents who loved to fish. That also would make that old reel 59 years old.
I've bought 2 cheapy reels.
Auto reels are in that cat.
And that's why I only use Orvis reels now.
My reply was my personal feeling; why not just wear a stripping basket? I am 74, and fly fished all my life also, have many rods and reels, mostly Hardy, and in many many places world wide and I'm still not sure I would use a auto reel, anyway I'v never on my trips seen anyone using one. How would u use a auto reel on a spey rod? Also large fish should always be played off the reel, I'm not sure this is possible with a auto? I am sorry if I offended anyone, I did not want to seem curt in my reply.
You would not use a automatic reel on a spey rod nor would you use a reel from a spey rod on a 2 wt. rod. When I was fishing in the early 50's every kid had a fly rod and all had a auto fly reel. If you wanted to borrow a fly rod to go on a fishing trip someone would loan you a rod but it would have a SA reel on it. We fished in small canyon creeks on the Big Horn mountains out side of Kaycee Wy. just past the Hole In The Wall. It was a long hard climb into and out of that canyon but the fishing was what people today only dream about. It was almost impossible to fish more than 30' of line out. Most of us had at least 8 1/2 ft to 9 1/2 ft rods and they were heavy.. The auto reel balanced them perfectly. You could fish the head of the bigger holes and if you got a small one you just pulled the lever and let the reel pull him in. But if you got the big one 3-5 pound you would hit the trigger and take up the slack all the time letting out line with the off hand and as soon as the slack was gone you let the fish play against the reel. That spring in the reel would let out line on a down stream run and keep the slack out on a up stream run. The only time I ever lost a fish was when I held the line, as long as I let the reel do the work I never had the problem. If I were fishing for bream and fly rod today it would be with the auto reel or could return to the days of my youth. If I had to pass the 30ft cast all the time then that would be another matter and out would come the SA. It depends on how you use the equipment and what you are used to.
About the only time I use an auto reel is on a long fly rod with a crappie jig on the end of light monofilament line. I can stick the rod through the bushes, wiggle it enough to let the jig weight pull out the line I feed it, then when the crappie hits it, I can pull the lever to take up the slack. I have had the same problems during regular fishing with the autos that you mention, but save my reels for the brim.....
"Auto fly reels have no place in flyfishing."
is that your opinion or the consensus of all? from the late 30s until the late 60s my father used one and the guy absolutely enjoyed fishing. the never sought nor thought to have the best, it was more the experience, the outdoors, and the fun. if he would have known about this "rule", he may have quit fishing long before i was born.
my opinion...use what you enjoy, what creates good memories.......and the heck with everyone else.
btw, those using hardy reels may not fish the same haunts as panfishermen, nor wear the same clothes, or even dine in the same arenas. simplicity is much better than complicated ways. again, this is fishing.......there are so many more things that are more serious in this world.
I've been fly fishing more than 40years. I just took out my new 2 hand spey rod (13', 5 - 6wt)) and hooked up an old perrine automatic fly reel with 5wt double taper and was one hand fly fishing all day. It was great... I was getting our more line with 4 or 5 false casts than I ever did with my 9'. It was a little heavy (because the rod is). My automatic only weights a few ounces more than my fancy spey reel...Quote:
Originally Posted by jigtosser
I fish from the road down 10 - 20 feet to the river in brushy areas. It would be impossible with a manual reel. With the auto when I get close to the brush I just pull the trigger and I can pull up 15yds of line so fast it makes your head spin. I'm a run and gun fisherman. I can cover a few hundred yards of water in 10 minutes unless I'm getting action and working a fish.
Different strokes for different folks..
So, you're not spey casting? You're just doing regular fly casting?Quote:
Originally Posted by crappyslayer
I'm using the 13' spey rod like a regular old fly rod and it works great... I've done a few roll casts with it too, but only a couple.Quote:
Originally Posted by deathb4disco
Attachment 131040Attachment 131041recently retired and a friend dug out a fly reel that was his fathers and gave it to me . IT HAS MARTIN , 6, BUT NO LETTER . THE SPRING IS AWESOME COMPARED TO THE NEW MODELS . HE TOLD ME IT WAS VERY OLD . SINCE HE IS 80 AND IT WAS HIS FATHERS JUST CURIOUS . WHAT COLOR LEFT ON REEL IS BLUISH .I USE THIS TO BREAM FISH WHEN THEY ARE ON THE BED MAINLY AND HAVE NEVER CAUGHT A TROUT , SALMON ECT . NEVER PLAN ON WADING UNLESS THE BOAT MOTOR QUITS . I EITHER ROLL WITH CRICKETS OR CAST A BLACK GNAT . WELCOME TO THE SOUTH .Attachment 131042Attachment 131043Attachment 131044Attachment 131045Attachment 131046Attachment 131047