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3. Pflueger Reels

I'm tired of spending a ton of money on fly reels. Anyone care to share their opinions on the Pflueger 1495 RC fly reels. I would use it for 12 to 15 inch trout with the occasional 20-incher. The extra spool is cheap too. With more expensive reels the extra spools cost half as much as the fly reel. I'm not into bashing other models. I just like to know if anyone has regularly used these reels and if they would recommend them.
Thanks

I have one from the 1970's it was my grandfathers. It was the reel I started on. The drag is non existent, tighten it and it doesnt make much difference, but loosen it and line just falls out of the reel. So you get a lot of extra slack around the reel. You can't cant palm the reel either so it really has no drag. Maybe mine is faulty but i don't recommend it. There are many nice reels in the 60-80 dollar range, especially if you dont need great drag.

I'd say absolutely,go ahead and buy it,although the 1495 is quite a large reel for that size of fish?I'd think the 1494 with the capability of storing 7wt + backing should be plenty of reel for trout that size.I think maybe one of us is a bit confused though?You indicate the RC designation,which is the 1500 Rim Control series,so I beleive it is the 1595RC that you are considering?Regardless,the 1594RC is likely a better fit than the 95 for your applications.

In regards to experience,I've owned a 1595.5 RC for close to 20 years and have landed a couple hundred Atlantic Salmon and Steelhead up to 20+lbs. with it,as well as a few Chinooks in the 30 lb. range.It's my beleif that expensive fly reels with the latest in drag technology are waaaaay overated and completely unneccesary for most freshwater fishing.I merely set my drag to a comfortable level for stripping line off for casting and tight enough to prevent overrun.With the RC,I can palm the rim if I need to/want to put the brakes on a big fish,but 90%+ of the time I can get adequate drag by merely leaning back into the rod with fish up to 10 lbs. or so?I only recently(last summer)retired my Pfleuger to a back-up reel role and streamer trolling reel after acquiring a Hardy St.John to be used as my main salmon reel.Not that I needed it,but ya gotta love the sound of an Atlantic peeling line from a classic clik&pawl Hardy,LOL.The HSJ has virtually no drag other than as mentioned setting it to prevent overrun,and no exposed rim neither,but I had no trouble landing several salmon with it last season,much the same as anglers have been doing with it for decades.I can think of no legitimate reason for spending several hundred dollars on a trout reel,other than eye appeal and the prestige or status symbol,real or imagined,that goes with having it fastened to a $1000 rod?Pfleuger Medalists have been around and popular for a very long time because they are reliable,inexpensive,and more than enough reel to meet the demands of most anglers.After the fulltime use/abuse mine has taken over the last 20 years,I expect it will easily outlive me in it's now secondary role as a spare/trolling reel.

The Pflueger fly reels are fine reels and more than adequate for the size of fish you are targeting. UPTroutbum's drag must be worn out because normally the drag on the Pflueger reels is stong enough to stop the largest trout.

The fly reels costing over $100 are not going to be any more effective for 12" - 15" trout than one you buy for $50 or less. Trout of that size are unlikely to ever run all the fly line and get into the backing. A simple pawl and click reel is very adequate for those fish. It will also be the lightest reel. I have a bunch of old Hardy Lightweight series reels and the drags are worn on all these reels and yet I have no difficulty landing trout to 22".

In my opinion, any of the Pflueger 1400 series reels are great reels for the price and will serve you well for many years of trout fishing in small to medium sized streams where 9 to 20 inch trout are your quarry. I have a 1492 that I still use. Just be sure to keep it clean and dry and lightly oiled, and check all the screws each spring before you use it or before you put it away for the winter. It may not be a flashy, high tech reel but it will give you many years of reliable service. I recommend Pflueger to anyone who wants an inexpensive, good quality reel.

I'd use one for King Salmon, and not consider it inferior, since I use click drag reels. Being able to hold up under freshwater fishing is not a consideration IMO. Weight?..slightly heavy if you want a light reel to match a light rod. I fish my Plueger's a lot. The small screws can be a problem and back out and get lost. I backed mine out, and put LockTight on them. If you want more durability go with the interior spool Pluegers rather than the RC spool Pluegers, as a dropped reel can ding the rim, and bind up the reel. I don't use the rim control feature. If you would palm your reel then the RC reel is a good choice. Just consider which size you want for what you are balancing your rod up for.

I've had a 1495 for years and it's helped beach a lot of fish, esp lake-runs as that's what I primarily used it for. Perfectly good reel. Not all that pretty by today's standards but it was in it's day I thought -kind of "rugged good looks". I'm happy to see it in my fish pics.

Take a look at Okuma Sierras for a good basic trout reel if you don't mind an old style small arbor reel. I've used one for years and never had a problem with it.

I have a Pflueger 1494 and I love mine, just cleaned it up tonight and everything is in great working condition, I use mine for 12-22 inch trout and it lands them just fine!

Fancy/new tech reels ARE nice. Can't fault them. And it's "nice" to have good gear. And sometimes/someplaces it actually matters. But there's something satisfying too in rugged simplicity / sufficiency. And I consider my 1495 a perfectly good reel, and am happy to see it in my fish pics. It carries it's own nostalgic romance for me.



I also fish with a 1970's Zebco C4 spinning reel -the green and white one. Remember that one? That was THE spinning reel of it's day and a head turner for those old enough to remember them. And it's actually brand spanking new -just was never used. There are much better reel designs out there now. But it's fun to fish with the old clunker -and it works just fine, provided I pay attention to its quirks (flaws). I even have a 5ft steel bass rod that, when I find an old "Pflooger" casting reel to go with it, I'll take her out and hammer em.



I know romance is a big part of FF, or maybe it just tends to attract romantics. And I'm one too, (although much of the initial swooning period has passed, as I see now it in all it's colors), but sometimes it's fun to toy with those ideas, drop the seriousness, and whomp a bunch of fish with inferior stuff, just bc you can. Kindof like those paintings of the old well-decked FF trying to buy a mess of big trout from a bare-foot kid with a cut sapling for a rod. Hey, my first fish was caught on a sapling my Dad cut for me. Maybe my last one will be too.

One winter some Snoopy bobbers came into the shop and I took one steely fishing. I knew the conditions, knew the water, and Snoopy and I hammered em. Finally a guy approached and asked where he could get a Snoopy float too! He was serious. I told him there were MUCH better floats out there. I have to say, it was great fun watching Snoopy tear off across that raging river. And at one point, Snoopy didn't come back. I did not buy another; just once was enough.

I've heard and read mostly good stuff about Pfleuger reels, never tried one though. They're said to be simple and rugged, fresh or salt-water use.
Being a thrifty person, I get my reels 2nd hand, fairly basic features, and stay with major makers such as Scientific Anglers and Cortland. Parts are easier to obtain and the reels rarely go out of style (extinct).

I Peter 5:7 "Cast your cares upon Him...'