One of the things I enjoy most about fishing is the never ending process of striving to improve myself as an angler. Often times improvements in my abilities come from an expanded understanding of a species I’m targeting or a body of water I’m trying to unravel. Other times becoming just a little more productive and successful out there on the ice comes down to refinements in equipment.
Over the last couple years the use of reels that reduce or eliminate line twist, or “straight lining” as it has come to be called, has quickly become standard equipment for many successful ice fisherman. If you can eliminate line twist small or light baits can be presented in a very precise and natural manner. I’ve added straight line reels to my arsenal in the past couple years and I can attest to the significant improvement in my presentations that have, without doubt, helped me put more fish on the ice.
For those not familiar with the concept of straight lining or why ice anglers have gravitated so strongly to reels commonly used by fly anglers you might want to read through this thread from In-Depth Outdoors posted 9/27/11 under the title “Fly Reel Advantages” to bring yourself up to speed.
Fly Reel Advantages – Discussion on IDO
What you’ll pick up on right away is that the use of a fly reel accomplishes EXACTLY what an ice angler is after… and that is the elimination of line twist inducing coiling caused by spinning reels.
At the same time you should also pick up on one of the limitations of straight line reels and that is they’re not geared. Or perhaps more accurately they retrieve line at a 1:1 ratio… for every turn of the reel handle the reel spool revolves one time. And this means reels that eliminate line twist work well in shallow water where the amount of line to be retrieve is minimal while using this same style reel in deep water is often considered a literal waste of time. Quite simply the advantage of the elimination of line twist is lost against the extra time it takes to reel up a line being fished in deep water.
So where am I going with this you ask? What you’ll read next is a quote from the thread I mentioned earlier that should begin to bring this to my point.
Quote:
What I’m hoping someone does is takes a fly reel and comes up with a way to add a 2:1 or even 3:1 direct drive retrieve mechanism without adding a bunch of weight. If I could get hands on a 3:1 fly reel I’d swap out every last spinning reel I own on all my ice rods and never look back.
That was where my head was at regarding straight line reels back in 2011 and my feelings have not changed to this day. If only SOMEONE would build a straight line reel with a multiplied retrieve ratio I’m convinced this new reel would set the ice fishing industry abuzz with excitement over the availability of a product many of us have sought out for years.
So, to that point I promised! I’ve been leaked some photos of a new straight line reel that WILL be released winter 2012 under the name Black Betty – sold by a company called 13 Fishing out of Tampa Bay, FL.
Here’s some product drawings to bring shape to this hot little item.
I’ve also come across a couple photos of prototype reels that show how drawings above turn into a “reel” product. From concept to reality… and I like what I see as this does not look like a poorly made reel. Now, do note that the finished product may look slightly or even significantly different than the prototypes shown here. They are, after all, prototypes.
I’ve obviously not fished with this reel yet but I’m hot on the trail of a sample so I can see with my own eyes what its all about. I will say this, right now this reel gets my vote for the most intriguing new reel to hit the ice market in a long time and I’m very eager to see it firsthand, feel the build quality and kick the tires so to speak.
One last thing before I close, I’ve been told this reel will be released in a fairly limited supply this winter. I’m hearing total quantities available will number in the hundreds, not thousands. That said I’ll do some digging to find out which retailers will have them available and when. What I do know is when they are released at retail, if there’s only a few hundred available, if you want one this winter you’ll need to be Jonny on the Spot to get one.
I’ll report back when I hear or come up with anything new!
