This reel is actually black, but I know the photographer who shot this … and I’m not going to name names …

I had an evening on the water with the new TFO Prism Reel last night, and first impressions are in the books.

First, let me just say I am one of those “go to the reel!” guys, meaning I try to go to the reel on every fish that ranks in size. Sure, strip in dinks, but as a force of habit, consistently going to the reel makes it a lot less difficult to go to the reel when its real necessary. If I were an instructor, that would be the next thing I tried to ingrain into my students (after casting), GO TO THE REEL.

Think about it; all we have in our hands when we fly fish are a rod and reel. The reel is the often ignored technology that, by properly applied drag, can help you land more fish. It’s just that simple. If you want to see an example of the mess you can get by not going to the reel, be sure to watch the episode of Addictive Fishing where they are fishing for Florida snook.

My BBS4 Barstock Battenkill by Orvis has developed a finicky drag that has only two settings – all off and full on. The BBS4 was on my eight weight rod (a TFO Clouser), so I went with the 7/8 Prism sight unseen. When I opened the box, I was surprised at the physical size of the reel, dwarfing my BBS reel. At the same time, that’s what a “large arbor reel” is – large.

With a typical warm water fly line, the Prism holds 200 yards of 20 pound backing, and there’s just enough room for a fat bellied line to fit in – do yourself a favor, if you like room on your spool, and go ahead and leave 25 yards off the spool.

First Impressions
The reel’s finish matches the price, with visible rough edges from what I assume to be a lower grade aluminum, or poor machines for machining, and that appears to be the case on the aluminum drag knob as well. Does it effect performance – heck no.
The drag on this reel is super smooth and has several levels of adjustment. One thing to remember is to always back off the cork drag when the reel is not in use. If the cork remains compressed, it shrinks and loses its effective range of drag.
This reel freewheels better than any reel I own – Lamson Litespeed, Tebor or Orvis – and is fractionally priced. You will be able to pick up line very quickly when going to your reel, and if you forget to set your drag, you will be dealing with “backthrash” not backlash.

Conclusion
The TFO Prism Machined Aluminum reel will not win any beauty contests, but on first impression, this reel is a keeper. With line and backing the Prism 7/8 perfectly balances a TFO Clouser eight weight, and I feel much more confident in the Prism when going to salt in the near future. The Orvis goes to the shop, and back in the lineup as a backup reel. The next time I get to test the drag, once I get big fish on, and the heat off … then maybe we can see what this real is made of – DEEP DOWN, and we’ll let you know.

If you have a Prism, either machined or cast, what are your impressions? This could definitely be a reel worth carrying on my site, if only TFO would allow non-brick-and-mortar outlets for their product. Time will tell.

It’s a first, but in an effort to bring “fair and balanced” (where have I heard that before) to gear reviews and evaluations on Texas Fly Caster, we can’t help but put the “DO NOT BUY” stamp on a couple of items by Native Watercraft.

If you have kept up with gear and goings on here, you know there is a Native Ultimate 12 in the house, and it has proven to be a great ride, and at twelve feet is easy to stand and cast from. That said, Native may make a fair margin on the boat itself, but the margins on accessories are … astronomical. Translation; Native is making a killing.

Native owes their success (it’s all in the American way of capitalism, or what’s left of it) to the nifty little tracks that run along port and starboard of their boats. The tracks allow for clicking in all kinds of bags, straps and hooks.

Here’s the rub; Just because the accessories clip in doesn’t mean they stay clipped in. The first one on the Do Not Buy list is the drink holder. I was warned off buying it from the dealer who sold me the boat (does that tell you something). I never purchased the drink holder – the Adapt-a-Trak Cup Holder that is secured only by clipping in to the track. At least one person I know did not get that advice, and say goodbye to the cup holder. DO NOT BUY. The second was one that looked so nifty on the boat, that I went against my better judgment and purchased a pair for the Native. It’s the Adapt-a-Trak Paddle Holder, and at first glance, you think there’s a double grip on the track that would not leave these clips vulnerable – nope.

The paddle clips also sit on the outside rail clipped in and looking like they are designed with an extra effort to “hold”. When I purchased them from the local Mariner Sails, I said, “these are made to be lost”, and without a pair they are worthless. This item comes in pairs at about 15. usd., and cost maybe a quarter to make. Feel free to do the math. So after losing one the other day, DO NOT BUY. There must be a better way, and there has to be a way to secure the paddle on a Native as they are not designed favorably to wedging a paddle in somewhere and staying clear of flying fly line.

My first instinct is to find a source or way to copy that plastic pattern that clips into the tracks, and go to town making accessories that are affordable, but that would mean less fishing, and more engineering, and most of my engineer readers seem to be on permanent vacation – from engineering.

So, we will simply leave these two accessories as DO NOT BUY until further notice. If you come across gear that does not pass muster, let Texas Fly Caster know, and we will take a look at it.