# Any experience with Plueger Trion?



## BrianSipe17 (Aug 5, 2006)

I am thinking of buying a 10wt Pflueger Trion. For the price, it has really good reviews. I plan to use it for NY salmon fishing, as an upgrade to my current Hobbs Creek reel from Bass Pro. I am curious as to how well its' drag system will work for them. The Hobbs Creek is OK, but it doesn't slow them down enough for me.


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## Guest (Aug 24, 2011)

i believe they are partially machined, with the exact same drag as the orvis mid-arbor battenkills. i did own one and really liked it, but sold it with a rod a year ago....dummy. if i were going to stay with fly fishing, i would definitely buy another.


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## ohiotuber (Apr 15, 2004)

The Trion, while smooth, has the worst drag adjustment knob I have ever seen or used. I had one that I got rid of after 2 trips. It's gone, so I can't offer pics, but the outside rim of the knob is angled (not flat) & is not knurled, but has large, shallow "scoops" on it & is impossible to make an tension adjustment sure handedly. Get to a store & check one out next to other reels & you'll see what I mean. I don't know what your budget is but look for something with a sealed drag. You can find some decent reels on sale for the right price. If you want further info, PM me, I'll give you my # & we can talk.
I don't mean to throw a wet blanket on the Trion, but you would NOT be happy with it fishing for salmon & I think you can do much better at the same price point. 
Mike


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## BrianSipe17 (Aug 5, 2006)

Thanks for the input. I did have that thought when I saw a picture of the drag adjustment. Any advice on other reels? I wanted to stay in that $100-$130 range. For me, a machined reel, that is fairly light and excellent drag is my main shopping factors. I also looked at the President reel. I just can't justify spending much more, because I really only use it for my salmon trip. I have always wanted to try steelheading, but the fall/spring crappie bite and the winter ice shanty always win out!


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## Whoknows (May 16, 2009)

Check out allenflyfishing.com

fully machined and great drag. Look at reviews of his products over at the North American Fly Fishing Forum.

I have a 5/6wt Trout series coming in the mail this week. 

Great price too at around 100 depending on what WT you would like.


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## ohiotuber (Apr 15, 2004)

Also consider the Cabelas RLS for 9 & 10wt. On sale now for $115.00 & the reviews (43 of 'em) are excellent. If I were buying a new reel for a 9 or 10 wt today, it's what I would buy. Cabelas also stands behind their stuff.
If you order it by 11:59pm tonight, $5.00 shipping & based on my experience, you'll have it before this weekend.
Mike


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## fontinalis (Mar 29, 2011)

i have a trion 7wt for steelhead, and a 5wt president. They both work great, and im hard on them. never been cleaned. I have never had any issues adjusting the drag before, but honestly how often do you need to adjust the drag during a fight, just set it and let it do its job. keep an eye on ebay, i bought both of mine for 40% under list price.


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## Intracoastal (Sep 12, 2009)

I have a 4 Pflueger fly reels for different 8wt freshwater setups. None are Trion, but 3 are the discontinued Summit (an awesome reel), and 1 is the President. I think they're great. For a freshwater reel that won't soak in the brine, it's totally worth the money. For salt, the Lamson Konic and Colton CRGII (see his clearance on eBay--these are not foreign knockoffs. The owner lives in PA) reels are great options at the same price point.


I forgot, I also have the Pflueger summit on a 5 wt setup. They're a rare find, but you can usually get them for around $70 on eBay when they pop up. I'm talking about a champaign-colored, fully machined LA reel, not the graphite one.


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## Guest (Aug 24, 2011)

i was under the impression that all allen fly products were made in china.


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## BrianSipe17 (Aug 5, 2006)

Thanks all!


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

rapman said:


> i was under the impression that all allen fly products were made in china.



They are. In my opinion they are a $50 reel, not $100... From what I've read about the company/owner, that extra $50 is getting you customer service, which is well worth it if you need a replacement part (or reel) immediately... You don't have to wait on China. So in the end, a fair deal.


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## Andrew S (Jul 7, 2011)

I know a lot of people who seem to like the various machined Redington reels. I have a couple old ones, no longer made, that have seen a lot of hard use, fresh and salt, and have held up well.

I have a Colton that I like very much as well. As mentioned above, above you're price range new, but if you get one used you could get it for much less.


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## Whoknows (May 16, 2009)

fallen513 said:


> They are. In my opinion they are a $50 reel, not $100... From what I've read about the company/owner, that extra $50 is getting you customer service, which is well worth it if you need a replacement part (or reel) immediately... You don't have to wait on China. So in the end, a fair deal.



