In line Reels

[nightbite]

I just bought my first in line reel.really like it. The only thing that I have a hard time with is line blow back. When the line gets going fast enough it seems the reel gets ahead of itself.  It really drops the lures done fast. So just wanted to get some feed back from my Iceshanty brothers and sisters on their experience with them.

[hardwater diehard]

You should add your location to your profile

Which in line do you have ? Some have drags you can adjust to control the drop speed ...similar to adjusting a bait caster so not to over run the spool ...you should readjust after changing lures ..or every outing ...others are just a line management system ..where your feeding the line down your hole ...but with diminished line twist ... the "drag" is manual... palm... finger.

[nightbite]

It's  the Eagle Claw Magnum. Nice reel just different from what I've usedi in the past.

[hardwater diehard]

That should have an adjustable drag ...are you familiar with how to adjust a bait caster ?

[sirjigalot]

I'd like to try one of these. My only issue is setting my reel on the ice. With a spinning reel you can prop it up on the bail and heel. With an in-line, more or less a fly reel, you cant necessarily do that.

[Nibbles]

I just got one of the Eagle Claw inlines a few weeks ago. I liked it so much I replaced all of my spinning reels with them. The line spools off straight with very little to no spin and if adjusted properly it doesn't free spool much. My spinning reels always spool off a bunch of curly line after using light jigs, gets to loose with less weight to keep tension on the spool. I doubt I will ever go back.

[nightbite]

Nibbles I would agree with you. I am going to buy a few more myself. I really like how you can drop the line straight down and how fast it dose it. It took me a night of fishing to get the hang of it. I won't go back now I like them that much.

[Nibbles]

Im left handed so the handle only being on  the left side wasnt a good fit for me. It can be made to work on the other side if you turn the bearing in the handle around. It will void the warranty but can just as easily be put back to its original condition.

[TooLucky406]

You guys fishing the Eagle Claw in a shanty?....reason being the drag goes completely obsolete in cold temp(say in the teens and lower). I agree with all the previous advantages stated but subpar drag system should also be mention too. Haven't try the new Magnum but I wouldn't use this reel for big fish, such as pike, lakers, walleye, or big rainbow.

[Nibbles]

You guys fishing the Eagle Claw in a shanty?....reason being the drag goes completely obsolete in cold temp(say in the teens and lower). I agree with all the previous advantages stated but subpar drag system should also be mention too. Haven't try the new Magnum but I wouldn't use this reel for big fish, such as pike, lakers, walleye, or big rainbow.

Good point. I read about the issue with the drag as such but decided that since I fish primarily for panfish, kokanee, perch, etc. it wouldn't be a problem. If I was to catch something bigger it would be by accident and I am content with the trade off. If I'm fishing for pike, lakers, etc. I just use my tip ups. The good far out weighs the bad for my personal use. By the way, yes I primarily fish in a shanty I'm a wuss.

[missoulafish]

TL406 nailed it. I'm sticking with good spinning reels and never going to worry about hardware failure.

[lundin-loading]

I bought an eagle claw right after they came out, I just cant get into it, its been sitting in the shelf for two years....

[RicA]

I have both a Frabill and and Eagle Claw and prefer them over my spinning reels for panfish.

[oldschoolben]

I had a bait caster on one of my setups I really like it really helped with line twist

[doublehaul]

I do a lot of icefishing specifically for larger species Walley, pike, lake trout, catfish, etc....  This evening I fished with one for the 1st time and hooked up with an estimated 8 lbs. channel cat. I was very unimpressed with the jerky drag system and ended up loosening the drag and just thumbing the reel. As a tool to efficiently fight and land large fish, I would say in-line reels are a poor choice. In order to recover line and turn a large fish after a hard run, it's important to have the ability to rapidly recover lost line during the time the fish tires. During the fight I found it counterproductive to have my reel handle spinning in reverse during line un-spooling. When targetting large fish it is imperitive that your drage be silky smooth. In addition one needs to be able to retreive line in a split second when you finally "turn" a feisty fish.  Although these reels may be great for small panfish, I would not recommend them for one who targets predator fish.

[pmmpete]

I use level wind trolling reels loaded with braid to ice fish for lake trout and pike.  I like using a rod to bring in big fish better than wrestling them in hand over hand with tip-up line.

[Nibbles]

If and when I lose a fish because of these reels I may reconsider. Until then Im sold

[frdell84]

I've also got the eagle claw on 2 of my poles, they work great!