My Rod and ReelImage by neutralSurface via Flickr

I am the guy who never throws things away. Although I do practice catch and release fishing but that’s not what I am talking about today.

Heck, I still have clothes older than my 23 year old son. They’re fine and have no holes so why would I get rid of them.

Well the fly reel I have been using, I have been using for about 20 years or so and saw no need to change it. I usually out fish my fly fishing buddies and still get a longer cast even though my gear is older than some of the guys I fish with.
This year I decided to retire that reel and keep it as a back up fly reel just in case my new one isn’t as good as the old Pflueger Medalist I have been used to.

It’s a bit funny thinking back to when I first started using my trusty reel. I dropped it and it landed face down on a big rock and broke a piece that holds the spool in the reel. Not a good way to start with new reel.

I had a second reel, already spooled and just switched it up and it’s been like that for the past 20 years. I never changed the reel again and I am sure that I have only used maybe 4 fly lines with that reel.

I just took the old spool out this morning so I would remember where I damaged it and believe it or not it still has the same fly line I had put on it the day I bought it.

I stopped in at Canadian Tire and picked up a new Crystal River – Royal Coachman fly reel. I will give it a try the next time I am on the water to see how I like it. It’s bigger than my old reel so I am not sure if it will feel different or not.

Maybe next year I will buy a new fly rod to match my new reel.

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