Counterweight

Re: Counterweight

feeds@yuku.com (evanslmtd) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 19:04:02 GMT

Lou
In most cases I don't worry about having a counter weight on a reel. However, the vintage reels that I use for Striper's and the ones that I use down on the coast all have counter-weights on them. I can tell you from personal experience that when a large Striper or Kingfish goes zooming off into the wild blue yonder, you get a lot more than a throbbing vibration. (LOL)

Re: Counterweight

feeds@yuku.com (Loudog99) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:00:39 GMT

Barry, I did the exact same thing to my LL Bean Streamlight. I used a crown hex nut and it actually looks cool too- I'll post pics tonight. I actually think that counterweights are a huge help with fast running fish- carp being the only ones I ever tangle with. I use other reels for stripers and they all have counterweights.

Lou

Re: Counterweight

feeds@yuku.com (mvinsel) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 12:14:37 GMT

In the very rare few times when I had a good fish take a long run well into the backing on a reel with no counterweight (it was a Ross RR2), I really enjoyed the throbbing vibration of the spinning reel.

-Vinnie in Juneau.

Re: Counterweight

feeds@yuku.com (whrlpool) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:40:05 GMT

Nice on the MG 7/5. Bassackards, that model has the disc-drag (cone shaped adjuster on the backplate), a timeless, proven design on many heavy duty Martins--70 and 72 most notably. It will stand up to big fish and blistering runs that might float the pawl on the click-drag models, which might be what you were thinking of. Nice to see a testament to its durability.

Re: Counterweight

feeds@yuku.com (bob4st) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:56:23 GMT

...Pfluegers are most definitely the work horse of reels... I have 5 or 6, each of which have taken plenty of big fish over plenty of years...AND if you have them "pimped out" with some One P-Foot parts, they will be around well beyond our lifetime... I use them almost exclusively on glass and bamboo year-round for small brookies to mighty steelhead... Bob

Re: Counterweight

feeds@yuku.com (evanslmtd) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:56:43 GMT

bass
No mods necessary, the drag held up fine. In fact a few months ago I got into some good Striper's using that old reel on a GC 2536 and the old girl proved to be as smooth as ever.

Re: Counterweight

feeds@yuku.com (bassackwards) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:55:25 GMT

Barry, I'm amazed that you used that reel for bonefish and permit. Did you make any other modifications to strengthen the drag?

Re: Counterweight

feeds@yuku.com (evanslmtd) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:49:01 GMT

Hey Guys
Below is a photo of an old Martin MG 7/5 that I added a counterweight (epoxied 1/4-20 nyloc nut to the outside edge of the spool) back in the 60's.
At that time I was doing a lot of Permit and Bonefishing with the reel and believe me, the counterweight really helped. The amazing thing to me is, that after all these years and all the fish that this little reel brought to hand, the Nut has not come off!

Martin MG 7/5 with homemade...

Re: Counterweight

feeds@yuku.com (whrlpool) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 05:17:36 GMT
Thanks for showing the Heaton, tracing back the origins of the concept. "Shallow drum" (large arbor) goes back like that also. You know, a Pflueger will shake pretty good when stripped furiously or a fish rips line. Then came the palming rim versions fitted with counterweights, again the widespread use about corresponding with the time that palming rims became the norm. It's easy enough to put a counterweight on a Pflueger or any reel, but I've never bothered and like the...

Re: Counterweight

feeds@yuku.com (keebranch) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 03:55:12 GMT
Doctorfly,
I've got an early Plfueger Progress 1774 with counterweight. Would that one be 1940's vintage?

Les

Re: Counterweight

feeds@yuku.com (DoctorFly) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 01:25:33 GMT
Here's a Reuben Heaton 38 fly reel from the early 1930s, complete with counterweight.

There's nothing new in life.

regards,

Doc

Re: Counterweight

feeds@yuku.com (jgestar) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 08:31:44 GMT
I think the trend started in saltwater fly fishing and expanded from there. The first mention I saw for counterweights was in Fly Fishing in Salt Water written by Lefty Kreh in the 70s. The only time I notice an "unbalanced" spool is when I am stripping the backing or changing a fly line. If I had fish routinely taking me deep into the line backing, I might feel they were a necessity.

Tom

Re: Counterweight

feeds@yuku.com (whrlpool) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 05:15:23 GMT
A refinement of the graphite era from the '80's onward. Reels got lighter, frames got lighter(so the vibration of an imbalanced spool would be more noticeable) , spools gained palming rims (which in effect increase the diameter in terms of vibration during rotation), rods got lighter and so on. Also, fly tackle began to be used for more and more species, with potential for of larger, longer, faster running fish than flippety-flop trout. So a counterweight adds a bit of smoothness when...

Counterweight

feeds@yuku.com (bassackwards) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 08:10:09 GMT
A lot of the classic reels don't have counterweights. I haven't noticed any problems caused by this. When and why did counterweights become the standard?