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WTB: Large arbor click and pawl

1K views 18 replies 9 participants last post by  mprahd 
#1 ·
Hey all! I'm looking for a large arbor clicker reel for a ~11.5' switch. Nothing crazy, willing to spend up to $200.

Let me know if you have anything laying around that doesn't get used.

Thanks
Mason

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#7 ·
It is telling that none of the very decent offers above are for large arbor reels. There may be a few others out there, but the only true “large arbor click and pawl” I know of off the top of my head is the Sage Click. The simple way that clicker reels are implemented in the vast majority of cases physically precludes them having a “large arbor“ in the modern sense of that term. Just a thought, but perhaps the OP should rethink this particular formulation of the add. That might stimulate more offers for a better cross-section of what is out there, as this way you are only likely to get offers from people who are willing to ignore the “large arbor“ part.

Honestly it is about 100+ yards of backing that converts the many, many click and pawl (technically should be ratchet and pawl) reels out there into effective larger arbor reels - the way it has been done for well over a century. The larger effective uptake rate is useful on any fly reel for playing fish, but unlike reels designed for single hand rods two-handers actually can use the extra weight to balance the longer rod.

A classic Marquis Salmon 1 (not necessarily the newer and slightly different Marquis Salmon 1 LWT) would be both classic and relatively inexpensive, would fit that rod very well, and would also be easier to find than the unicorn that is a “large arbor click and pawl” reel. Going rate on eBay for a functional but well-loved Salmon 1 is usually within your stated price range. A little lighter but still very viable for that rod would be a Hardy St. Aidan. Backing is all you need to convert any old-style clicker into a perfect reel for a spey rod.
 
#8 ·
You are right, someone actually messaged me saying the same thing. There are very few true large arbor click and pawl reels. The only other I have found, besides the click, is the Ross Colorado (which is out of my price range). I have had quite a few great offers, but still not quite what I'm looking for.

Salmon 1 or a SA equivalent seem to b the best bet, which I am considering

And Im an idiot and passed on the last salmon 1 that came up for sale.

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#10 ·
If you want to get a used Hardy I’d take a look at the ebay offerings from the UK. There are usually many from the US, but the UK has even more. The deals are sometimes worth the extra stamps.

Another tip for on here that sometimes works very well is to put in a WTB (want to buy) for a specific reel once you have that figured out. Sometimes that jars someone who has one in their closet in a way that more general ads do not.

Good luck.
 
#12 ·
There are quite a few old non-hardy ones that are lovely and come up ones here and eBay periodically that sell for almost nothing. I’ve picked up a few like this on here myself just because they were old, inexpensive, and looked cool. :) But it is more hit and miss navigating the terrain if you don’t know much about these “off brands”. There are certainly ones that are not good at all mixed into that category.
 
#16 ·
Not suggesting by any stretch of the imagination that these are the only ones that fit fine, and there are in fact cheaper imitations out there of all of these, let alone different style reels altogether. But since more than one person has asked me for a comparison here are two pictures side by side. Three Hardy ratchet and pawl reels that would be a good match for many 6/7 wt spey rods. Golden St. Aidan (from lightweight series), Salmon 1 (from Marquis series, could be called mid weight) and Taupo (wide spool perfect series, heavyweight). They all have approximately the same volume, all would decently balance a 6/7 spey rod to taste from the lighter to heavier end of “good” IMHO. By way of reference I fish all three pretty consistently on a 13056 MKX, a 6131 Beulah Onxy, and a Decho II 6.5129, but go a little heavier on the the 14246 Highlander, and the Burkie 7141 and 6139.

Personally I think the golden st. Aidan is one of the prettiest reels ever, but a Marquis with a black-faced spool also looks awesome in my book, where as the Perfect needs no endorsement from me. Choose your addiction, or if you are me, I guess choose many addictions. I definitely can’t afford an addiction to true vintage Perfects, so these are reasonable distractions from a more serious vice. :)

The lightweight series can’t be palmed like the other two, but the bold can do something similar by pinching a thumb inside the spool when needed. The all have good sound with the Aidan being perhaps the loudest, but the Perfect of course gets the nod for best sound “character”.
 

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#17 ·
Mason--I assume you know about the Danielsson Original? I have one on order from Sweden.... they don't click, (bummer) but they work just like a clicker and they have a large arbor. Brand new is in your price range. Just an idea.
 
#18 · (Edited)
The 3w from that series weighs about the same as the St. Aidan, so it might be a good match. I LOVE the design of these and own the Dry Fly in this series.

These have a completely different design so make sure you know what you are getting into before you buy. I would say Uncle Stu is right that the do the same thing as a clicker, but I’d say the overall experience is different. Both the traditional clickers and the Danielssons prevent the spool from over running, but the Danielssons probably do that better. But the Danielssons are completely silent and smooth, and have only light pressure that is the same going either direction. Your hand is intended to do everything. In contrast a lot of clickers like the one discussed above have, or can be adjusted to have, a good amount of outgoing resistance. With the Danielssons you can adjust the pressure a bit but it is not designed to crank up, and of course you will also increase the incoming pressure at the same time. So a 3W may be the one for the if you REALLY want to be connected to the fish and don’t care about sound. And those are super LA and are a great value as mentioned above.

A good one to take a look at before you buy. Read some posts about them. They are definitely a love-it-or-hate-it reel. I love my Dry Fly and have used it extensively but I’m still not sure I would want to use one on a larger fish like a >10 lb Steelhead. But that sounds suspiciously like a lot of people’s hesitation with using clickers, and probably I would just have to actually do that once to realize it was super fun.

I would however genuinely miss the scream! :(
 
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