Inline Reel

[tblaster123]

Can anyone recommend a good in line reel for ice fishing? From looking online at various sites.. I like the price and the overall reviews of the eagle claw inline ice reel.

What does everybody else use?

[Chris338378]

I use and like the Eagle Claw also.  Someone posted a picture of the Eagle Claw and the CGI inline reel and tore them down part by part and taking pictures each step of the way and all the internal parts looked identical.

[bassman2003]

Frabill has an inline ice combo that looks decent.  I was wondering same question as you.  From reports i have read you need to be fishing shallow with them to be effective

[Chris338378]

Not really with the Eagle Claw because it has a free spool feature which allows the line to come off almost as fast (maybe a little faster or slower) than a spinning reel.

[SouthPondLunkers]

i have the black betty 6061 inline and the eagle claw inline, I find myself using the eagle claw most often...1/2 the price as the 6061 but just as nice...the free spool gets your line back to the bottom faster and less line twist...worth the investment

[trapper2000]

i have a couple  ,I honestly would not recommend one  ....the reels are totally over priced .... the line falls off the reel spool if  you get slack in it ....and  the  design  causes a weak spot  on the  support arm .....  you  can do better  with a small level wind  or a spinning  reel ...I  never had a line twist issue  anyways.............ag ain don't blow a gaskit this is opinion and mine is they are over priced problems  marketed because of a fade ...get a  decent  micro spinning reel

[bassman2003]

thanks guys, didnt know that they had a free spool reel on those.  I guess i pictured more of a fly reel.  Will be interesting to see who likes them or not.  I think you would have longer of a fight on the fish, seeing that line recovery will be slower than on a spinning reel.

[BlueSail]

I have the higher priced Eagle Claw and the BB6061.
The EC's free spool is faster than BB, but I am newer to the BB and still fine tuning it.

I will never buy another ice reel that is not inline, superior ice fishing with free spool and fast reel up, easy drag adjusting too.
I typically use very small jigs.
It is frustrating to see the curls of my spinning reel's line show up on my Vex, never an inline problem...

[tblaster123]

I'm confused about what the purpose of an inline reel without a free spool would be?? You would have to pull line out against the resistance of your drag in order to get it to the bottom? Seems like a pain in the you know what.

[s10xr]

I love both my in line reels.  I dont notice much difference between black betty and eagle claw. 

[perch-hound]

I have a frabill(red graphite spool) and I just got a 8ColdGear, both work well, both 29.99
I sometimes use a thread bobber stop so the spin reel is definately out(line gets stuck on stop);
and I can't stand the line twist, jig does circles on the end of the line, if you have ever observed with camera.
The free fall is fantastic, the retrieve is super fast on both, they are light weight.
Just do *not* over fill the spool or use stiff line and you won't have an issue with line jumping off the spool.
One last thing they both(maybe all) have an anti backlash knob to prevent the birds nest.
I've been using the mini baitcasters for years and these inlines are a step up!

[chevy rotbox]

I have eagle claw,buddy has black beauty. we switched for a few hours , then I said I want mine back,he said no ! I am keeping yours.i like mine

[Chris338378]

Before they made the inline reels with the free spool feature you'd have to pull the line out like a fly reel and some guys even used fly reels and still do.  I tried using a fly reel a few years ago and you're right it was a real pain and couldn't get my jig back down deep as fast as I could with the spinning reel.  Now with the free fall feature that's no longer a problem.

[ESKIMOAUGER]

eagle claw inline reel.price.retival..as cends to bottom quickly..no bird nest. great for jigging

[moosefeet]

How does the free fall feature work? Seems like unless you were using a heavy jig it wouldn't  fall by itself very fast? I have looked at them but don't know enough about them.

