Lamson Love

A couple of months ago I wrote a post about all of the fly reels I have purchased, and how I had almost as many reels as I did rods (How Many Reels?). Well, soon after writing that post, I came to the realization that I didn't need all those reels, and especially all the different brands of reels that I had accumulated. Why was I continuing to search for the best brand of reel out there when I had owned the answer for almost 20 years? The Lamson LP series of reels are the best reels I have ever owned, so I set out to sell off most of my other reels and fill my reel bag with Lamsons.

My first Lamson LP was the LP-2 that I purchased new back in the 90s to pair with my then-new Sage LL 586. It's been my workhorse reel all those years since, and has never let me down. The drag works perfectly, it has a lovely purr whilst spinning, and it looks good, too. I bought an extra spool for it a long time ago which harbors a 6wt line, so the LP-2 can adorn many of my fly rods.

My original LP-2. Isn't it beautiful?

Now I also own an LP-1 Lite for my 3wt rods, an LP-1.5 and an LP-1.5 Lite for my 4wt rods, and an LP-2 Lite for my shorter/lighter 5wt rods. If you don't know the difference, the Lite versions are click reels, and the regular versions have a disk drag. The drag adds some weight, so therefore the non-drag reels are called "Lite". For a second there I also owned an LP-3, which I planned to use for my 7wt rods, but it was one of the old versions with a solid aluminum body without any holes, and the lack of holes proved to be too heavy for my liking. So, off it went.

From left: LP-1 Lite, LP-1.5, LP-1.5 Lite, LP-2, LP-2 Lite

Lamson doesn't make the LP series of reels any more, but you can oftentimes find them used on ebay or other sites. Lamson makes other terrific reels, too, so you should also probably check out their current line-up. As a matter of fact, why don't you do that, and leave all the LP's for me...

What a line-up!