The Spool

Thank you for taking a look.

I am wondering what kind of direct reel do you use in mountain streams?

I have settled on Langley's Streamlight and LureCast after trying them out in various ways, and these two are at the top of my product lineup.

I don't know why, but Langley lures fly very well. Compared to direct reels of the same age, the gears don't seem to be particularly superior, nor does the construction itself.

Perhaps the biggest contributor is the lightweight aluminum spool.
At only 19 grams (only direct anglers would give this weight a slight edge), it outweighs all other reels of the time.

Naturally, there are plenty of complaints.
For example, the edge of the spool, which should be a beautiful round edge, is rattled. This caused thread chatter to the point of making me want to cry, and I was forced to switch to sub tackle (Ambassador 1601c).
Also, the gear ratio. While 7.0 is becoming the norm today, the gear ratio was a threatening 4.0 or even lower. There was nothing we could do about this.

Therefore, we began to produce spools with a larger diameter and lighter weight, but at first, we were not satisfied.
I was often told that it would ruin an old reel.

It is true that I felt some discomfort in installing my own spools, but I did the best I could with the stock spools.
I did everything I could with the stock spools, from blanking the spools to increasing the diameter with cork, bamboo, and other materials. Of course.

Still, it is the nature of mountain stream anglers to seek for more comfort.
Therefore, I always carry both a stock spool and a lightweight spool with me so that I can respond in case one of them becomes unusable during a fishing trip.

Of course, I always install the homemade spool first.