Croch Fly Fishing Reel with CNC-machined Aluminum Alloy Body

It's built very well and a good drag with the 7/8 line size. However it will not hold a 100 yards of backing with the 90'flyline I purchased. It would be okay for a 5wt line but not a 7wt with backing.

Out of the box, the reel neither spun smooth and free in retrieve direction or had a smooth linear drag force so I decided for the price I would risk destruction to disassemble. The Spool is quick release and the release works perfectly but not as smooth as a higher tier reel, I decided to pull out the one way clutch and look at the bearings, both were stiff, gritty and dry. This was easily remedied by removing the one in the spool cleaning and lubing with Reel X (what I keep on hand since I'm in saltwater more than fresh) and it was good to go. The one pressed into the reel body would not come out so I gave it a good squirt of reel x and spun it with the lid to the lube and it came right to life and smoothed out good enough. Next I removed the screw from the drag knob (reverse threads) and fully unscrewed the drag knob (standard threads). This must be done carefully as the drag knob clicker can be damaged. When I felt the knob try to bind I wiggled it and you can feel the drag clicker let go and you can unscrew it further. I had to shake/wiggle it several times before the knob was clear of pressure from the spring. removing the knob (knob facing vertical up) you will see the drag clicker (little brass nose cone near the bottom, 3 silver pins, a spring washer and a normal washer. All of those parts will fall out if turned over and gravity gets them. remove them and set them aside for safe keeping. There is a small nut on the spindle now exposed, Mine was a 5/16ths, standard threads, and when removed the spindle assembly and drag pack, and drag clicker can be removed. I recommend holding the spindle in place while removing the nut. Next,flip the reel over making sure not to let the spindle and everything behind it fall out, remove the spindle, drag pack (noting orientation) and drag clicker. There is a drag washer, a drag fiber and a keyed washer (in that order) that will probably need pried apart. My drag fiber was completely stuck to the drag washer and had ZERO grease on it which was causing it to bind up when when the drag needed to slip. Coat the both sides of the drag washers with a drag safe grease, and reassemble in reverse order mentioned above. The reel now spins freely and the drag has a wider adjustable range and a very linear pull. I dabbed a little grease on the point of the spindle that quick release slide over and it helped smooth out the quick release/reinstall. The spool is quite wide on the 3/4 to make up for the large arbor. I will update with line capacity asap.

On a dark and wet November morning in the PNW, I took my trusty 5/6wt fiberglass rod, and this brand new similarly sized reel to a local river in an attempt to truly break the thing in and find its capabilities.Guided by cell phone light and the bubbles of the stream, I waded out to about ankle deep, and stripped off about 30ft of WF6F line with an unweighted pink and green woolly bugger on the end. During those initial strips, I discovered the drag was set far too lose and the reel did backlash considerably. Luckily, removing the spool is easy and intuitive, something that could not be said of the redington this reel replaced.Line untangled, I cast out downstream using a single handed spey cast, and proceeded to swing through shallow riffles and seams.The line goes tight and I set the hook. The moment of truth is upon us.Chum are not like Coho or Chinook. They don't aerialize, but they dig deep and run for miles. The strikes and headshakes are incredibly aggressive. The males are usually between 16 and 20lbs and are an incredible fight on an underweight fly rod. And it was one of these upper teen chum that destroyed my swung fly and was now headed down river towards the ocean.With the drag set appropriately and applying proper pressure to the fish, I manage to get him to turn about 20 feet before my backing. And charge me. I slap the reel handle and am pleased to see it take up slack almost as fat as I could strip it in.3 minutes later, having battled this tiger striped dinosaur to land, I popped the hook out and set him free. The trial by fire complete, I humbly offer these notes with regard to this reel:1. Its a $15 reel, that could easily pass as an Okuma costing 3 times that. The action, the drag, and the fit and finish feel the same2. The drag is smooth at medium-high tension. Good enough to put the brakes on a fish it shouldn't have been fighting in the first place.3. Anodization is uniform and free of blemishes. I got the gold one, and it looks awesome with a yellow line and orange backing.4. This is purely personal, but I like having auditory and tactile feedback when reeling. Silent reels just feel weird, even though being able to quickly spool up line has its advantagesDirectly comparing this to the older style of Redington path reels I replaced, this is hands down better. It feels better on the rod, the frame is more rigid, and the spool is easier to change out. I will absolutely add this reel to my "beginners fly fishing kit" recomendations

I am an old school fisherman that mostly uses a fly reel to hold my line; I tend to pull fish in with hands and let it loops lie next to me. But if you rely on a fly reel to pull the fish in look to spend $48 on the Okuma SLV or $99 on the Reddington Crosswater with their more precise drag. The appearance of this reel is great, looks like a Ross or Lamson with a quality finish.

I honestly got this reel to use w a new 7.5 foot 4 weight Diamondback rod I got on clearance. I got it on a dare after me and a fishing buddy were talking ”my Croch jokes”. So I ordered it expecting 25$ of jokes out of a 19$ reel. I got it in today and am pleasantly surprised. Cranked the drag all the way up and am betting I have 15-20 # of drag. And the drag seems to be incremental and not “all or nothing”. Pleasantly surprised and was planning on using the 3/4 Croch on my new 4 weight but may replace my original 3 weight bass pro reel for my sweet little 6.5 foot White River classic rod. A little small for a true 4 weight unless Euro nymphing Anodizing/coating of the parts is a little marginal but, I think I’m going to be ordering a 5/6 and probably a 7/8 weight reel for back-up. Me and the wife were supposed to be fishing the Kamchatka Peninsula in 2020 and then last year, which got extended to 2022, and then 2023—and now 2024. We are now going to fish Alaska w the Russian thing going on. Kamchatka is looking like it won’t happen. If anyone wants a great outfitter, The Fly Shop has never disappointed. We have booked several trips w them and they have been extremely flexible on our Kamchatka decisions.