auto reel line?

Hi,

I was wondering, for those that have or are using the automatic fly fishing reels, what type of line are you using in them? Mine came with a fair bit of fly line in it and I'm wondering whether it might do the job. I'm just concerned that it might not hold a lot of traditional throwline or behave diferently with it. ?

Thanks,

I loaded mine up with Zing-It 2.2 mm, works well. I don't see why the fly fishing line wouldn't work but I never tried it. Make sure it's not old fly line 'cause that will fall apart at the wrong time. As it turns out I don't use my auto reel, the rewind convenience is negated by the weight of the reel compared to a small bag with throw line in it. Seems like a minor quibble but when you start adding up everything on your harness any way to shave weight is worth considering. I have a method for reloading line into the bag which is fast enough.
-moss

I loaded my reel up with zing-it 1.75 mm line but have been running out of line when I throw. Am I throwing too high? I find it annoying to run short of line on a great throw. What if thinner fishing line was used and just use a short \"leader line\" of zing it? Maybe my reels are just too cheap to take serious line. I've gone through 2 reels already.

Moss- do I fall under a \"reel abuser\" catagory or is it just me?

treeman wrote:

I loaded my reel up with zing-it 1.75 mm line but have been running out of line when I throw. Am I throwing too high? I find it annoying to run short of line on a great throw. What if thinner fishing line was used and just use a short \"leader line\" of zing it? Maybe my reels are just too cheap to take serious line. I've gone through 2 reels already.

Moss- do I fall under a \"reel abuser\" catagory or is it just me?

For my in-tree kit (reel or in a bag) I use 60 ft. of line. I haven't run into anything yet where I needed more reach. Most branch spacing in the crown of a tree can be handled w/60'. I can imagine when you're setting a tree-to-tree traverse you might want more. So how high do you need to be throwing when you're up in a tree? I like the idea of the zing-it leader backed up by fishing line.

treeman wrote:

Moss- do I fall under a \"reel abuser\" catagory?

Most definitely! Ya have to get a vintage model that's already lasted for 50 years, it's proven to be quality.

What might be better is a miniaturized version of the Faltheimer folding cube attached to your harness.
-moss

Mine has 1.75mm Zing-it from a piece I just retired. I think I have about 10' too much line on there. It jams a little at the end because there isn't quite enough room on the spool!

I find loading throwling into a line mug to be very tedious. I really appreciate being able to be done with it in a few seconds. Moss is right...it's is extra weight to haul around. For me, it's worth it.

love
nick

Well, I too was (probably due inexpierence) frustrated with the in-tree throwline.
I just loaded up my 'new' reel and I got an easy 60 feet or so of the 1.75 zing-it! on it, which, as mentioned, should be pleanty.
We'll have to see how it all works in the canopy!

Thanks for all the input thus far,

nickfromwi wrote:

...I find loading throwling into a line mug to be very tedious. I really appreciate being able to be done with it in a few seconds....

Here's my technique for putting line back into a bag for an in-tree throw kit, takes more than a few seconds but is much faster than feeding a single strand back in.

Stack coils of throw line in roughly 10\" diameter elongated loops over one hand with palm facing up, use the other hand to make the loops. While you're stacking the loops pin down with your thumb. After 10-15 loops made stuff it into your line bag. Repeat until your line is put away.

You could could just make one pile of loops but it would tangle coming out of your line bag. If you make a series of small groups of loops stuffed on top of each other it doesn't tangle. This is not for throwing directly out of the bag. To throw, pull as much line as you need to throw out of the bag and let it hang below.

If you do get a tangle pulling line out of the bag it will be limited to one small section of the line and will undo with a couple of shakes.
-moss

Jerry Beranek started me on the search for a good reel for holding enough throwline to get an end to the ground. This is important when climbing very tall trees especially in a wild setting. If the fumblies hit and a piece of gear or heaven forbid, the rope, is dropped, how does the climber get the gear back up to them. Having enough line in a convenient storage unit is the goal.

The line I use for in-tree is the 'dental floss Spectra' that Sherrill sells for use with the Bigshot Reel. It throws nice in the tree and lots can be stored on a reel. If I didn't have this Spectra I would use some sort of fishing line instead.

I bought a spring loaded reel at a flea market a while ago. It was a Shakespeare reel built in 1947! Too bad I broke off the tab/trigger and trashed the unit.

I bought one of these reels after seeing Tom's. Got a cheap one from Cabela's brand new.
First loaded with zing it...works great but not much line fit. Tried spectra fish line and can fit a ton. As with Nick weigh can be worth it IMO. Also when going first in a big tree I think anything that saves time is worth it.

Always have something with you other than your climbing line that reaches the ground.

I also use the stufing technbique that Moss described... works fine.

Basically I dislike screwing around with string!