[tblaster123]

There is a small dial knob that you can turn to set and adjust the resistance. I bought the eagle claw inline reel.. you just press a button to activate the free spool.. and then if you turn the knob all the way to the left it has a lot of resistance, so you would need a heavier jig to get the spool to spin.. and as you turn it to the right it provides less and less resistance, to the point where you could have a tiny little dot for a jig and the spool will spin

[moosefeet]

I played with one a little and saw that you could adjust drag, didn't realize you could press a button to have it free spool. I may pick one up sometime. It seems like the only time I get some line twist is when I'm fishing small dots for panfish but not sure if it has prevented me from catching any more or less fish?

[RIVERRAT2]

Before they made the inline reels with the free spool feature you'd have to pull the line out like a fly reel and some guys even used fly reels and still do.  I tried using a fly reel a few years ago and you're right it was a real pain and couldn't get my jig back down deep as fast as I could with the spinning reel.  Now with the free fall feature that's no longer a problem.

2x that,i fish pannies all the time now,most times under 15ft,mid winter deeper
i like the inlines better the the fly reels,the old bait reels were better then the spinners
[line twist with spinners] but that is just me,may be to old to change.
 
RAT

[bigredonice]

I honestly would not recommend one  ....they are over priced problems  marketed because of a fade ...get a  decent  micro spinning reel

Holy Moly stop the presses!!  Trap and I agree on something!   

[Overcast77]

I got the Eagle Claw a few winters back; used it one time and put it back into the storage. I just did not like the feel of it.

This  year I went back to it -- and took it out one time just by itself to force myself to get comfortable with it. I LOVE it now. I would buy another. If you don't like it at first, try what I did. You might be surprised.
In fact, I just bought the cheap Genz Ice Spooler yesterday at F&S on clearance to put it on another rod.
It is a different reel, but I have grown to really enjoy the speed it gets a tiny tungsten jig back down into the feeding zone.

[mdm25549]

I have the black Betty 6061 and the regular black Betty which is just a small fly reel with no drag or anything special. The black Betty is great for fish where you're just lifting. Fishing for crappie in less than 10 foot of water I don't use anything else but for deeper water you'd never want to use it. The 6061 I love I have never had an issue and is nice for less line twist. I have never used an eagle claw so I can't compare but I do like the one I have. Just like any reel it depends on the user how it is liked. Some guys love em some hate em. Plus I got both mine on a great sale.

[FingerLaker607]

I will never go back for panfish jigging...You deck Italy get what you pay for though. The cheaper clams and frabills are junk. Eagle claw is big step up and worth it. I have had some issues with hook sets and slack line but that user error more than likely. They are worth it just for the end of line twist/memory alone...Nothing ruins your day out like birds nests and spinning jigs, especially when it's real cold!

[ESKIMOAUGER]

i agree eagle claw inline is ticket.......i know someone selling a few frabill ones  ...real cheap......  black betty is the mercedes of inline......

[Kurtdirt1]

I bought a eagle claw a few weeks ago its a nice set up

[fish4fun8]

i got an eagle claw and liked it so far no problems!2 nd year!

[bird21s]

Eagle claw in lines are are the way to go. I bought the 6061 when it first hit the market. Didn't like it the first day I used it. I had to switch the gear over as the one I got was a right hand retrieve. Once it was switched over I didn't get the gear to seat properly so had minor issues. Later on I fixed the issue and fell in love with the reel. I got the newer one last season and inlines are all I use for pan fish. My father and brother both were skeptics but they too got the eagle claw inline and both swear by them.  Do you need one to catch fish, not at all but they are very comfortable to fish with. I find that I can run a higher lb test on the in line than my micro ice spinning reel.  I use my inline with 6lb test. Catches anything from golden shiners- lake trout  no line curl or contact points like a bail has. It's all a matter of preference, and I prefer inlines. As far as BB vs EC it appears to me that I paid 3x the amount for the name, and cool key chain I got...

[Kurtdirt1]

I had to switch the gears on mine it was a lefty

[basshunter12748]

I have the black betty freefall and its a game changer, line twist total eliminated and one handed jigging