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Re: Automatic fly reels
Post 26 Nov 2011, 10:21 • #26 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 11/09/10
Posts: 1355
Location: US-CA
Any fans of the Mitchell Garcia 710/720's?
Specs state DT6F and 90' of 22# mono backing.
I have a few and like 'em. Match up nice with the old Conolon glass rods.


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Re: Automatic fly reels
Post 26 Nov 2011, 14:40 • #27 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 05/30/07
Posts: 2342
Location: Arlington, TX
I like mine- go for line control yaks.


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Re: Automatic fly reels
Post 22 Dec 2011, 20:33 • #28 
Guide
Joined: 08/17/07
Posts: 102
Location: US-VA
As a college student in south Louisiana in the early 70s, I used to use a big, heavy 8-weight Wonderod with a Martin 81 for bass fishing in the oxbows and pipeline canals between New Orleans and Lafayette. I could skull with a short paddle in one hand and hold a constant distance from the bank, while fly fishing with the other hand. the automatic reel was good for taking care of line slack mending chores. I generally used big streamer patterns. I used to catch bass, choupique (the local name for bowfin), gar, even panfish with attitude on that outfit. The Wonderod has long since bitten the dust, but I still have the reel with the old WF-8 line on it.Image


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Re: Automatic fly reels
Post 16 Dec 2021, 12:34 • #29 
New Member
Joined: 12/12/09
Posts: 20
Location: US-FL
I have a brand new 1195 I have never used but I will now after your explanation on how to set it up. Thanks for the info


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Re: Automatic fly reels
Post 17 Dec 2021, 12:35 • #30 
Sport
Joined: 03/13/18
Posts: 28
Location: boston
Following- always felt like these reels would make for a great nymphing reel, would you guys agree?


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Re: Automatic fly reels
Post 23 Dec 2021, 21:40 • #31 
Master Guide
Joined: 07/21/21
Posts: 447
Location: Florida
I use a Pflueger 1195 with an AirCel Bass 7/8 line and no backing. I got a Pflueger Medalist 575 on the auction site as a backup and I think it weighs even more than the 1195. The performance of my 1195 has been flawless so far. I think an automatic is superb for bass fishing and getting line in quickly. Pairs well with an Eagle Cell featherlight 8footer and has caught me quite a few bass.


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Re: Automatic fly reels
Post 27 Dec 2021, 11:03 • #32 
New Member
Joined: 08/04/19
Posts: 13
Location: US-TX
Something else, when you thread the line on your rod, as the leader goes through the rod tip, pull out a couple of feet of fly line past the tip.
Then release the spring tension on the reel. Therefore, when fishing and you pull the trigger to retrieve line, it will not pull the line and leader all the way back through the rod tip, possibly causing damage. Hope all this makes sense.


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Re: Automatic fly reels
Post 04 Jul 2022, 15:19 • #33 
Master Guide
Joined: 07/21/21
Posts: 447
Location: Florida
Kaiser,
Are you talking euro nymphing/high stick or just two flies under a floater? I guess it would be no better/worse than anything else for regular nymphing but I think most of these automatics would be pretty heavy to euro nymph with, my Pflueger is heavy and I’d need to be on a serious weight lifting regime to hold it out over the water for hours on end. Now if you are talking a carbon Vivarelli semi automatic you might be on to something… I’d want the lightest reel possible like a Redington Zero for euro nymphing or even the Mavrk I read about on Bill de Brooklyn’s blog.


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Re: Automatic fly reels
Post 04 Jul 2022, 19:25 • #34 
Guide
Joined: 08/11/21
Posts: 208
Location: Tucson, AZ
I had a Vivarelli carbon graphite in my display in my shop for quite some time, tough to sell as they are somewhat expensive...finally sold it to, I swear, a young fellow who said his father had an arm amputated and he was looking for an automatic fly reel. I gave him a good deal, almost made him buy it.

A fly fishing mentor and great friend Don Prentice swore by the Vivarellis...had a metal one as well that retailed for about $500, imported and distributed by Dan Bailey's. They could work on them and kept parts in stock...hopefully the new owners kept that tradition going.

Don, a straight-upstream nymph fisherman of the first order...not sure if I would call in Euro-nymphing..mostly on the Madison River used the Vivarelli to good effect, picking up the slack to fight a hooked fish. One could adjust the drag with an allen wrench and the changeable spools could hold backing, unlike most of the wind-up automatic reels.

