Rio Spey Swivel, Sage Approach Rods, Ross CLA Reels

It was when the non-reversible roller bearing in my fancy, expensive European reel froze beyond repair for the second time that the wisdom in the design of the American made Ross CLA reel series really hit home. CLA's have no roller bearings.  Instead they have self-lubricating bronze bushings; older technology, simpler, but more practical and superior in a wet environment. The fact that you can own 2 1/2 CLA's for the price of that fancy European reel is also appealing. Comments about the CLA in a conversation with Brian Silvey is what first made me take a closer look at these reels. Brian spends more days on the water in one year than many anglers spend in their whole lives. Brian tests gear for outfits like Simms, Sage, Winston & TFO, because if gear will stand up to Brian, it will likely last for anybody. So when Brian said he was having good luck with the Ross ClA's he was using for client reels, I bought two of them. They are now more than two full seasons old and although scarred up a little, they are both in perfect working order with no maintenance of any kind. I recently purchased a third CLA, and now own four extra spools. I use them on my best Spey rods and am not afraid to loan them to my most valuable clients. 

The CLA is an affordable hybrid large arbor fly reel that carries the name of one of Ross’ oldest and most popular series. However the CLA is a big departure from the original Cimarron design. It incorporates our newest generation drag mechanism that is extraordinarily smooth, heat resistant and provides incredible stopping power. The CLA matches the Cimarron in durability and affordable price, but offers a stronger drag, greater drag range and sensitivity, more pleasant incoming and outgoing sound, hybrid large arbor configuration, innovative conversion mechanism and other additional features that anglers have come to expect with modern fly reel design. Each reel in this series is designed with a specific diameter and width to maximize the properties of drag consistency and line retrieval. The CLA will set a new standard for what anglers come to expect from an American made, high-quality, reasonably priced fly reel.

LA 4-7 (Larger Components for Bigger Fish!)
The mechanical operation of the CLA is consistent throughout the series, but improvements have been made to the CLA sizes 4-7 to support their use when battling bigger fish. When comparing them to the smaller sized CLA reels, you will find that the 4-7 reels have a larger drag knob, handle and spool cap, but most importantly, they have a STRONGER DRAG SYSTEM. To ensure smooth performance with fast-running fish, these larger four sizes have also been equipped with oil impregnated bushings for spool rotation. The frame and spool have also been reinforced to eliminate flexing. With a wide range of sizes available, the CLA series is appropriate for any fishing application, including Spey.

Features:
Frame/Spool Material: 6061-T6 proprietary aluminum alloy.
Manufacturing Specifications: Fully machined, 1 piece frame, 1 piece spool with a Delrin pressed hub - manufactured on automated CNC machines.
Drag Material: Delrin 500AF with impregnated Teflon – space-age polymer that is durable, heat resistant, self lubricating and maintenance free.
Drag Mechanism: Delrin 500AF to anodized aluminum interface – push frame friction disc drag system.
Drag Engagement System: Dual redundancy radial pawl engagement.
Spool Rotation Mechanism: Delrin hub rotating on a stainless steel spindle, oil impregnated bronze bushings rotating on a stainless steel spindle (Sizes 4-7).

Number of Reels in Series: 8
Fly Rod Coverage: 2 wt. – 13 wt. and  Spey 6wt. – 12wt.
Fishing Application: Designed for use in all freshwater, warmwater and saltwater fishing environments.

CLA

1

1.5

2

3

4

5

6

7

Width (spool):

.90”

.90”

.95”

1.00”

1.1”

1.2”

1.2”

1.25”

Diameter:

3.00”

3.125”

3.25”

3.50”

3.75”

4.00”

4.25”

4.50”

Weight:

4.2 oz.

4.4 oz.

4.7 oz.

5.4 oz.

7.6 oz.

8.1 oz.

9.0 oz.

9.7 oz.

Line Weight:

2-4 Wt.

3-5 Wt.

4-6 Wt.

5-7 Wt.

7-9 Wt.

8-10 Wt.

10-12 Wt.

11-13 Wt.

Capacity:

WF3+75

WF4+100

WF5+125

WF6+175

WF8+200

WF9+250

WF11+275

WF12+300

Spey Lines:

6/7/8+100

8/9/10+150

9/10/11+175

10/11/12+200

Reel Price:

$185.00

$195.00

$200.00

$210.00

$250.00

$275.00

$295.00

$315.00

Spool Price:

$100.00

$105.00

$110.00

$115.00

$130.00

$140.00

$155.00

$165.00