Pretentious Snobby Bastard Fly Fishing!

This Ain't Necessarily Fly Fishing => Gear Reviews => Topic started by: driver on June 12, 2015, 16:59:15 PM

Title: Question for Allen reel owners
Post by: driver on June 12, 2015, 16:59:15 PM
I know some of you have Allen reels, I thinking of buying a Kracken. Does anyone one know what material the drag is made out of? Also how loud is the drag on that thing? And does is click when reeling as well?
Title: Re: Question for Allen reel owners
Post by: RiverbumCO on June 12, 2015, 17:39:02 PM
I don't think it clicks either direction.  I have a 3 and 4.  Graybabay has two fours maybe.  Shropp has a 3 and "gasp" a Dorado Edition.  None have failed us.  I have no idea what the drag is but it handled albies just fine.
Title: Re: Question for Allen reel owners
Post by: NCsporksman on June 12, 2015, 18:11:11 PM
"Gasp a Dorado edition" is fuckin right....baller ass reel

#balleronabudget
Title: Re: Question for Allen reel owners
Post by: Michael Toris on June 12, 2015, 19:21:52 PM
Small click both ways. Not loud. Sealed cork drag. Incredible reel for the price. Caught tons of big carp, musky, a big ray, and albacore; didn't think about failing.
Title: Re: Question for Allen reel owners
Post by: Michael Toris on June 12, 2015, 19:23:33 PM
I have two fours for 8-10. I like big reels with lots of room for backing. Getting around 250-300 yds of 30lb in it.
Title: Re: Question for Allen reel owners
Post by: driver on June 12, 2015, 20:34:33 PM
Yeah its either the Kracken or this
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-WLX-II-Fly-Reel/1907516.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Dwlx%26x%3D10%26y%3D6%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=wlx (http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-WLX-II-Fly-Reel/1907516.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Dwlx%26x%3D10%26y%3D6%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=wlx)

hella price for a machined Lamson Reel
Title: Re: Question for Allen reel owners
Post by: Michael Toris on June 12, 2015, 21:31:01 PM
Get the kraken.
Title: Re: Question for Allen reel owners
Post by: driver on June 12, 2015, 22:20:22 PM
Quote from: troutfanatic on June 12, 2015, 22:02:43 PM
Quote from: wildmttrout on June 12, 2015, 21:31:01 PM
Get the kraken Kraken XLA.

thank me later.

Meh, I don't think its worth $100 extra for a reel that I will use 10 times a year.
Title: Re: Question for Allen reel owners
Post by: Onslow on June 13, 2015, 14:47:28 PM
Big ass reels that hold ten miles of backing are about as useful as a foot long scrote sack.  Great conversation pieces, but hardly useful and easily injured.  I'm quite pleased with my baby Jesus package and small reels.
Title: Re: Question for Allen reel owners
Post by: driver on June 13, 2015, 15:18:36 PM
That 10 miles of backing is pretty useful when your hooked up to a 20lb albacore.
Title: Re: Question for Allen reel owners
Post by: Michael Toris on June 13, 2015, 17:26:19 PM
Quote from: driver on June 13, 2015, 15:18:36 PM
That 10 miles of backing is pretty useful when your hooked up to a 20lb albacore.
Yup. Or big river donkeys
Title: Re: Question for Allen reel owners
Post by: Onslow on June 13, 2015, 17:32:28 PM
I hate both of you all :laugh: 5-6 hours of windshield time for salt.

The kraken is going to the beach with me on Tuesday.  Hopefully I'll get a chance to use it at Portsmouth Island.

If you're making 10 trips to the land o salt, then I would get a pricey Allen reel.
Title: Re: Question for Allen reel owners
Post by: driver on June 13, 2015, 17:43:56 PM
Another question, drag adjustment on the Kracken, its it fairly quick? On the Lamson reels you have to keep turning and turning to crank that bitch down.
Title: Re: Question for Allen reel owners
Post by: Michael Toris on June 13, 2015, 21:25:27 PM
I have a litespeed. The drag adjustment on the kraken is much faster than the lamson. And the kraken drag is much smoother with lower initial inertia as well. I would not buy any other reel.
Title: Re: Question for Allen reel owners
Post by: driver on June 14, 2015, 05:19:59 AM
Perfect! Sounds like I'll be ordering tonight.
Title: Re: Question for Allen reel owners
Post by: RiverbumCO on June 14, 2015, 08:40:53 AM
I want one of those Tibors.  I think they balance really well if you put your rod over your shoulder facing backwards.  At least that's how everybody takes pictures with them.  I guess they practice that pose at home....it hard.
Title: Re: Question for Allen reel owners
Post by: Michael Toris on June 14, 2015, 09:21:47 AM
Quote from: steelrain202 on June 14, 2015, 09:20:32 AM
i think i get a bro deal on dem allens
I used to as well.
Title: Re: Question for Allen reel owners
Post by: Dougfish on June 14, 2015, 14:37:49 PM
What's backing? Sounds like a drag.
Title: Re: Question for Allen reel owners
Post by: driver on June 14, 2015, 16:05:18 PM
Quote from: Dougfish on June 14, 2015, 14:37:49 PM
What's backing? Sounds like a drag.

