New Flextec fly reels

In Lancashire the new river trout fishing season starts on March 15th, in Yorkshire its March 24th. For most of the country it will be April 1st, with the odd water not opening until May 1st Having just got a new 4 weight rod I needed a reel to match the quality of the rod. After looking around the shops and on the internet, an item that caught my eye was the new Flextec fly reel by Discount Tackle. Being an old wrinkly one I needed to look at the reel before parting with my hard earned pension.

I called Discount Tackle and spoke with Phil Chun the general manager. After a long and interesting discussion I arranged to call into their Swindon showroom on my next visit to the River Kennet. Its certainly a great place to visit with plenty of car parking and you get to look at a lot of good gear at good prices. They have a shop that is open from Monday through to Friday, later in the year they plan on opening on Saturdays. If your a carp fisher Phil Chun is the guy to talk with, His knowledge on the subject is immense.

Last week after a ten day trip to the Kennet with David Foster we called into see Phil, My mate David was so impressed with the Kennet centre pin reel he purchased one my advice. I was impressed with the reel of my choice The Flextec AFTM 3/ 4 line weight. Its a lovely piece of engineering. Machined from solid high-grade Aerospace grade aluminium. The new Aerotec is light and smooth, with a better braking system than some other reels I have tested costing much more. Having looked at the full range, I get the impression there is a reel suitable for most types of fly fishing from trout to pike. It is also Saltwater proof making it ideal for for bonefish.

The smooth and ultra-efficient drag system is now equipped with their unique ‘Easy Grab’ drag wheel with the ultimate in smooth efficient braking. This helps protects delicate leaders as well as being perfectly capable of holding a strong brown trout in the current. A distinctive click is audible whenever the spool turns. This reel comes complete with a spare spool and neoprene reel case.

The reel is extremely durable and robust. Corrosion resistant, low maintenance, stainless-steel gearing. Saltwater-proof, durable, scratch-resistant, hard-anodized finish. Easy switching right- to left-hand retrieve. Buttery-smooth performance under tough conditions. Innovative, quick-change spool mechanism. Designed for maximum frame and spool rigidity and ultra lightweight . Prices are 3/4 £69.99, 5/6 £79.99, 6/8 £79.99, 9/12 £89.99


Grayling Chub and an out of Season Trout

Being desperate to try out my new toy I decided on a trip to my local river and fish for grayling, a fish that will often take a well presented upstream nymph. Condition were looking good with a low gin clear river. Grayling being a shoal fish I started off trotting the stream with sweet corn, once I had found the fish I would switch to upstream nymph. In the third choice swim I caught three grayling in three trots. Back in the cabin I put together my four weight outfit with a nine foot fluorocarbon leader with a 3lb tippet choosing to try a Polish woven nymph. In the next couple of hours I had 4 grayling and a chub, the drag worked perfectly. At dusk I spotted some small dimples in the Clay Hole, after watching for several minutes I switched to a 9 foot Froghair leader with a 2lb tippet, I tied on a size 20 black buzzer, In fifteen minutes I had one grayling and one out of season brown trout. Driving up the long drive from the cabin to the road I thought Yes a nice piece of gear. A Good big boys toy. For further details telephone 0845-299-0602 Tackle Discounts Europa Business Park Parsonage Road Swindon, Wiltshire SN3 4RJ