A small spring translated the lever force to winding the line, Vivarellis are light and and can pick up line with one hand easily.

Don passed away a couple of years ago at age 90 and his son had the reels last I checked. We placed his ashes in the Madison under his detailed instructions with some outdoor and flyfishing luminaries present..he was something else.


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Re: Automatic fly reels
Post 05 Jul 2022, 18:16 • #35 
Sport
Joined: 07/04/21
Posts: 32
Location: Victoria, Australia
Hi All,
Seen many older spring-loaded automatic reel around (still for sale) , they seemed a bit fussy to use ( but given the comments will check them out..)

I first tried out a semi auto reel Vivarelli that a guide was using for euro nymphing (he was a good competition angler and knew his stuff).
Inspired, I bought a cheap Chinese knock-off (you know the one) which wasn't nearly as good and I sold it. And checked out this review below, and saved and saved and bought a Peux Fulgor 2 which is awesome.

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/thebass ... t3163.html

As well as making some of the best semi-auto reels, Valentin @ PEUX sells spools and "revival kits" for the Vivarelli, to bring the drag up to high performing.
https://www.peuxflyfishing.com/en/products/revival-kit/

Also, I found these guys sell aftermarket add-on's for the Vivarelli , plastic spools for euro etc. Obviously very popular in Europe.
https://www.1000flies.com/Semiautomatic ... -Vivarelli


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Re: Automatic fly reels
Post 05 Jul 2022, 20:15 • #36 
Master Guide
Joined: 07/21/21
Posts: 447
Location: Florida
Kiva,
Thanks for this very useful. Had no idea there were all of those accessories available.


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Re: Automatic fly reels
Post 06 Jul 2022, 10:18 • #37 
Guide
Joined: 12/31/12
Posts: 326
Location: US-MA
I've never used an automatic fly reel. How do you use one? Do you like it better than a standard fly reel?


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Re: Automatic fly reels
Post 06 Jul 2022, 12:25 • #38 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 04/20/07
Posts: 8920
Location: US-ME
Very few would consider an auto "better" than a standard reel, but they are a heck of a lot of fun and can be "better" for some uses in some circumstances.

The search function will turn up a lot about their uses and operation. For example: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=62758&start=50&hilit=crappiematic
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=54310&p=248282&hilit=OSHA#p248282

Basically, they are spring wound upon stripping line and also by rotating a component of the spring housing. A lever releases the spring to retrieve line. Somewhere on the reel is a release catch that relaxes the spring without retrieving line. This is important not just for after-fishing storage, but to prevent line, leader, and fly from zipping back through the tip top--not good with or without a fish attached.

String up the rod, extending about tiptop-to-grip or hookkeeper length. Now use the release latch to remove tension from the spring. Subsequently when line is stripped, the spring will rewind but will relax completely upon retrieve, ending with the fly and leader about that same distance.


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Re: Automatic fly reels
Post 07 Jul 2022, 08:43 • #39 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 11/06/17
Posts: 2498
Location: South of Joplin
Not growing up in a fishing family, I really didn't know at the time that fly rods were meant to be used with fancy flies, but back in the '60s almost every fly rod I saw had an automatic reel on it and as far as I can recall every one using those fly rods were using live bait. Worms and grasshoppers in Idaho for trout and crawdads for bass in the Ozarks. The only flies I ever saw as kid were those on large display card in the gas stations, most had propellers.
I own 6 or 7 automatic fly reels now and I don't think any of them will hold a full modern line. They are handy when wade fishing swift streams to keep the stripped in line off the water and prevent the down stream belly of it, but they are not reels in the sense that you can fight a fish off the reel. just a year or so ago I met an older fellow fishing an 8.5' W&M rod with an automatic reel loaded with mono and chunking big crawdads to the rock bass, he got aggravated that SMB kept getting caught.


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Re: Automatic fly reels
Post 26 Jul 2022, 17:48 • #40 
Master Guide
Joined: 07/21/21
Posts: 447
Location: Florida
Bill de Brooklyn has the definitive book on semi-automatic fly reels, I picked up a copy on Amazon and it sold me on a Vivarelli which GnG was kind enough to sell me. It is carbon fiber and very light. Gonna use it on a 4wt line for swinging soft hackles primarily but it also balances my short Phillipsons, Fenwicks and 4wt Butterstick.


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