Click Pawl

[Jake Watrous]

What do you guys think about this video starting at about 1:28, is this the reel causing the undulation in the rod tip? can you back off the drag to fight a fish in a smoother fashion

I don’t really see how it could create sufficient oscillation or undulation to travel all the way down the line and leader to knock the fly out. A fish isn't a static load, but who knows.

In my opinion it looks like he lost tension about 1:34, had a brief load, and then it's gone by 1:35. Has happened to me more times than I can count, especially with flies on longer-shanked hooks where the long shank can lever the hook out of the fish's mouth. Part of why I've switched to mostly tube/articulated flies.

 

[_WW_]

What do you guys think about this video starting at about 1:28, is this the reel causing the undulation in the rod tip? can you back off the drag to fight a fish in a smoother fashion

That ain't from the reel. That's a fish making a run. They're known for freaking out like that.
How can you resist reels like these?



Done correctly, springs and pawls can be configured to apply a lot more pressure than just preventing over run.

 

[Draketake]

@_WW_,

How do you configure spring and pawls to exert more pressure? Or is it something that has to be built into a specific reel?

I have a gifted, older, Sage, click and pawl that was built by Hardy. I would love to know how to have a stronger drag, on that reel, as at times, it is inadequate for some of the species and the places I fish.

Thank you in advance.

Bob

 

[Russell]

What do you guys think about this video starting at about 1:28, is this the reel causing the undulation in the rod tip? can you back off the drag to fight a fish in a smoother fashion

reminds me of loop to loop connections going through the guides. Maybe the head and running line connection catching?

 

[Divad]

@_WW_,

How do you configure spring and pawls to exert more pressure? Or is it something that has to be built into a specific reel?

I have a gifted, older, Sage, click and pawl that was built by Hardy. I would love to know how to have a stronger drag, on that reel, as at times, it is inadequate for some of the species and the places I fish.

Thank you in advance.

Bob

Bob, on leaf spring style click and pawls you can pull apart the spring to create more tension on the pawl. I’ve even tempered the springs afterwards but I do not think it is necessary. A little goes a long ways so a slight adjustment, recheck if it fits your liking and repeat if needed is strongly recommended.

On a coil spring style it is a little more finicky, elongating the coil will add more drag but at the risk of ruining the coil. I’ve had good results with a slight elongation and temper job on my Martins.

I only use clickers, even in salt. For chum this year I engaged both pawls and the drag was substantial. You can also toy with lubricants to create various drag effects.

 

[charles sullivan]

He lost that fish when it ran back at him. That was not the drag.

I like spring drags. They are simple. I prefer simple.

JW Young 1540 is a really affordable and dependable reel for the long rod.

 

[_WW_]

Show me a p

@_WW_,

How do you configure spring and pawls to exert more pressure? Or is it something that has to be built into a specific reel?

I have a gifted, older, Sage, click and pawl that was built by Hardy. I would love to know how to have a stronger drag, on that reel, as at times, it is inadequate for some of the species and the places I fish.

Thank you in advance.

Bob

Show me a picture of the insides.

 

[Buzzy]

That ain't from the reel. That's a fish making a run. They're known for freaking out like that.
How can you resist reels like these?

View attachment 92530View attachment 92531View attachment 92532View attachment 92533View attachment 92535

Done correctly, springs and pawls can be configured to apply a lot more pressure than just preventing over run.

View attachment 92536

Very nice reels, Wayne! I felt like in that first showing that there was something hinky with the way the rod was bucking - as if the reels drag was a bit inconsistent but later in the video watching him palm the reel I decided part of it was fish going nuts and part of it was the way he played them.

What's the red lube?

 

[Merle]

What do you guys think about this video starting at about 1:28, is this the reel causing the undulation in the rod tip? can you back off the drag to fight a fish in a smoother fashion

I really felt for him when he loses the one at 3:36 in the video. Been there so many times.

 

[_WW_]

Very nice reels, Wayne! I felt like in that first showing that there was something hinky with the way the rod was bucking - as if the reels drag was a bit inconsistent but later in the video watching him palm the reel I decided part of it was fish going nuts and part of it was the way he played them.

What's the red lube?

Quantum Hot Sauce. Synthetic grease and oil.

 

[Salmo_g]

what is the draw?

Let's start at the beginning. First off, click pawl is a misnomer for a spring and pawl fly reel. I say misnomer because there is no "click" on a spring and pawl reel. Go ahead; look for it. You can't find a "click" on that reel because there isn't one. Inside the reel frame there is a spring and a pawl. No click. On the reel spool you'll see a gear wheel, but no click. So now we have a fly fishing industry populated by juveniles who make up definitions for what they don't know instead of asking around to see if the parts or item has already been named through tradition and logic.

