Spool Diameter- 5.25"
Weight- 11.7oz
Bearings - ABEC7
Warranty- 1 year

Made in Canada from Candian and U.S. materials

Limited production run of 25

contact reels1967@hotmail.com

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4 7/8" River Keeper

Ported 9.2oz

Solid 9.40z

$550 Canadian
 

4 7/8" Frog Water Reel

8oz.

$600 Canadian

     This reel is big!  At 5.25" in diameter, it is the largest that FFC has tested.  It is narrow, proportionately to its diameter (which I like).   Two tone colored reels always seem to look more interesting to me. The black back plate and clear anodized spool is an attractive addition.

     The reel is put together very well.  I noticed tight tolerances and the absence of any spool play. 

     The porting is both functional and aesthically pleasing.  You'll have to like the look of holes, because this reel has many.  We didn't mind them at all. The tapered handles are a smart addition and yield to line loops, thus assisting in the prevention of handle to handle wrapping from a misguided retrieve.  In the event you like to finger flick your spool to retrieve line, the holes nearest the center of the spool body are just large enough for this function.  The clicker mechanism slides back and forth with minimal effort and seems to click into position with a good audible thump.  The clicker is designed with a spring loaded ball bearing and a circular plate with recessed holes for it to fall into when engaged.

     Onstream performance reveals everything about a reel design.  Regardless of tolerance, color, weight, etc...the functionality that is felt during the first dozen or so drifts and certainly during a decent fish battle either glorify the purchase or push short comings to center stage.  This reel performed with the best of them and with only a few distractions.  It had good startup (a true determiner of build quality) and, due to spool mass, kept pass with long drifts even under winding conditions.  It balanced a 13' 3pc XST float rod well and wasn't overtly heavy when the entire rig was prepared.  With a mass of 11.7 ounces, the reel is quite light considering its 5.25" diameter.

     So, here's some things that we had to learn to live with.  The center hub has a semi-permanent cover which is secured with four phillips screws.  This arrangement makes cleaning of the reel almost impossible on-stream.  Over the several months that we field tested this reel, I found that while I was careful, an unexpected splash of dirty water was all that was needed to have the reel grinding and squealing in agony.  Another factor, was the tight tolerances.  This reel is certainly put together extremely well, almost too well!  While this may sound completely ironic, the model we tested had such tight tolerances and minimal allowances that when it came to dirt or ice build up, it didn't take much to effect the spool.  On an especially cold day, I accidentally splashed the reel with the smallest amount of water and it instantly locked up.  The spool was frost frozen to the back plate.  Rotating the spool, forcibly, did little to remedy the problem as the gab between the two surfaces was so thin that the water was pulled and distributed via capillary effect over a large swath of the inside rim.  Without a screwdriver, I was out of commission.  Now, we could argue that sub freezing temperatures mixed with aluminum (a heat sink) and water is a recipe for disaster when it comes to the notion of a free running bearing reel, however, I pointed this out because the amount of water was so small that other reels I've tested would have faired better. 

     The flip side of this reality is the tight tolerances prevent line trap.  This condition is caused when fishing line slips into the gap between the spool and the back plate. 

     I also noticed the holding power on the clicker is as good as most any centre-pin reel on the market, but just slightly less than what I'd prefer. I don't require a boat winch when it comes to locking the spool down, but I felt the mechanism could use an additional pound or two of pressure behind it. Under a constant load and once the spool started spinning, the ball bearing clicker mechanism would pop in and out of the recessed "catch" holes with minimal pressure.  I also recognized the possibility of engaging the clicker mechanism in between "catch" holes.  This would result in a belief that it was fully engaged when in fact it wasn't.  A small tug would have the spool spinning under drag.  Sliding the clicker lever off and then back on and rotating the spool identified without question that it was fully engaged.  This may or may not be an issue for you and your fishing style, but I thought I'd mention this tendency regardless.

Information coming soon....

Coming soon...