Ice fishing version of Fly reels??

I’m interested in your thoughts on Ice fishings version of the fly reel. I grasp the concept of reduced or no spin on the terminal end of the program. Still the stripping off of line has seemingly been a huge downfall of this set up. I’ve seen the holes in the wheel iced up lending to problems and of course a simple mistake on free wheeling the line in the stripping process turn into a mini disaster. If it outproduces spinning reels when in the zone as is being hyped; Then each angler will have to decide whether the slower drop speed will be overcome by increased bites. So far I’ve fished side by side them a few times, and I’m just not seeing it yet.

I would like to try it for myself, but interested in your experiences good or bad.

Another benefit is the larger arbor I like these reels for using fluorocarbon line. They are not for everyone nor are they for every aplication. The spinning reels are still the ticket for most situations. I fly fish so strpping the line was not an issue gor me.

Line twist is definitely better. My son and I love to fish with them as it seems to be more of a challenge realign in the fish and you have better control when fighting the fish. I know most people use them only for Pan fish however we use it for everything in all depth. Yes it takes longer to get down to the action but then size does matter and I think these helps a little. Personal preference I guess.

I’ve been ice fishing with spinning reels for a long time, didn’t have any problems catching fish in the past and I don’t forsee any problems catching fish on them in the future. A simple small barrel swivel 2-3 ft. up from the lure doesn’t hurt a thing if your worried about line twist. I’m with you on this one Chris. I just don’t see the need

Its hard to hand one of these reels to someone that is not used to fishing them and just let them go. Have had them come back to me in most cases in a big mess. They are extremely simple to use but still if someone is not used to it they get messed up in a hurry. Back reeling seems to be the biggest issue on mine.

Stripping the line out is one of the advantages I think to these reels. Can pull out exactly how much line I want or easily reel in the same. once again something that is very simple but to someone that is not used to doing this it seems odd.

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I’ve been ice fishing with spinning reels for a long time, didn’t have any problems catching fish in the past and I don’t forsee any problems catching fish on them in the future. A simple small barrel swivel 2-3 ft. up from the lure doesn’t hurt a thing if your worried about line twist. I’m with you on this one Chris. I just don’t see the need

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The issue with your solution here is your swivel adds weight in between. On the lightest finicky bites or up bites you will see nothing here. The fish will nibble or lightly inhale the tiny jig and spit it out and you will never see or feel it cause you got a swivel in between your tight line and jig. Plus the swivel doesnt always do the greatest job of stopping line twist.

I’m trying one for the first time this year. I put the new Suffix 832 Ice Braid on it, with my past experiences with Braid and cold not being good we will see how it works. I may be switching it back to straight Florocarbon.

Once I’m able to get on some safe ice, hopefully this weekend I will let you know how it worked out.

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I’ve been ice fishing with spinning reels for a long time, didn’t have any problems catching fish in the past and I don’t forsee any problems catching fish on them in the future. A simple small barrel swivel 2-3 ft. up from the lure doesn’t hurt a thing if your worried about line twist. I’m with you on this one Chris. I just don’t see the need

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The issue with your solution here is your swivel adds weight in between. On the lightest finicky bites or up bites you will see nothing here. The fish will nibble or lightly inhale the tiny jig and spit it out and you will never see it cause you got a swivel in between your tight line and jig. Plus the swivel doesnt always do the greatest job of stopping line twist.

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PRECISELY! Well said, F-A. Often times, the jigs we ice fish with are so light (realtively speaking) that hey can’t overcome the stiction in most swivels.

-Munchy

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I’m interested in your thoughts on Ice fishings version of the fly reel. I grasp the concept of reduced or no spin on the terminal end of the program. Still the stripping off of line has seemingly been a huge downfall of this set up. I’ve seen the holes in the wheel iced up lending to problems and of course a simple mistake on free wheeling the line in the stripping process turn into a mini disaster. If it outproduces spinning reels when in the zone as is being hyped; Then each angler will have to decide whether the slower drop speed will be overcome by increased bites. So far I’ve fished side by side them a few times, and I’m just not seeing it yet.

I would like to try it for myself, but interested in your experiences good or bad.

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I usually fish shallow water (less than 15 ft) and for me its a confidence game with them. I have found that when i use the fly reel and there are no line twists I will get the fish to commit faster than if I was using a spinning reel or have line twists. With the fly reel I can hold the rod and let my tremble in my hand move the jig and get a few more of the neutral fish to commit. I have found them to work well for my style of fishing. Its really a personal preferance, if your more comfortable with the spinning reel then stick with it as long as you can keep catching who cares.. The fish dont know the difference in what reel you are using.

I love my fly reels…excellent drag and no line twist with minimal coils. I use them in shallow lakes of 6′ or less. I can definitely see if on water of 15′ or more they could be somewhat of a pain tho. It does get interesting when ya hook up on 5lb bass in 4fow and reeds and weeds around!

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I’ve been ice fishing with spinning reels for a long time, didn’t have any problems catching fish in the past and I don’t forsee any problems catching fish on them in the future. A simple small barrel swivel 2-3 ft. up from the lure doesn’t hurt a thing if your worried about line twist. I’m with you on this one Chris. I just don’t see the need

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The issue with your solution here is your swivel adds weight in between. On the lightest finicky bites or up bites you will see nothing here. The fish will nibble or lightly inhale the tiny jig and spit it out and you will never see it cause you got a swivel in between your tight line and jig. Plus the swivel doesnt always do the greatest job of stopping line twist.

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PRECISELY! Well said, F-A. Often times, the jigs we ice fish with are so light (realtively speaking) that hey can’t overcome the stiction in most swivels.