True but I don't think you're paying 50 for customer service. He has top notch customer service and I know tons of people who use the 250+ dollar reels and keep returning to the Allen product because for the performance and cost they cant justify spending 250+ on reels when they can get one for 88 bucks that lasts them many years. And now a days I'd rather buy something made over seas because the past few years most of the stuff made in the USA i have I can't keep it with out it breaking from normal use which is sad.


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

Whoknows said:


> True but I don't think you're paying 50 for customer service. He has top notch customer service and I know tons of people who use the 250+ dollar reels and keep returning to the Allen product because for the performance and cost they cant justify spending 250+ on reels when they can get one for 88 bucks that lasts them many years. And now a days I'd rather buy something made over seas because the past few years most of the stuff made in the USA i have I can't keep it with out it breaking from normal use which is sad.




Well what's the extra $50 for then? You can buy the same reel for $35 straight from China.


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## Andrew S (Jul 7, 2011)

fallen513 said:


> Well what's the extra $50 for then? You can buy the same reel for $35 straight from China.


They wipe the lead off it for you first.


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## Intracoastal (Sep 12, 2009)

Andrew S said:


> I know a lot of people who seem to like the various machined Redington reels. I have a couple old ones, no longer made, that have seen a lot of hard use, fresh and salt, and have held up well.
> 
> I have a Colton that I like very much as well. As mentioned above, above you're price range new, but if you get one used you could get it for much less.


I have Redington Drift reel, and can vouch that it's a great, lightweight and stylish little tool.

And the Colton CRGIIs on eBay clearance are BIN $120-130 or best offer. Some of them he will spool with backing and Wulff TT for an extra $30 or so--pretty tempting! I have to fight my impulses everyday to snatch a few up


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## Whoknows (May 16, 2009)

fallen513 said:


> Well what's the extra $50 for then? You can buy the same reel for $35 straight from China.


Well then show me the same exact real for 35 bucks then.


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## BrianSipe17 (Aug 5, 2006)

I looked at that site and maybe I missed something, but the only saw 5/6 wt and smaller reels. I need a 9/10


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

The reason they cost $100 is to make money. We know that. If you think it is costing the company more than $30-$50 for these reels, you should do some research. I'll get you started, Google "Chinese fly reel". 

The point I was trying to make is that by buying through Allen, vs. say... ordering directly from China... is that you have customer service. That's _worth_ the $50.


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## ARReflections (Jan 7, 2011)

Fallen is correct. A search on ebay or even Anglers Roost will show you reels that seem pretty darn similar to the Allen reels. You are paying for customer service and it is good service. I have 2 Allen reels (Alpha and trout). While I like them, I think I will buy something else on the next go around. Not sure if I would be confident on saltwater fish with theses reels but for the stuff around here, no problem. Then again, I think a click and pawl drag would be no problem around here too... Only issue I have with my allen reels is they seem to have a funny grinding sound when you dunk them in the water. But hey for $85 dollars, can't complain...


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## Intracoastal (Sep 12, 2009)

ARReflections said:


> Only issue I have with my allen reels is they seem to have a funny grinding sound when you dunk them in the water. But hey for $85 dollars, can't complain...


What's the drag material on those?


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## ARReflections (Jan 7, 2011)

Intracoastal said:


> What's the drag material on those?


Carbon disc drag. Sounds like I have bits of fine sand in the reel when I reel in line.


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

That's the main problem with Chinese stuff. "Tolerance". 



I don't tolerate it. LOL.


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## Andrew S (Jul 7, 2011)

Don't know if this will get rid of the grinding sound in your reels, but this worked for me for one of my old die-cast reels, a Pfleuger Medalist:

I fished it hard in the saltwater for a season or two. It certainly made all sorts of unpleasant sounds. One day I noticed a gray liquid bubbling out of a hole in the spool. Upon closer examination, it was clear that the saltwater was dissolving away the spool, much like a flesh-eating bacteria might do to your arm. The bubbling was accompanied by a distinct fizzing sound, very much like what you hear from a bowl of Rice Krispies (snap, crackle, and pop). This fizzing sound largely masked the sound of sand and grit grinding inside the reel.

Eventually, the hole got large enough that I replaced the reel, and stopped fishing it entirely. I still have it, but now it makes no sound at all.

I hope this was helpful to you.


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

LOL so what's the solution Andrew? Throw it away?


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## Andrew S (Jul 7, 2011)

That's the long-term solution, but the short-term solution is just mask the sounds you don't like with other sounds. You know, the same way you turn the radio up louder when the car engine starts to moan and groan.


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## Steelhead Fever (Dec 31, 2009)

dont do it.....................................


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## Intracoastal (Sep 12, 2009)

Steelhead Fever said:


> dont do it.....................................


Care to elaborate?


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