Leland Reel Company Sonoma Bass Fly Reel
If one fish is king in all of American sport fishing, it's bass. In
fact, there are few things more all-American than bass fishing, but
until fairly recently, most fly anglers were missing out on the fun.
Nowadays, thanks to specialized equipment and techniques, fly fishing
for bass has grown in esteem and popularity right alongside fly fishing
for trout and other species. For example, the skill and dedication
poured into tying elaborate and gaudy bass flies these days recalls the
golden years of Atlantic salmon fly tying. With their explosive takes,
surging power when hooked, and resiliency in all types of habitat, bass
make a great quarry for anglers in California and around the country.With the same dimensions as our Sonoma Striper Reel, the Leland Sonoma Bass Fly Reel provides capacity for the large-diameter fly lines necessary to positively direct the bulky bass hair bugs that make bass fly fishing so exciting and fun. With an oversized zebrawood handle and an exposed palming reel, the Sonoma Bass Fly Reel puts the ability to horse powerful bass from cover right at your fingertips.
Specifications:
- Weight: 5.5 oz.
- Spool Diameter: 3.7 in.
- Spool Width: 1.6 in.
- Capacity: 330 grain bass line + adequate backing
- Arbor: Standard
- Anodize: Type II black
- Drag: Reversible Click-Pawl
- Machined from a solid block of cold finished aluminum
- Zebrawood handle
- Includes black neoprene reel case
Leland Reel Company Sonoma Fly Reels
The Sonoma Series Reels from Leland Reel Company take their name from our Sonoma Ranch and fly fishing education center. Sonoma is where students come from around California and the world to learn to fly fish. Here, on our 13-acre Ranch property, we take guests through casting technique, equipment selection, and the culture and history of the sport.
Our Sonoma Reels are purpose-built and accompany our Sonoma Fly Rods: for Trout, Bass, Stripers, and Steelhead. These entry-level fly reels are fully machined and anodized for a long life on the water. Rigid, lightweight, and fully corrosion-proof, Sonoma Reels feature traditional click-pawl drag systems, a proven design that honors fly fishing's long history.
The tall and narrow geometry we've given each Leland Sonoma Fly Reel provides some of the advantages of large arbor reel design -- namely, reduced line coiling and faster line retrieval -- while the standard arbor design provides more than adequate backing for each reel's respective application.
Of course, each Leland Sonoma Fly Reel features tool-free spool removal, for quickly changing out spools without hassle or loose pieces. The spools also feature an exposed palming rim for applying extra braking power to supplement the drag's resistance on powerful fish. Reel palming was once an indispensable skill in fly fishing, and though it's fallen away in recent years, we want to bring it back.
Like the concise classes we host at the Ranch, Sonoma Reels provide everything you need to get out on the water and begin fly fishing, and nothing you don't. We hope that with these essential reels, we can open up the many varieties of fly fishing to you. Sonoma Series Fly Reels from Leland Reel Company.
Leland Reel Company
When we started Leland Reel Company, we had a focused concept: to make fly reels 'classic' again.
We
wanted to bring back the look and feel that characterized previous
generations of anglers and reels. We wanted to make reels that looked
like the ones we dreamed about owning when we were younger – reels that
were seated, visually and materially, in the heritage of our sport.
We
wanted to create fly reels that were elemental in design yet relevant
functionally, with contemporary materials and performance. We began by
surveying the fly reels currently produced by the industry's leading
manufacturers, countless designs with different drag systems, anodizes,
machining, and function. In all these high performance, technologized
designs, we couldn't find a reel that delivered the essentials in a
beautiful and simple way.
In figuring out where we wanted to
take the Leland Reel Company project, we also drew on our three decades
of retail experience. In listening to our many loyal angler-customers,
we learned some things. We found that our customers are losing
confidence in their purchasing decisions. The majority seem uncertain if
they really need all the features and benefits of the latest and
greatest fly reels, or have trouble sorting what's essential from what's
extraneous. Many also fear that their new fly reel will be replaced
next season with something 'better' that offers even more 'extreme'
performance.
With Leland Reel Company, we've taken these
sentiments into account. We've produced great fishing reels that work as
intended and that will pass the test of time, not only on the stream
but on the shelf, too. In all our reel series -- Sonoma, Classic, and
Vintage -- we've used time-honored click-pawl drag configurations, the
latest anodizing and machining, and traditional aesthetics to produce
models that pair beautifully with any fly rod and deliver reliable
fishing performance season after season. What's more -- and this is
where we think the difference lies -- we've created reels that firmly
anchor their user in the living traditions of fly fishing.
