Frabill Straight Line 241 Reels

I don't know what it is about spinning tungsten jigs when you are sight fishing bluegills, but you can watch the fish put on the brakes when they see your jig going round and round. You see those little pectoral fins on those bluegills back paddle and then they sit.  They stare.  They watch your little Pelkie jig spinning away with a little white piece of plastic on the hook.  To them it looks diseased, unsafe - at least that's how Walt Disney would explain it.  There's not a lot of brain in a fish.  I watch them on cameras all the time.  I've concluded they were put here for us to eat.   Regardless, they can take a little bit of turning, but they aren't going to bite that fast spinning jig.  It just ain't right.

So, you go through all sorts of contortions to take that spin out of the line.  I lift up my rod as high as I can and let my jig spin out in the air.  I even try to get it to twist some more in the other direction hoping to counter the twist  that is still on my reel spool.  That kinda sorta works, for a bit but a few cranks on the reel and we're back to square one.  Now, I know that they didn't intend for the spinning reels to twist our lines up as you can see evidenced by the many spinning reels designed with anti-line-twist rotors and special bearings.  Well, I remain unconvinced about the whole anti-twist design.  I'm not so sure it works all that well.

Using a round reel would work, but there are always the backlash issues and bird nests, plus, you need to hold the weight of the reel up.  Works fine when you are jigging mid to heavy tackle for lakers, but finessing bluegills and other panfish requires a lighter touch.  There are some pretty cute mini-round reels out there but they are either pretty chintzy with no line leveler or really spending for a little tiny, very specific reel.  Enter the tiny fly reel.  There appears to be a wave crossing the ice fishing world with small fly reels teaming up with ice spinning rods.  Makes sense from a sight fishing standpoint.  I'm not certain about how they will work with more line in deeper water and there is no leveling device.  But, like the dot-bomb investment years under the Clinton administration, everybody and his brother is jumping on the bandwagon for specialized fly reels made specifically for ice fishing.  Unlike all the silly dot-bomb companies being sold on the net during the Clinton years, buying one of these reels is not going to wipe out your vast personal fortune.  It's just a tangible fishing reel, not some risky, bubble-building venture that the media always loves.

Frabill was out in front last year selling what I thought to be a really spendy, fly reel/ice rod combo.  We wouldn't bring them into the store.  They looked clunky at best.  Once winter got underway, we got a zillion calls to buy this ugly Frabill monstrosity.  Of course, we could no longer get the combo so I vowed to not let the opportunity pass us again this season.

Holy smokes, the competition in fishing gear was thinking the same thing.  This season, specialized fly reels are coming out of the woodwork.but that didn't stop Frabill from making some really innovative reels and stepping out in front of the pack for another year.  When we got our hands on the first model of this reel, I started to drool.  Absolutely cool to the max.  This Frabill Straight Line 241 reel has a multiplier in it to make it spin faster when you turn the handle.  The handle is centered in the reel body and for each revolution, the arbor spins 2.4 times.  The line comes into the bottom of the reel straight with zero twist caused by the reel.  Now, you need to account for the lure your are dropping up and down the hole for adding twist, but the reel should add no extra twist. You'll see other cool multiplier straight line fishing reels out there, but nothing as sleek as this reel.

Turn that handle and the oversized arbor inside takes off.  This reel is also built like a tank.  If feels strong and seems to have a pretty good drag.  There will be guys out there who will fish walleyes with these as well as panfish.  Attach to your favorite spinning wheel and give it a go. The one thing that will be a little strange will be releasing line down the whole.  Looks like you have to pull it out just like a regular fly reel.  Not sure how the drag will play in with this either.  If you are not a fly fisherman, this may take a little getting used to as opposed to opening your bail and letting the tungsten drop down the hole. 

Needless to say, these new Frabill Straight Line Reels were pretty cool.  Yes - I gotta have one this hardwater season.  My job is a dirty one, but somebody's gotta do it.  I test equipment so you can get the goods and know what to expect.

Order your Frabill Straight Line 241 reel here

Neat stuff for this winter.  Pray for top quality ice and THEN snow!

JB