Now, what is the draw? Simple. For most fly fishing, you could stuff your fly line in your pocket. You don't usually even need a reel. However, most of us find pocket storage counter-productive because the fly line just becomes a tangled mess. So a functional line holder of some kind is desired. When I took up fly fishing the preponderance of fly reels on the market were of the spring and pawl design. You want a fly reel, so you buy from the available offerings. And there weren't many disc drag reels until the last 30 years. I have no idea how you conclude that they aren't the best tool for the job. If best means highly functional and user friendly, then spring and pawl reels easily pass that test. Spring and pawl reels have withstood the test of time for a century and a half at this point.

Anglers farm fish all the time. Often the cause is user error, not a deficiency of the equipment. The rest of the time, fish just throw the hook. It happens. BTW, fish don't "spit" the hook for the logical reason that fish can't spit. A spring and pawl reel can't have "ratchety drag syndrome" because there is no drag for starters, even though the spring and pawl and gear wheel combination do act kind of in the fashion of a ratchet. The purpose of the spring and pawl is to check the rotation and counter-rotation of the spool. Should you hook a fish that is capable of pulling line from the reel, the reel maker assumes the angler has at least half a brain and will supply additional tension with his hand or fingers. Unlike a disc drag, hand or fingers provide instantly and infinitely adjustable tension to the reel spool. And anglers lacking half a brain or better don't deserve to land a fish anyway.

So with alternatives like disc drag reels being abundantly available, I think the features I described above, along with originally being the predominate reel available, are sufficient to draw the interest of anglers. They continue to be manufactured, and we continue to purchase them. Because the work and last more or less forever, making them a pretty good investment in fishing gear.

 

[Greg Armstrong]

edit; As I was typing my reply, Salmo had already posted... and I agree with everything he said.

I'll throw out another reason some of us use them;
A long time ago I began to realize that I was getting weary of all the "high tech" approaches in fly fishing. This hobby or sport, or whatever we want to call, it is steeped in deep history and tradition, and and it just makes me feel good and adds to my enjoyment to use old/antique gear.

Also, (and as Salmo said) an adept angler is capable of landing a broad range of fish in all sizes that we are likely to come across around here using "spring" and pawl reels (and bamboo rods too, btw). High tech reels aren't required for success.

Nothing against those that do otherwise, and to each their own, but I'd much rather fish with these old but beautiful bench made JW Young and Hardy classics.

 

[Long_Rod_Silvers]

Unlike a disc drag, hand or fingers provide instantly and infinitely adjustable tension to the reel spool. And anglers lacking half a brain or better don't deserve to land a fish anyway.

This is exactly what I was thinking when I first read this question. Then I second guessed myself....because you actually can do the same with a disc drag, you just have to set the drag really low, which feels counterintuitive to spend the money on a reel with a suitable drag for the fish you're targeting, but then set it at close to minimum setting so you can palm the reel (rather than use the drag).

To answer the OP: when I do use a spring & pawl reel, I do it for a couple reasons (in no particular order):

1. I like how the reel balances out the rod I'm using. I like longer rods (surprise), so sometimes a heavier reel is ideal.
2. I like the sound they make. I don't know why, it's just fucking cool when the clicker goes purrrrrrr.
3. I like that there's just a little bit more thinking going on when fighting a fish (relative to a set it and forget it drag).
4. I like how they look (feels weird for example putting something like a Bauer RVR on a bamboo rod). This one is trivial, but it does cross my mind some times.
5. They are simple and very reliable. Which means if something does go wrong, I might be able to fix in the field.

 

[Buzzy]

Let's start at the beginning. First off, click pawl is a misnomer for a spring and pawl fly reel. I say misnomer because there is no "click" on a spring and pawl reel. Go ahead; look for it. You can't find a "click" on that reel because there isn't one. Inside the reel frame there is a spring and a pawl. No click. On the reel spool you'll see a gear wheel, but no click. So now we have a fly fishing industry populated by juveniles who make up definitions for what they don't know instead of asking around to see if the parts or item has already been named through tradition and logic.

Now, what is the draw? Simple. For most fly fishing, you could stuff your fly line in your pocket. You don't usually even need a reel. However, most of us find pocket storage counter-productive because the fly line just becomes a tangled mess. So a functional line holder of some kind is desired. When I took up fly fishing the preponderance of fly reels on the market were of the spring and pawl design. You want a fly reel, so you buy from the available offerings. And there weren't many disc drag reels until the last 30 years. I have no idea how you conclude that they aren't the best tool for the job. If best means highly functional and user friendly, then spring and pawl reels easily pass that test. Spring and pawl reels have withstood the test of time for a century and a half at this point.

