Is anyone familiar with the original series of Abel TR reels? I've just picked up a used Abel Trout TR3, the current ones are supposed to be rated for 7 & 8 wt lines but in hand it looks more like a 5wt reel. Any thoughts on this? I'm hoping to scrape together a 7 wt rig and was planning on using this reel.
Classic style click pawl reels never had large diameters like modern large arbor reels. A classic 5/6 weight reel had an outer diameter of 3 inches or less. Because of the standard arbor on the TR3, there is capacity for backing and a 7 or 8 weight line. For a 7 weight reel, don't count on having more than 100 yards of 20 pound backing with a long belly floating line. You may gain 20 to 30 yards of backing if you use a standard weight forward floater. You will gain more capacity if you use a sinking or sink tip line.
