In what I’ll admit is a clear case of snow-driven retail therapy, I just ordered a 6wt Bass Bug fly line from the Orvis Clearance Tent.

I haven’t owned one of those aggressively front-loaded, big-bug throwing fly lines in well over a decade, but given my desire to get back to throwing poppers at bass from a float tube, it seemed like time.

Especially given the $23 price tag.

A McCloud Reservoir rainbow trout

A reservoir trout -- and a good reason to own a handful of 6wt fly lines

(In this post, the Underground rolls out the Index Rating the rest of the fly fishing industry has sadly neglected: The Risk To Relationship Rating. An R2RR rating of 23 is pretty safe; a rating of 800 [e.g. -- for one of the new high-end fly rods] puts you firmly in the red zone.)

Still, no purchase ever goes unpunished, and in this case, adding another 6wt line has added a little juice to my only real source of fly fishing gear angst.

I don’t have any place to put them all.

I’ve got five 6wt fly lines, but only one 6wt reel:

  • A slow-sinking clear intermediate line (my “go-to” stillwater line)
  • A faster-sinking (Type 3?) solid line
  • An Outbound streamer line
  • A standard DT floating line
  • A Bass Bug line (as soon as it arrives, anyway)

Only two of the above are actually found on reels, and one is mounted on an old Teton Tioga, which may be strong enough to withstand a nuclear strike, but which is, I’ve decided, way too damned heavy.

(I’m not one of those anal types whose reels have to balance their rods perfectly, but even I have my limits. It’s voted off the island, paving the way for my followup gear post: The Underground Closeout Sale).

Stillwater guru [Name Redacted] impressed me with his stillwater system; a couple of those truly affordable synthetic fly reels and a handful of extra spools (sadly, he managed to misplace the reels last season).

He liked their affordability (a former government employee, he said they were “Forest Service cheap“) and the fact they weighed almost nothing.

Both of which are sounding pretty good.

As a man who has caught a lot of very big trout on lakes, if he says they work, then they work.

So I turn to the Undergrounders for their advice.

The Reel System

I can find a reel for my floating line. Which leaves those four other specialty fly lines.

Is the smart play to buy a pair of synthetic fly reels and a handful of spare spools? (Orvis sells a $49 budget model with $25 spare spools, so the Risk To Relationship Rating is $150.)

Or do I risk matrimonial eviction and pony up for a pair of mid-range reels and a couple spare spools? (Risk To Relationship Rating of $330.)

Note that I’m looking at two reels. There are times when one sinking fly line isn’t enough, and despite what the popular literature would have you believe, changing spools while fishing is not a particularly quick or relaxing process.

Has anyone else come up with an affordable system that doesn’t lead to the immediate filing of divorce papers?

Keep in mind I’m not a reel snob; I own one of the Winston/Hardy Perfects (a tradeout) and one of those high-end Ross fly reels meant to mimic the original Etna-built Ross. I bought both a bargain prices, but I can safely say I’d have done just fine without either of them.

In fact, there’s something to be said for fishing with reels affordable enough to not generate a sharp, worried intake of breath every time you stumble.

Underground Gear Fiends, the floor is yours.

See you juggling 6wt fly lines, Tom Chandler.

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