Martin

I have gone through several phases when it has come to owning fly fishing reels. I have gone through a Lamson phase, a Ross phase, another Lamson phase, a high-end disc drag phase, another Ross phase, and even a Daiwa phase. After going through all of these phases, I came to realize was always just a little off. In the Lamson and Ross phases, the reels were always awesome, but they came at a cost that made me squirm a little. Not that they were overly expensive, just that they were worth a good amount of money, and that was money that I could have been putting towards fly rods, which, let's face it, are the coolest tools that mankind has ever invented. And, those Lamson and Ross reels always came with disc drags, which, while nice, are pretty much unneeded in the trout streams and bluegill ponds that I normally fish.

A chunky bluegill

Maybe the High-End Phase wasn't so much a phase as it was me getting a really good deal on a slightly used Nautilus first, and then a slightly used Hatch shortly after. Does two reels make a phase? I guess that's a question for another time... Any way, I enjoyed both of those reels, and both served their purpose for a while, but, again, the disc drags that could stop a Buick were a little bit of overkill, and if I sold those reels, I could buy at least another 2 or 12 rods... So, that's what I did. And thus ended that phase.

Typical tiny trout

I think I got into Daiwa fly reels because I wanted to be a rebel for a while. Nobody thinks of Daiwa when they think of fly fishing reels, do they? Well, maybe a few do, but not many. I got some old 730 reels for my 3 and 4 weights. I splurged a little and acquired some of the Altmoor machined reels from Japan, in both click and disc drag versions for my larger lines. All was good, except for the noise... If you like loud reels, these would be for you. I was not a fan! So, off they went. 

I think I have finally landed on a phase that will stick: I am right in the middle of a nice, long Martin phase, and I am loving it! Don't get me wrong, not all Martin reels are great, but I have acquired a bunch that I love. In my 4 and 5 weight range, I have a whole bunch of them: multiple Martin Classics, multiple Martin Trophy's, and even a few of the highly-sought-after LM reels. They all do exactly what I want them to do, and none of them broke the bank. In my 6 and 7 weight reels, I think you can't go wrong with the Martin MG-7, of which I have a few. I also have a Martin 65, which is my least favorite of the bunch, but it's pretty light and is the right size for a 6wt line... We will see if that one sticks around for a while....

A lovely old Martin on a fine old Scott glass rod

Same.

Ditto.

I know I am pretty fickle when it comes to fly reels, but maybe my Martin phase will stick around for a while...If not, I am not sure what else I would move on to!