LE VIEUX MOUCHEUR
3 - The reel
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3 - The reel
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FLY-FISHING FOR PIKE by Paul Le Gall, translated by Claude BELLOIR 3
- THE REEL. ln trout fishing, one often hears that the use of the reel, a
non-essential part of the tackle, would only consist in holding the line in
comfort and in counterbalancing the rod. ln my view, it's quite a different story as far as fly-fishing for pike
is concerned. Here the reel is not a mere accessory but a decisive element as
soon as one has to deal with a good fish, i.e. one that reaches 80 cm and weighs
10 Ibs or more. Indeed, as the left hand retrieves the line, a good length is generally
out of the reel, falling either to the bottom of the boat or on the bank.
Alternatively, it is coiled in a basket or a line tray buckled to the
angler's waist. Now if a good fish rarely takes more than 15 metres or so in one
run, these runs are extremely brutal and frequent, and can hardly be checked by
holding the line in one's fingers. With the first large fish, the skin of the
hands is singed and blistered, with the second one, it is bared. Even a leather
fingerstall won't stand up to such rough treatment. What's more, the rod may be
wrenched from the angler, or even broken if a coil of line gets stuck in a ring.
It is essential to be able to
play the fish off the reel. The above manoeuvre is generally possible immediately
after the strike, for a really big fish 'stops' the lure most of the time, bores
deep and its first
run often looks more like that of a steam engine than of a sprinter. Concerning the reel's capacity,
when filled almost to the lip of the drum, it should hold the thickest available
line (WF 10 F) and at least 30 metres of 28-lb b.s. Dacron braid. While it's
true that a pike won't often tear off the backing, it is not exceptional. As a
matter of fact, a really big fish will take you down to the backing when hooked
just after a long cast.
It will
then rush off or bore deep powerfully. ln either case, it's comfortable to have
some reserve. Without it, I’d have certainly lost some of the 116 fly-caught
pike between 80 and 125 cm (including six over 22 Ibs) last year. I
wouldn't have had the pleasure of landing in the boat the 34-lb pike which
pulled off the backing several times, and I wouldn't probably have limited the
damage to only one broken rod. To sum up, fly-fishing for
pike requires in my view a strong reel with reliable and progressive check
adjustment, holding a #10 WF or BBT line as well as 30 metres of 28-lb b.s.
Dacron. There are many such suitable reels on the market. Personally, I use two
different reels, one of a modest price (Leeda Magnum 140), the other a more
expensive one (Hardy Sovereign #9/10). Both have given me complete
satisfaction, and can also be used to fish for salmon and very big lake trout.
Both have allowed me to play and land 11 to 22-lb char hooked in powerful
currents.
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