Totally off topic but I loved your solo music back in the day Will Johnson. I was the guy that used to yell "You and I". You probably don't remember. Many of us loved your music back then and still do. I even have a few bootlegs as well as the Meriwether disc. Looks like you are loving what you do now in the fishing biz. Cheers!
Oh the Hardy is on it class of it's own. The perfect 4.1/4" is my favourite choice for big salmon of any kind. I did buy a different reel in my young years. Its calld young & son I have several of those even one whit gear system 2:1 it was before large arbor come in action. Klicker reels are durable oil ones or twice a year and it last more then a lifetime! I buy my reel in UK 1980 still works as new ! And there is some good benefits whit this drag system. As there is none brake just a adjustment for overruns and you brake spool whit your hand is way quicker to lose tension fast if fish jumps or shake badly on its head. So not have a smooth drag is not all ! And next in winter conditions this reel handle freezing temperatures way better then modern reels do. First time I fish a modern disk large arbor in winter it freeze on me and as a sea trout strike I got to run after it because brake system had frozen. I caught the fish who was a normal size winter fish of 9lbs. So I say those reels is so well working that no one beat that. And I pick the Hardy any day ! Best regards from Scandinavia and Sweden 🇸🇪 Bjorn
Hardy is great but I'm leaning towards the Abel reel for my switch rod. Main reason more options. But, if I were after trout only. Hardy would be perfect.
Hi Will, what size Hardy Cascapedia would you recommend for the Hardy Jet switch? There's a 6/7 or a 8/9. They're quite a weight as I own the 10/11 for my 15ft Hardy zenith. Just wondering if you've used them? I'm pondering over one of these or the Loop classic. However I'll have a look at the Abel as that looks nice too! I just caught a 32lb Atlantic salmon this week on the river tyne in the UK. i was using a Hardy switch and I used a Greys GX900. I was so, so lucky to land it as my running line slipped into the back of the reel causing big problems. I had to take the spool out whilst fighting the fish and sort it all out. In short it was a total nightmare! I've learned a valuable lesson to buy a closed reel to avoid this happening again. I think if this fish was lost I'd have had to take up another hobby! By the way when are you doing another 'you asked for it'! I enjoy watching them!
We'll get on a You Asked For It asap! And it really depends on the rod - what length and weight is the Jet Switch? I'd get the 6/7 will be most appropriate because those switches usually balanced better with a little smaller reel. And the reel of choice is really up to you - they're all perform great between Hardy, Loop and Abel.
always get a size or two up, that way you can just get a new rod and line size if you want to switch, forget all this nonsense of what you hear about having a "Balanced system" all that flies out the window when you have 40-50 ft of line out over your head, I use a #7/8 reel for all my small fishing even with my 5wt rods, just change out the line, and I'm getting ready to get a Orvis Spey V (9-11wt) for use on my 8wt bass rod and it will crossover perfectly for salt water fishing with up to a 11 wt rod.
Agree with you regarding the challenge and beauty of using pawl and spring reels. Abel obviously copied Hardy's check mechanism in the Switch series, but managed to do it in a way that produced essentially NO difference in the spool tension as the drag is tightened. For more than 100 years, Hardy and Young have done it in a way that does put more significantly more tension on the spool when the drag is tightened (though not at all like a disc reel). My Abel weighed a ton and was solidly built, but it may as well have been built without a drag adjustment dial. Being able to tighten tension can prevent spool overruns, line tangles, and break-offs when a big fast fish blasts off. You get none of that with the Abel.
