The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

I have a few of these, all second hand, they are basically all the same but I always feel they are a bit heavy. My question is does the weight of the reel matter when fly fishing/casting, would a lighter reel make much difference? If so what would be a good reel to buy say less then £50.

Can't go wrong with a Rimfly unless you feel you need something more exotic looking or more traditional..
Sometimes a reel with a bit of weight is an advantage as it can help balance the rod.

I agree entirely with Jeremy's comments above.

Intrepid reels are functional workhorses and if you are not over worried about aesthetics and the finer points-although, having said that, there is nothing wrong or bad about how they are made-, then one of these would be fine for most sorts of fly fishing. They were made to a price for the 'budget' angler and offer excellent value for money.
So long as there isn't too much wear on the spindle / bush and the line drum doesn't foul the rim, why not?

Weight-wise, absolutely no problem there. When fishing, you concentrate on the fly and shouldn't even notice it.

The modern trend today seems to use the reel just as a line storage drum and many anglers pull the line through by hand and have yards of it all trailing around their feet when playing a fish-a habit which I find intensely annoying, as the function of the reel is to keep the line under control by keeping every inch that you don't need on the reel.. Sorry...getting on my hobby horse again!

Buy your Intrepid reel and enjoy it!

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As above, a great reel for the price. I have my son one years ago and he treasures it.

As for playing fish, I'm afraid I much prefer to play bigger fish by controlling the line by hand rather than using the reel. Mainly because when I was a novice I lost a few good fish by trying to get the line back on the reel rather than concentrating on what the fish was doing , which resulted in slack line etc. It does make me laugh now, when I see anglers on TV frantically trying to get line on the reel after hooking into a biggun. Playing them through just the line is quite easy and you remain in contact with the fish all the time. The disadvantage though is the risk of tangles around vegetation etc. So I might change my perspective if ever I lose a fish through tangled line . Saying that, one can just as easily get the line tangled whilst it's on the ground before one decides to try to get it all back on the reel . The only time I use the reel though, is when a big fish has already taken all of the line that was already out, but even then I prefer to pull the line by hand when the fight is nearly over . And of course , another advantage is that one can recast fairly quickly after unhooking as your line is already out. But I have tried the alternative method, it's just not for me!

For £50 you could buy a Hardy Marquis on eBay, much lighter and nicer :-)

In the past I have used both the Rimfly and the lightweight(Plastic) Dragonfly reels and all were fine. However as like some here I prefer to play fish off the reel and now use the cheapest large arbor reel I can find. I do like to use the drag present on these should those big rainbows really take off.
The Dragonfly had a simple but perfectly usable drag as well.
I think British Fly Reels took over the production of the Intrepid reels for several years.

Thats all interesting, I dont find anything wrong with my rimfly but then, that's all I know, so wondering if there is any great advantage in other reels. More looking at the casting aspect, in my mind I cannot think there would be but, then in practice maybe there is which is why I asked, just to see what more experienced fly anglers think.
I am happy playing fish with the line rather than the reel, I find the take up to slow on the rimfly, sometimes you just want to get the fish in, not bully wise just get it away from snags and near the net. I think I will stick with what i got but thank you for all your answers..

I was looking at Hardy Marquis and Sunbeam reels a few years ago but money was tight so i went for an outlet/clearance sale on a pair of Intrepid Gear flys with spare spools and loaded with #8wt lines. The hope was i could get one reel in good order and have spare spools, both had some issues that a good clean and hammering sorted out, and strip and clean all the lines.

Double click-pawl with external tension adjust and a multiplier gear for fast line take up. I have it set with minimal tension/drag and single pawl engagement for river/lake work.

While a Hardy would nice i have gotten used to the fast line pick up of the multiplier, the build quality is lower but function very well.

The reel foot is riveted on and can work loose over time, this can be cured with some careful hammer action to re-peen the riveting back, other than that quite happy with mine.

I found two for sale in the local market last week, £5 the pair. Not worth it

The reel feet do come off if you're not watchful to hammer the rivets back after years of use. My son's Intrepid failed last year whilst in the Scottish Highlands but was easily fixed back onto his fly rod with two cable ties so he could carry on fishing. A few cable ties should be included in everyone's tackle bag