Anglers farm fish all the time. Often the cause is user error, not a deficiency of the equipment. The rest of the time, fish just throw the hook. It happens. BTW, fish don't "spit" the hook for the logical reason that fish can't spit. A spring and pawl reel can't have "ratchety drag syndrome" because there is no drag for starters, even though the spring and pawl and gear wheel combination do act kind of in the fashion of a ratchet. The purpose of the spring and pawl is to check the rotation and counter-rotation of the spool. Should you hook a fish that is capable of pulling line from the reel, the reel maker assumes the angler has at least half a brain and will supply additional tension with his hand or fingers. Unlike a disc drag, hand or fingers provide instantly and infinitely adjustable tension to the reel spool. And anglers lacking half a brain or better don't deserve to land a fish anyway.

So with alternatives like disc drag reels being abundantly available, I think the features I described above, along with originally being the predominate reel available, are sufficient to draw the interest of anglers. They continue to be manufactured, and we continue to purchase them. Because the work and last more or less forever, making them a pretty good investment in fishing gear.

Shame on me too, I just had to go back and edit my earlier post by strking through "click" and adding "spring and"; you sound grouchy, curmudgeonly. ;-)

 

[Merle]

I'd love to see a video (with sound) of someone fighting a bonefish with an old Hardy marquis or similar click pawl reel. I'm sure it's been done.

 

[Clam Gun]

Hands down they take the aesthetics category, though I would like to see someone fight a steelhead with their line stuffed in their pocket.

 

[albula]

I'd love to see a video (with sound) of someone fighting a bonefish with an old Hardy marquis or similar click pawl reel. I'm sure it's been done.

Yes it has. Ask me how I know.

 

[albula]

Let's start at the beginning. First off, click pawl is a misnomer for a spring and pawl fly reel. I say misnomer because there is no "click" on a spring and pawl reel. Go ahead; look for it. You can't find a "click" on that reel because there isn't one. Inside the reel frame there is a spring and a pawl. No click. On the reel spool you'll see a gear wheel, but no click. So now we have a fly fishing industry populated by juveniles who make up definitions for what they don't know instead of asking around to see if the parts or item has already been named through tradition and logic.

Now, what is the draw? Simple. For most fly fishing, you could stuff your fly line in your pocket. You don't usually even need a reel. However, most of us find pocket storage counter-productive because the fly line just becomes a tangled mess. So a functional line holder of some kind is desired. When I took up fly fishing the preponderance of fly reels on the market were of the spring and pawl design. You want a fly reel, so you buy from the available offerings. And there weren't many disc drag reels until the last 30 years. I have no idea how you conclude that they aren't the best tool for the job. If best means highly functional and user friendly, then spring and pawl reels easily pass that test. Spring and pawl reels have withstood the test of time for a century and a half at this point.

Anglers farm fish all the time. Often the cause is user error, not a deficiency of the equipment. The rest of the time, fish just throw the hook. It happens. BTW, fish don't "spit" the hook for the logical reason that fish can't spit. A spring and pawl reel can't have "ratchety drag syndrome" because there is no drag for starters, even though the spring and pawl and gear wheel combination do act kind of in the fashion of a ratchet. The purpose of the spring and pawl is to check the rotation and counter-rotation of the spool. Should you hook a fish that is capable of pulling line from the reel, the reel maker assumes the angler has at least half a brain and will supply additional tension with his hand or fingers. Unlike a disc drag, hand or fingers provide instantly and infinitely adjustable tension to the reel spool. And anglers lacking half a brain or better don't deserve to land a fish anyway.

So with alternatives like disc drag reels being abundantly available, I think the features I described above, along with originally being the predominate reel available, are sufficient to draw the interest of anglers. They continue to be manufactured, and we continue to purchase them. Because the work and last more or less forever, making them a pretty good investment in fishing gear.

Bet we could have a momentous time fishing together and over the course of the day, without question, solve a good many of the worlds most pressing problems. Edit: And I promise to use a reel that is even older than I am.

 

[Jake Watrous]

Bet we could have a momentous time fishing together and over the course of the day, without question, solve a good many of the worlds most pressing problems.

Next on the docket: “strike indicator” v “bobber”.

There is no "strike" on a bobber. Go ahead; look for it. You can't find a "strike" on that bobber because there isn't one. Inside the bobber material is air. No strike. On the attachment point you may see a wheel, or an o-ring, or adhesive, or a spring-loaded clip, but no strike. So now we have a fly fishing industry populated by juveniles who make up definitions for what they don't know instead of asking around to see if the parts or item has already been named through tradition and logic.

 

[albula]

Next on the docket: “strike indicator” v “bobber”.

There is no "strike" on a bobber. Go ahead; look for it. You can't find a "strike" on that bobber because there isn't one. Inside the bobber material is air. No strike. On the attachment point you may see a wheel, or an o-ring, or adhesive, or a spring-loaded clip, but no strike. So now we have a fly fishing industry populated by juveniles who make up definitions for what they don't know instead of asking around to see if the parts or item has already been named through tradition and logic.

You are qualified to join us.