New Gear!

7/14/13


Rule #45:  Intentionally expose yourself to as much beauty as you can -- it will enlarge your soul.

New Toys!

I got my new Pfleuger Reel in the mail yesterday:

This is my 6925, Ultra-Light/Light, reel.  It has 9 ball bearings in the body of the reel and another in the bail.  It is designed for 2#-6# test line.  I put 4# flourocarbon on it today.  It's somewhat smaller than I thought it would be, but the design is very attractive--almost art-deco--and the wind on the reel is so smooth.

I switched the handle over to the right side so that I can reel it with my right hand, and that process was quite easy.

This is the best reel I've ever owned.  The surest way to quickly measure the quality of a spinning reel is to count the ball bearings it uses in the action.  The most ball bearings I've ever had in a reel before now is 4.  The "9 + 1" bearings in this reel provide it with an incredibly smooth and fast retrieve.

I mounted it to an old Mitchell rod--I'm pretty sure it pre-dates carbon, titanium, maybe even fiberglass!  Who knows what it's made of?  Could be "stick."

I have asked for a new rod for my birthday.  The rod my new reel is mounted to is actually, a pretty good rod.  However, it's composition is such that it doesn't really maximize the reel's capabilities.  The Pfleuger President 6925, above, is the one I have chosen for the kind of fishing I do most frequently.  Like I said, I loaded it with 4# flourocarbon, which sets it just right for the kind of fish I catch.

I routinely catch fish under a pound, and I don't mind that at all!  On the river, I might spend a day catching only fish under 1#.  On the other hand, now and then I might hook into a 2--2.5# Smallmouth--and those fight like no other fish!!  Frankly, I think I could catch a 6--8# Bass on this line, depending on circumstances like abrasion, structure, etc.