13Fishing Teardrop

[jeepsw1]

Had mine out in 19 degrees jigging with braid. Froze up quick, rendering reel useless. Might spool up with fluoro or copolymer now. Still love the reel...

"Glad" to see you had the same issue,i was wondering what i did wrong

[rabcon]

First day out today with the teardrop, Nice reel but deffinley not for the outside fishermen. Work great inside with the heat on . But tryed it outside jumping holes for a couple of min. and it froze up in the frirst couple of seconds.

[Townie]

Anyone using mono, fluoro or copolymer lines w/ Teardrop and still experiencing spool freeze?

[rabcon]

I have the Nanofol and still froze.

[jeepsw1]

I'm using northland florosilk, and having freezing issues.  I still love the reel on warmer days

[rabcon]

Use it in a heated hut, works great !!

[chsapeak]

I'm using floro and had issues with it freezing up to where you cant even release the spool. I took care of this by keeping the in comming line pinched between my fingers in order to sweep all the water off. I mentioned the backlash issue and caught myself doing what caused it or them. I run a small barrel swivel about 24" up the line, when I release the bail the jig would stop when the swivel got to the end eyelet, then I would do a quick uplift to get the line moving again and Voila, the backlash! Like I said there's a learning curve for sure. I think I'll keep it, it's just to bada$$ looking to part with... (.) (.)

[BlackDucksAndBrownDogs]

Fished my Teardrop for the first time last night.  I'm not that impressed.  Basically, even on closeout, it's a low-end reel with a high price tag.  It works, but it's not that smooth (drag and gearing). 

Also, it takes some extra pressure to engage the clutch after dropping the jig down.  The first time I dropped the jig down, it felt like something popped when I turned the handle.  It smoothed out a little as the night wore on, but there still more resistance than there should be.  I did not notice that when I spooled the reel in the house so it may be a temperature issue.

It was pretty cold last night (-10 F) but the propane lantern kept my pop-up warm enough to prevent freezing. 

I'm using 110 yds of 6# FC backing and a 75 yd top shot of 4# FC ice line.  That filled the spool to a nice level and it handled well.  I had no trouble thumbing the spool.

Right now, I think the reel is a poorly executed novelty.   The design concept is sound, but the mechanicals aren't.  As the market matures and more competitors enter, hopefully we'll see refinements.

[FISHFORPIKE]

My two teardrops have "smoothed" out considerably since new.  I've got about 200 hours on them now and they are a sweet set-up.  I'm sure improvements will be seen but I think we will see prices rise as well.

[BlackDucksAndBrownDogs]

Day 2 --  From Bad to Worse

These reels have serious limitations.  The issues are NOT limited to line freeze.  The gearing, spool release, and drag seize if they are used in sub-freezing temperatures.

I did a marathon trout trip today.  Hit the ice a little after midnight to jig smelt.  Got the pop-up set and fired the lantern.  All was well until I cashed the first fuel canister.  I connected the second tank and the lantern gave me a little trouble so I left it off for a while.  Once the temp dropped a few degrees, the reel became intermittent.  Hard to crank.  Spool release would barely function.  Loss of freespool.

I took the lantern outside, made some adjustments, and finally got it to fire.  I set the rod next to the lantern to let it warm up.  It came back to life and I was able to jig a bunch more smelt.

I set my traps well before daylight.  While setting the rig, I left one of the doors partially unzipped to ventilate the pop-up.   When I came back to the pop-up, the reel wouldn't behave.  Later, I got a flag and caught a really nice brown.  Came back to the pop-up and the reel had completely seized.  I had to warm it up for 20 minutes before it started functioning again.

There are a few possibilities:

1)  I purchased a defective reel;

2)  The reel is a Chinese-made POS; or

3) The factory lube is unsuited for cold weather.

A while ago, BaitBucket asked if anyone had done a complete tear down and re-lube.  No one replied.  Has anyone tried it?  Do you think switching to ice fishing specific grease/oil would help?

When it works, it's awesome.  But, man, this sucker is tempermental!!

It may just not be a good fit for me.  I walk everywhere and am limited to a Jet Sled/Smitty sled combo.  I'm packed to the gills as is and don't have room for a Mr. Buddy.  The lantern serves double-duty for this reason.

[Townie]

I had a couple 30 degree days with the Teardrop and it performed great. Smooth line drop & gearing; no backlashes. Below freezing outside never again. Just it's inverted design was worth the purchase. I appreciate that Fishing 13 is pushing ice tech innovation.

[missoulafish]

I've heard the same thing, drag systems are very poor. No reason to leave spinning reels or good level winds behind.

[eiderz]

I have two and have used them 15 or so times, mostly outside at night. I have not had the freezing problem, but it's never been colder than 10F. Had a few backlashes when I wasn't paying attention, easy to clear by removing the sideplate and spool, 30 seconds max.. I love the reels with a 1/8-1/2 oz jig but am not impresed with tiny panfish jigs, mine don't want to allow the jig to fall no matter how much I loosen the spool tension. Mine have 4 lb fireline on them, it freezes on the spool sometimes, but it does the same thing on the spinning reels. The drags on mine work great, no complaints there.

[AdverseCity]

Just a heads up for anyone who does like this reel, Sportsmen Direct has them on sale for $79.99. That's $40 off the retail price from what I can tell.

http://sportsmensdirect.com/shop/sale/13-fishing-black-betty-teardrop-ice-reel/

EDIT: Turns out the right handed one is on for $72.00 but the left handed one is showing full price but out of stock.

[Knife2sharp]

Just bought the last one at Cabelas in Woodbury MN, LH, on sale for $89.  I actually came online to search the dead stick alarm. I guess the Chinese forgot that, but no big deal.  For the one who asked about the nobs. The one by the spool is to adjust your bait drop when free spooled. The magnetic dial is to apply pressure should a quick pull in free spool occurs. From what I'm hearing of people having back lashes, set the magnetic break at max, then use the left knob to adjust weight drop.  I don't see a reason to not keep the magnetic break at max, you aren't casting.  Also, I was able to easily spool the reel without taking it off. Actually its the easiest baitcasting type reel to spool, since there's no openings on the bottom.  Just push the line through the front with a slight bend in the line pointing down so it goes under the spool. It will pop out the back above the thumb bar, then send it back through the front opening after going above the spool. Tie your knot in front of the non-moveable line guide, then pull it tight to the spool. I use the knot Abu Garcia includes with their instructions.

IMO, this is not for light/ultra light setups. Anyone who has fished bait casters knows, they are not finesse reels. It would be like using a 5500 for crappie fishing.  I musky fish and if I use lures that are too light or they catch wind, that's when back lashes occur.  You can thumb light lures, but they tend to stop short.  You aren't casting with TD, but I just think it's a bit overkill for lures under an 1/8 or 1/4 ounce.  I put 8lb dia Power Pro on it for a pike and walleye setup.  I actually had an Automatic Fisherman spinning rod that I had my antique ABU baitcaster on and had to hang upside down in the holder. It worked, but now I have a baitcaster that hangs like a spinning reel.