Fly Fishing Forum banner

rod/reel matchup

1K views 1 reply 2 participants last post by  teflon_jones 
#1 ·
Hello, I'm new to the cite so please bear with me. I'm an avid ordinary fisherman and recently became an addict to flyfishing. I inherited a custom made 9' 7wt. flyrod from my father in law. I would like some advise on a matching reel, one that I could use for trout and some of the bass in our lakes in California. I'm looking at either the ross rhythm or the Orvis Battenkill BBS II.

I'm looking for an all around set up that I could use so that I don't have to get an additional set up.

Thank you.

PS- Line Wt. and Capacity information would help me in my quest.
 
#2 ·
Hi, and welcome to the site! Matching a reel to a custom rod can be very difficult without being able to actually hold the rod. Your best bet is to take the rod to a local fly shop and try out a few reels on it to see what feels good when you're casting. The 7 wt will be fine for bass, but that's a lot of rod for trout. You really want something in the 4-5 range for trout. That's not to say you couldn't use it for trout, but you'll have a tough time presenting small flies with a rod that big.

Ross makes excellent reels so you can't really go wrong there. The Rhythm 3.5 model would probably be the correct match for your rod. The Orvis Battenkill reels also have an excellent reputation, but the BBS II is much too light for a 7 wt rod. It's designed for 2-5 wt rods. You probably would need the BBS IV, which is designed for 6-9 wt rods, though the BBS III might be ok (4-7 wt) depending on your custom rod. You'd have to cast with each to see.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top