Loop Midge Fly Reel & Grey Line Rod Review
Loop Traditional “Midge” Fly Reel & Loop Grey Line Fly rRod 9′ 3pc. 3wt. Review
…….mine eyes have seen the glory!
There is nothing you can teach the folks at Loop tackle about the advantages of a large arbor (LA) reel, or about building reels at all. If you’ve never seen one, they are truly a brilliant piece of machining. While Loop endeavors to produce high-quality products, good design is truly the driving force.
When I started fly fishing over ten years ago, reel design seemed like the last issue on the list of priorities. Depending on who you talk to, thats where it still belongs. There is, however, a growing number of anglers and manufacturers who believe otherwise~and for many reasons. Rather than talk about the advantages of LA design, I’ll focus on the Swedish manufacturer that has been in the business of making them longer than anyone else~Loop Tackle.
For more than twenty years, the Loop model "Traditional" has been manufactured to very tight tolerances using the best materials available. The reel employs a proprietary sytem that provides just enough resistance to ensure that it won’t overrun when a fish takes-off. The Loop representative in Sweden I’ve been talking to was eager to impress upon me (bolstered by the literature that comes with the reel) that this IS NOT a drag system at all, rather its an "overrun adjustment." It applies just enough pressure to the spool to perform that duty, gently protecting tippets with it’s ultra-smooth start-up inertia. Having never had one of these "Traditional" models in my hand, I thought that (based on the photos I’d seen) the spool was suspended by three wheels applying outward pressure. In fact, its held in place by six chamfered, graphite wheels mounted in a triangular configuration by two seperate, ported frames. 
When the overrun adjustment knob is turned clockwise, the two ported frames draw closer together, increasing the contact pressure the six wheels have on the inside edges of the spool. Since they ride on an outer exposed surface, it is imperative that the reel be kept clean. Loop recommends rinsing the reel in fresh water after use, and backing-off the pressure on the overrun adjustment knob. The system works incredibly well, simple maintenance is very much worth the effort. The big brown trout pictured here was landed quickly without applying any additional pressure to the spool as the fish took line. I was eager to land it but quickly got the sense of how smoothly the reel fed the line out. The large arbor design has the advantage of quick line pick-up, a useful feature when a big brown is trying to tangle with the thirty feet of fly line at my feet. The whole event was absent from the panic that usually plagues my big-fish experiences! The reel does exactly what it claims to do, and does it well. Considering that the price of the reel is comprable to many of the leading LA reels out there, you ought to have a close look at the Loop before you decide to buy anything else. The "Midge" model is the smallest in the line of "Traditionals", but holds enough backing for most resident trout fishing. The models go up in both diameter, and width to accomidate any line weight and backing requirements.
Attached to my Loop Midge is a fine offering from Loop’s line of fly rods~a Grey Line 9′ 3pc. 3 wt. It is billed as a "fast" action rod, and is just that. It is a premium rod in every possible way you could imagine, from the quality of the fittings, to care taken in it’s assembly. The rod carries a price tag to reflect this work, but you get a little more too. Opening the rod bag revealed four sections instead of three, included was an extra tip section! This would be great peace of mind when travelling with this fly rod. I’ve used this rod and reel every time I’ve been out trout fishing for the past six weeks or so, and its been great! I’d urge you to give serious consideration to the Traditional reels and fly rods offered by Loop the next time you are in the market for some gear. It is equipment that will be well worth the investment.
Related Link: Loop
