[HILAKER]

My wife and I are retired and reside in Baker City, Oregon located in Eastern Oregon near where I was raised. We lived and worked in SW Washington for 17 years and in Wenatchee for over 12 years before retiring. We enjoy lake fishing trolling flies with fly rods and sinking line and had great times fishing in the Central Washing area. Our son and daughter still live in SW Washington and we get over that way for visits, but prefer the slower paced life in Eastern Oregon.
I have been looking for a couple of new fly reels and just recently discovered the Fenwick Nighthawk series reels with anti-reverse and was wondering if any of the members have any experience with these particular reels. Any information would be appreicated. Thanks, Richard Gushman aka (HILAKER)

 

[Gary Thompson]

Welcome, Richard
I can't help ya with the reel ?
I used to live in North Power and just outside of Baker City on Salmon Ck. many years ago.
My last visit to Baker saw little change in the area (that's good in my book).
There is some good fishing to be had in the Baker area.
Lucky dog, you!!!!

 

[Keith Hixson]

My family homesteaded in the Baker and Pleasant Valley area in the mid 1800's. The old folks all hated it when they changed the name for Baker to Baker City, so in my family its still Baker. Old People. Still have relatives there, and so does my wife. Know nothing about the Fenwick reels.

Keith

 

[Tom Palmer]

Hi Richard, welcome to the board.

Don't know anything about that particular model but I'll take a swing anyway...
- Fenwick is a classic rod maker. The number of manufacturers who make both great rods AND great reels is pretty much zero in my experience. Not to say the Nighthawk won't work, but it seems like the great rod makers have never really cracked the high end reel business.
- What attracts you to the anti-reverse feature? Traditionally used on big game reels where the line was smoking out the guides and people worried about bruised knuckes. Invariably the anti-reverse feature adds weight, more complexity and has largely fallen out of favor. I'm just not sure it's needed for trout.

In my opinion fly reels should all be single action. We have to set ourselves apart from the gear guys somehow!

On the plus side, if you do get one you'll probably be the only guy on the whole lake using it. There is something to be said for that as well.

 

[HILAKER]

Guys I want to thank all of you for the replies. Gary and Keith, when the wind allows it we have been fishing at Thief Valley Reservoir as the ice is still on Wolf Creek and Pilcher is closed until the main opening date. Malheuer is nearly empty and consequently not worth the trip. Not sure about Unity Reservoir. As for Phillips Reservoir, some idiot dumped perch in the lake approximately 20 years ago and that ruined what once was one of the best large trout lakes in the state. I am not sure why they changed the name of the town to Baker City, but it will always be Baker to us.
Tom, I can appreciate your thoughts on anti-reverse fly reels for trout and the only reason that I have considered buying one is for my wife as she has lost a lot of fish over the years because she is slow to react in removing her hand from the crank handle when the fish runs. I will add that even without counting the fish my wife has lost over the years, it is a rare day that she doesn't catch more fish than me. I contacted Justin at AllenFish as his site indicates that he has an anti-reverse reel forthcoming. He said that the reel should be available by mid June 2010 and initially will be the 7-8 weight, followed by the 5-6 weight and all reels will be left hand retrieve only. The reels will sell in the $200 to $300 range. Thanks again guys and if any of your are ever over this way please do not hesitate to give me a call. Richard

 

[BFK]

I can't comment on these particular reels as I haven't seen them. However, I have five high-end Fenwick reels, and my experience has been good, great in fact. The reels I have are somewhat heavier than a comparable reel, but they have performed flawlessly. Fenwick is a big brand in Europe (or was 10 years ago), and the company sold a wide range of fly gear we never saw. I'm guessing these reels are an extension of a European design.

 

[Don Davis]

Hilaker,
I love the area and live there for a while. Lots of great fishing on the Powder right in town. Some of the mountain lakes were pretty good too like Anthony lake and Olive lake. Had some fun times up in the Eagle Caps as well. Enjoy!