-Munchy

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In all honesty a couple years ago I switched to the Quiver stick almost exclusively for Crappies. Trust me this took some trial and error and having to rethink how I fish versus my traditional noodle sticks. No longer was this a visual game, but now I rely soley on feel. This is exactly how I long cast jigs for Walleyes in open water. I believe it has made me a better fisherman. Hook ups and bigger fish staying laced up is greater without a doubt. With a quiver stick or something similiar you are soley looking feeling for tension. I no longer have to move my eyes from the Marcum to my rod tip. Now I can keep my eyes glued to the flasher and feel for that tension. I believe this to be the best way once you master it. When I have a fish coming in to suck up my presentation I will continue to slowly move this bait up the water column which basically allows me to quickly feel that tension by initiating it. I don’t use swivels and don’t use a fly reel. I fish in 25-45 f.o.w. Again I’m not saying the fly reel isn’t the ****……Just think thus far in any deeper water application it seems cumbersome and incredibly service intensive quite vulnerable to human error no matter how much of a fishing wizard you claim you are.

Still in a tough bite……I’d like to fish one side by side my spinning reel to see for myself if it makes a difference. I’m….That kind of guy.

I have looked closely and love the idea, but in deep water, doesn’t the lure usually spiral down and twist the line anyway. I can see if you are jigging the same spot for an extended period, but don’t most run-and-gunners just jump from hole to hole searching for active fish? Maybe better for lighter jigs in deep water (straight line instead of coiled)?

Thoughts? Am I mistaken?

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In all honesty a couple years ago I switched to the Quiver stick almost exclusively for Crappies. Trust me this took some trial and error and having to rethink how I fish versus my traditional noodle sticks. No longer was this a visual game, but now I rely soley on feel. This is exactly how I long cast jigs for Walleyes in open water. I believe it has made me a better fisherman. Hook ups and bigger fish staying laced up is greater without a doubt. With a quiver stick or something similiar you are soley looking feeling for tension. I no longer have to move my eyes from the Marcum to my rod tip. Now I can keep my eyes glued to the flasher and feel for that tension. I believe this to be the best way once you master it. When I have a fish coming in to suck up my presentation I will continue to slowly move this bait up the water column which basically allows me to quickly feel that tension by initiating it. I don’t use swivels and don’t use a fly reel. I fish in 25-45 f.o.w. Again I’m not saying the fly reel isn’t the ****……Just think thus far in any deeper water application it seems cumbersome and incredibly service intensive quite vulnerable to human error no matter how much of a fishing wizard you claim you are.

Still in a tough bite……I’d like to fish one side by side my spinning reel to see for myself if it makes a difference. I’m….That kind of guy.

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Well said, I feel the same. I just don’t see the advantage.

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I don’t use swivels and don’t use a fly reel. I fish in 25-45 f.o.w. Again I’m not saying the fly reel isn’t the ****……Just think thus far in any deeper water application it seems cumbersome and incredibly service intensive quite vulnerable to human error no matter how much of a fishing wizard you claim you are.

Still in a tough bite……I’d like to fish one side by side my spinning reel to see for myself if it makes a difference. I’m….That kind of guy.

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Well said, I feel the same. I just don’t see the advantage.

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I think some of you may not fully understand the concept why? Or is confused. Could be due to the type of waters you fish or the type of fish your after. Plus I dont know anyone currently using a fly/inline reel to fish waters over 30 fow? (this may change due to the new inline reels such as the BB 6061 allowing free spool) Most ice anglers that will use a inline type reel to catch larger fish its typically done in waters 5-15 fow. Some will use it in depths up to 30 fow. I use inline reels all the time in 20-25 fow. Again this is going to depend on your application and the type of fish your going after.

For walleyes I see no need to use a inline reel at all. Your typically jigging spoons, darters, jig heads, dead stick etc. Theres really no advantage here by using an inline reel. I feel it becomes a user preference at that point.

However when on panfish/perch that are very finicky the application at hand requires one to be finesse in their offering. Here every little advantage you can foresee helps. Using a inline reel here can shine as it eliminates or lessen line twist and jig spin. Here your gonna want to combo the inline reel with ultra light ice rod, line & tackle. Incorporate tightlining techniques too and you can become a deadly threat to those finicky perch and slabs. In part yes I believe it can help put more fish on the ice. If you’ve never been in such a scenario with finicky fish you wont likely understand until you actually experience it for yourself…

Chris I believe you would be able to drop down those custom jigs with plastic or spikes down just as efficiently with the BB 6061 less twist as well. You are using a heavy jig and still pulling line out with your hand anyway with the spinning reel.you may have to switch to a little lighter line from 3 to 2 fire line. Better yet give the nanofill a try. Good luck this year and Happy Holiday. Mike Smith

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Chris I believe you would be able to drop down those custom jigs with plastic or spikes down just as efficiently with the BB 6061 less twist as well. You are using a heavy jig and still pulling line out with your hand anyway with the spinning reel.you may have to switch to a little lighter line from 3 to 2 fire line. Better yet give the nanofill a try. Good luck this year and Happy Holiday. Mike Smith

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It’s not ruled out Mike. Still selling myself on the concept!! LOL!!

When hand stripping lures of 1/80th oz or lighter. The spinning reel vs the fly reel. The fly reel will have the lure sink faster. The straighter the line going through 30’+ of water the less resistance there is.

First I have to get them to bite. Reeling them up is another thing.

You’ll probably need another Quiverstick!!!
I do not fish near as deep as you and seems to work well. I am using a different fly reel and using 2lb nanofil I use foam tape for backing and 30 yards of line, I think you’ll love it.