b';
Title: Re: Question for Allen reel owners
Post by: driver on June 19, 2015, 06:55:28 AM
(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/06/19/0a4058875f90d99907b3d481fcb2a20e.jpg)

This showed up yesterday. I like it. A few gripes.. but I'll load some line on it and fish it before I start picking it apart.
Title: Re: Question for Allen reel owners
Post by: Michael Toris on June 19, 2015, 07:55:40 AM
Quote from: driver on June 19, 2015, 06:55:28 AM
(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/06/19/0a4058875f90d99907b3d481fcb2a20e.jpg)

This showed up yesterday. I like it. A few gripes.. but I'll load some line on it and fish it before I start picking it apart.
What are your gripes?
Title: Re: Question for Allen reel owners
Post by: Big J on June 19, 2015, 08:17:17 AM
The orange backing clashes with the green reel?
Title: Re: Question for Allen reel owners
Post by: sanjuanwormhatch on June 19, 2015, 08:39:57 AM
Confession:  Other than a reel totally crapping the bed (ironically enough the only one that has for me is an allen reel but granted it was seriously the very first reel they made) I've never been able to tell the difference in a reel other than, as riverbum hinted at, some look better on my instagram feed than others. 
Title: Re: Question for Allen reel owners
Post by: Jfey on June 19, 2015, 08:49:46 AM
Quote from: RiverbumCO on June 14, 2015, 08:40:53 AM
I want one of those Tibors.  I think they balance really well if you put your rod over your shoulder facing backwards.  At least that's how everybody takes pictures with them.  I guess they practice that pose at home....it hard.

The key is angling your shoulders so you can offset the weight of the Tibor.  I think tilting your head in the direction you are holding the fish also helps.  Some overcome this issue by simply using their mouth on the cork to hold it tight.  Its  kind of an advanced move, so definitely practice at home before posting to Instagram.  Nothing worse than an inappropriate cork biter.

Also, curious about the gripes on the Allen other than not balancing on the shoulders properly.
Title: Re: Question for Allen reel owners
Post by: sanjuanwormhatch on June 19, 2015, 08:54:56 AM
I guess this is a good place as any to vent about the rich prick my wife went to high school with who went to alaska to fly fish I'm sure on a whim with zero fishing experience and produced some grade A cork biting hero shots. 
Title: Re: Question for Allen reel owners
Post by: driver on June 19, 2015, 10:03:40 AM
Quote from: Big J on June 19, 2015, 08:17:17 AM
The orange backing clashes with the green reel?

A bit. But I thinnk orange stands out better that yellow. And like to know when I'm in my backing.

Observations prior to fishing

Pros:
-Looks. Face it, ts a good looking reel.
-Ginormous handle. I cant explain enough why this is good.
-Size. It not huge but holds a lot of line
-Drag adjustment. Is a lot quicker and easier that my Guru (can't comment on the drag until I have a 30lb fish on it) seems ok. Sealed is good
-You can order it with backing for $8. I don't know anywhere I can by 250 yards of backing for $8

Cons:
-Weight, its a bit heaver that some of its competitors. But may make balancing over the shoulder easier. To be determined..
-Spool spins to freely. My gripe with this is.. when casting the inertia of that cast causes the spool to spin, thus taking up line. I have another reel that does this. This becomes annoying when you are casting the same distance repeatedly and every few casts you have to strip more line out. (but this also has a pro, you can just spin the spool and take up all you slack line in quickly when reeling in.)
-The clicker. On a saltwater reel, I like a loud clicker. I wanna know how hard a fish is running by the sound. With a motor running and any other sounds going on, I suspect this reel will be hard to hear.
-Size 4 doesn't come in Dorado color.

hopefully I get to try it on some reef donkeys in the coming weeks.
Title: Re: Question for Allen reel owners
Post by: benben reincarnated on June 19, 2015, 22:53:29 PM
(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/06/19/5dd7ee778da93dd4abdeff7363ac9079.jpg)
Title: Re: Question for Allen reel owners
Post by: bullship on June 20, 2015, 07:52:59 AM
(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/06/20/7b5680da9fc636b90a654b9105c6af82.jpg)
Title: Re: Question for Allen reel owners
Post by: RiverbumCO on June 20, 2015, 08:54:43 AM
Jeffs doesn't know what to do with that one hand.  Laff.