I just realized that this board has a fly fishing section! A bit slow on the uptake I know.

I posted this over on the NW Fishing board but thought here might be a good spot as well. Sorry for the duplication and for the reference to the lowly Pink
_____

Howdy folks. I had a blast C&R'ing pinks on my fly rod over the weekend, but I came to realize that my fly reel is a larger piece of junk than I used to think it was.

I am pretty new to the fly fishing scene and know practically nothing about reels and such. I was hoping for a few suggestions for a decent mid-weight reel that wouldn't be too terribly overkill for trout, but would also be able to handle silvers/pinks and some light duty steelheading.

As usual, I am definitely on a budget and so my desire for "the best out there" will have to be balanced with the reality of my skinny wallet.

Thanks for the info!

Coley

well first of all i would say line wise you are talking about a 6wt. I am a big fan of ross reels as they have a great customer service reputation and i have never had a problem with them as far as fixing up reels.(not that mine have ever needed it)
A CLA 3 would be about perfect. Great value reel.

I was just cruising the Ross web site. It seems like they have a nice lineup for sure. I was actually wondering which way to go with regard to weight. I have a wt. rod which does fine for pinks and summer run steelies. I worry that it might be on the lighter side for silvers or winter fish. I think most of my worry comes from having a crappy reel with less than functional drag though. I would probably have a lot more confidence in the rod with a better reel. Do you think a 6wt reel would be the way to go? Would it feel out of place on an 8wt later down the road?

Thanks!

what wt is your rod?
silvers in the salt, a 6wt is fine. I have landed fish up to 16 pounds on my 6wt in the salt. But your average fish is going to be 5-7 pounds around here depending on time of year.
a 3 would be on the small side for an 8 wt especially if you are using it for fish that will need a lot of backing... an 8wt line on a #3 might hold 50 yards of backing?

I have a 6wt rod. What is the #3 you mentioned? A reel size? I think what I will wind up doing is getting a 6wt reel to match the rod, and then an 8wt setup later on. I like the Ross reels, but they are a bit on the spendy side for my limited budget. Any other ideas for a reasonably priced reel that is above average with regard to quality?

Thanks again for the help.

Redington is the next company i would look at if a Cimmaron or CLA doesnt fit your budget.
If you are going to use this reel in the salt it is best if you get an anodized finish, and a sealed drag is preferable to deal with sand and grit, but that usually bumps the price up substantially

the #3 is the size of the reel.

try an okuma helios. i have 2 of them. 1 in a 5/6wt and the other 8/9wt. they have sealed drag, and the drag system on them can stop a freight train. very smooth as well.

they are around $130ish

I like my Teton Tioga. Less expensive, large arbor, & most importantly, the drag works when wet.

Always loosen your drag at the end of the day when you put your gear away.

I second the Ross CLA as I think it is a fantastic reel for the money. If that doesn't work, I second the Tioga which is a great reel for the money as well. I personally don't like the closed reel cage on it but it fishes very nice. Another option would be the new Konic from Lamson.

Thanks for the additional recommendations.I wound up getting the Pflueger Trion and haven't had the chance to use it much so far. It seems like a fairly well made reel and the price was right. I am most curious about the drag and how that will feel on a decent sized fish. If only I could for my self to spend some more time with the fly rod. It has been hard enough to catch fish reliably with the usual gear so far this fall.