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Old 04-08-2019, 07:03 PM
HowSwedeItIs HowSwedeItIs is offline
 
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Default Matching a Reel to a 9wt

I have recently purchased a 9' 9wt TFO Impact rod from a forum member (cheers spurly) and am looking for a reel to match it. This will be a pike rod that will also see some saltwater use, and I figured the Lamson Liquid looked like a pretty good option but I am open to any reels in roughly the same price range. I have seen the Liquid 3.5 listed as 7/8wt, 8/9wt, and 9/10wt depending on the website so I am not sure if I would need to size up to the Liquid 4 or not.

Any experience with this rod or reel? Or suggestions for other products?
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Old 04-08-2019, 08:28 PM
scel scel is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HowSwedeItIs View Post
I have recently purchased a 9' 9wt TFO Impact rod from a forum member (cheers spurly) and am looking for a reel to match it. This will be a pike rod that will also see some saltwater use, and I figured the Lamson Liquid looked like a pretty good option but I am open to any reels in roughly the same price range. I have seen the Liquid 3.5 listed as 7/8wt, 8/9wt, and 9/10wt depending on the website so I am not sure if I would need to size up to the Liquid 4 or not.

Any experience with this rod or reel? Or suggestions for other products?
I do not think there is a better option in the price range that has a reliable drag and can easily swap out spools. The Lamson Liquid 3-pack is pretty sweekt. In the hundreds of pike that i have caught, I have seen my backing twice, but even then, less than 3m of backing left my reel. The 3.5 would be fine for pike. I am not certain about saltwater though. I have a feeling that you would want to err on the side of caution when it comes to backing. Even a little bonefish can easily strip out 50m of backing, and there are fish much bigger and more powerful than a bonefish.
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Old 04-08-2019, 08:55 PM
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biggyJ biggyJ is offline
 
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Location: Calgary SW
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I have both a remix and liquid.

Both perform the same IMO, as they both have the bomb proof lamson drag.

Upon closer inspection, the fit and finish is much nicer on the remix (machined) vs the liquid (cast). The remix just looks and feels nicer as compared to the liquid.

The remix is also anodized, which would probably be a bit better in the salt in terms of wear and tear. I also find the remix lighter than liquid. So depending on rod (TFO have a pretty high swing weight and overall weight) you might get slightly better feel with the lighter remix. Heavy reel with heavy rod can feel clunky at times. But this is my opinion.

With all that said. A reel is just a fancy line holder. But it does have a affect on casting and if you get a fish to the reel.

If I do it again, I’ll do the remix over liquid: price vs quality vs function.

But liquid would be just fine for your application.
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Old 04-08-2019, 09:35 PM
Pikebreath Pikebreath is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by biggyJ View Post
I have both a remix and liquid.

Both perform the same IMO, as they both have the bomb proof lamson drag.

Upon closer inspection, the fit and finish is much nicer on the remix (machined) vs the liquid (cast). The remix just looks and feels nicer as compared to the liquid.

The remix is also anodized, which would probably be a bit better in the salt in terms of wear and tear. I also find the remix lighter than liquid. So depending on rod (TFO have a pretty high swing weight and overall weight) you might get slightly better feel with the lighter remix. Heavy reel with heavy rod can feel clunky at times. But this is my opinion.

With all that said. A reel is just a fancy line holder. But it does have a affect on casting and if you get a fish to the reel.

If I do it again, I’ll do the remix over liquid: price vs quality vs function.

But liquid would be just fine for your application.
Putting a lighter reel with a heavier rod will not reduce swing weight,,, it will do the opposite as you are moving the center of balance forward on the rod (away from the rod handle and butt).

Have you ever cast the Impact? They are lot smoother and lighter in hand than you are giving them credit for.
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Old 04-08-2019, 10:03 PM
ShortsideK ShortsideK is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pikebreath View Post
Putting a lighter reel with a heavier rod will not reduce swing weight,,, it will do the opposite as you are moving the center of balance forward on the rod (away from the rod handle and butt).

Have you ever cast the Impact? They are lot smoother and lighter in hand than you are giving them credit for.

Read George Anderson's Yellowstone Angler 2018 8 wt. shootout. A good indicator.
TFO Impact... blah.
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Old 04-08-2019, 11:46 PM
Pikebreath Pikebreath is offline
 
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Again I ask, who has cast, or better yet, fished with the Impact?

If you like fast action tip casting rods that requires quick short casting stroke (resembling windshield wipers on high), you will not like the Impact. If you can slow your cast down and let the rod load further down into the blank,,, timing your cast by feel rather than by rote muscle memory,,, the Impact is a delight to cast all day.

Do not confuse swing weight with rod weight and / rod action. Swing weight is about "feel",,, about balance and weight distribution through the rod. It is not a measure of rod weight swinging back and forth. A lighter fast action rod can still feel very awkward to cast if the taper skews the weight balance close to the rod butt (particularly on short casts).

This coming from an old guy having fly-fished 50 years now having owned at least around 50 fly rods in that time (from high end sages and loomis to mid range Echos and TFOs to old fenwick and daiwa glass) Now throw in 6 operations in the last 10 years on my arms ,,,one shoulder, two wrist and 3 different elbow (one elbow done twice). Believe me with all that, I know which rods I can cast all day without causing fatigue and pain. When it comes to pike fly fishing , I will happily fish all day with any one or all of my three Impacts (8, 9 or 10 wt) that I use for pike.
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  #7  
Old 04-09-2019, 06:02 AM
ShortsideK ShortsideK is offline
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All that matters is what you think.
If you think the Impact rod is great... then it is.
Your description of the casting stroke required for fast action rods is inaccurate. Perhaps that is what you have to do to cast these rods. You probably do better with moderate action rods. Nothing wrong with that.
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Old 04-09-2019, 08:17 AM
Gerald J Gerald J is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HowSwedeItIs View Post
I have recently purchased a 9' 9wt TFO Impact rod from a forum member (cheers spurly) and am looking for a reel to match it. This will be a pike rod that will also see some saltwater use, and I figured the Lamson Liquid looked like a pretty good option but I am open to any reels in roughly the same price range. I have seen the Liquid 3.5 listed as 7/8wt, 8/9wt, and 9/10wt depending on the website so I am not sure if I would need to size up to the Liquid 4 or not.

Any experience with this rod or reel? Or suggestions for other products?
I see your dilemma with what size to get. Lamson website has the rating at one size, Cabelas has the rating at another. I was researching 6-weight reels and came across a forum where one poster suggested always buying one size up on Lamson reels. But I stuck to the script. I bought the Liquid 3-pack 2, geared for the 6 weight. Put 100 yards of backing and the floating line on there and it fits about right. So, I'm glad I didn't go for the 3.5. Tried the reel a week ago on the Bow for the first time. Not much of a test, only caught one fish but no problems. What Biggy said is correct. This reel is cast compared to the Remix and the finish will scratch easily. I came back from the Bow and noticed a couple of nicks on it. Not even sure how that happened. But I knew this when I bought it.

For me, the price was right. I bought the 3-pack at Cabelas.ca this winter for $169.99.
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  #9  
Old 04-09-2019, 08:58 PM
HowSwedeItIs HowSwedeItIs is offline
 
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Boy this is a tough one. I really like the idea of multiple spools, but having a better drag on a single reel would be good too. Yeah no kidding, I guess the Lamson website would be the most reliable but I will check out a few reels on Saturday and see what balances nicely on the rod. Thank you all for the help
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