Nothing could be more overplayed – the balanced reel and rod syndrome
by Skip Clement with video by Kelley Galloup
3Tand Reels are many modern anglers go to reels for mountain brook trout-weight to billfish-weight.
[dropcap]C[/dropcap]an you tell that one reel is an eighth of an ounce lighter? No, you cannot. You can load two identical fly reels with different fly lines and backing and get two different weights. Are you going to say, “Oh, this reel is too heavy, I can’t use it? It unbalances my setup.”
In my humble opinion, there’s far too much chatter about the value of a balanced “system.” It’s a little bit like over analyzing a reel’s startup inertia. Playing the Scales of Justice in your home fly shops, fly fishing shows, and weekend symposiums about the nirvana of a balanced fly rod and reel is a witch hunt, but it has legs. Just like it did in Salem, Massachusetts 200 years ago.
Recently, I talked with an expert angler and longtime rep who is employed by several non-competing manufacturers of fly fishing gear. I asked about the value of a balanced setup. He laughed aloud and said, “Whoever started that created the most oversold BS in the kingdom of fly fishing. Do I contradict a fly shop guy who believes? No, I just go along to get along.”
Champions of the balanced religion defend by using extremes that no one would ever suit-up and fish with, an 8-weight reel with a 5-weight rod. Sorry, ridiculous is reserved for the politics of the National Enquirer. Balance is important to an extent but certainly it is way over emphasized and over analyzed in our realms. But that’s sort of what fly fisherman like to do. Right? We seem to love to argue over nuances and outfit balance is consistent with that trend. If it feels good in the hand, then your outfit should be good to go.
My protestation regarding the balanced system syndrome has support – watch this fellow non-believer’s point of view on BSS. Kelly Gallup gives his thoughts on all facets of the fly reel in this informative and opinionated video…
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