wAVE fISHING rEEL

[Ted48]

Has anyone had any experience with these reels. do they really work as advertised, What line is best preforming. Looking for an ultra lite, do they make one, I have heard they are a little heavy. thanks in advance for any info you can provide, Ted 48

[Wannabe...]

I think you're going to find that the lack of response here on the Wave Reel should indicate the answer to your question. They've been out for 3 to 5 years and not many have tried them. I have not, but it looks awful gimmicky to me. On the other hand, if it were the best thing since sliced bread as advertised, the technology should have taken hold and taken over by now.

Wannabe...

[NeonMoon]

I don't have any experience with them, but just offering an option for opinions. I'll generally look it up on Amazon, Cabelas, etc., and read the reviews. Amazon didn't have many, but Cabelas has 58 reviews, giving it a 4.3 out of 5. Cabela's: WaveSpin Spinning Reels

[huntinslabs]

I have not tried em, but just about everything with Doug Hannon involved has been a gimmick in my opinion.

[split handle]

There isn't an ultralight in the WaveSpin lineup if you're thinking reel weight; the lightest reel is 8+ ounces. I have the DHxL. which is UL in spool size but over 8 ounces. I bought it after a particularly frustrating trip with lots of loops over the spool lip of a mainstream spinning reel, some of which I patiently fixed and some of which I recklessly ignored and then cussed my way through unpicking the resulting bird nests. I will say this for the WaveSpin: the one time I used it, I had none of those annoying loops, and I will use it again. But most of the time, when I am fishing with an ultralight rod, I want to use the lightest reel with it that will do the job, and I tolerate some annoyances as a tradeoff. If I can train myself to close bails by hand and then pull the line tight every time, I probably won't need the heavy WaveSpin again.

[GRIZZ]

Strangely enough, I have been using Wavespins now for about 5 months. I have been planning on doing a review of all Doug Hannon rods and reels, but have been too busy to do it. I do have a wealth of info to share though. First to dispel some rumors. These are not gimmicky cheap reels. Gimmick reels are fall apart sales schemes. These reels are certainly not that. I must admit that I had that same opinion until I got one in my hand and used it. The reels are solid, well built, smooth, durable, and have some of the most interesting and effective innovations of any reel on the market. I personally have 4 of them in a variety of models and sizes. Another rumor is that they are heavier than other reels. If you compare equally sized and priced reels you will find these reels to be very similar in weight. They are not lighter or heavier in any dramatic way that other reels in their size and class.

I still plan on writing a complete review of 3 different reels, the MicroWave spinning rod, and Doug Hannon himself, so I won't spill all the beans here, but for the purposes of this question take my word for it. These are not bad reels. The Wavespin spools work. You will have far fewer rats nests from loops pulling out, and these reels cast further than traditionally styled spool. You will still get loops mind you, but the design of the reel will keep the loops from being pulled out of the spool and causing rats nests. You will simply cast over the loops until you cast further than where the loop is and pull it out without yanking out a rats nest or you can pull the line off the spool until you get to the loop and pull it free without making knots or nests. It really does work, and it works well. One thing the spool does not help with are wind knots with are different than loop generated rats nests.

OK, now for the negatives. These are not the most sophisticated designed reels apart from the obvious innovations. I'm not saying they are bad. I'm just saying that there are more mature reels out there. That being said, right now you can get a wavespin ZTR 1500 from cabelas for only $40. Dollar for dollar you will never regret the $40 you spend on this reel and if you have problems with loops, this reels will certainly solve your problem, and will serve you well. There are very very few reels that are better in the $40 price range, and none can match it's features at any price. This will make an excellent crappie fishing reel.

Advice - Don't use these reels in salt unless you really know how to maintain reels, as in total diss-assembly, cleaning, lubricating, and reassembly. If one of these reels gets splashed or dunked in salt it will be unusable inside an hour, but totally recoverable with a good cleaning and relube. You have to keep in mind what price range these reels are in. $47 - $97, because they seem like more expensive reels, but they are not. These are not expensive reels, but they have completely unique innovations and are very well built. If you compare them to $120 - $250 reels they will obviously fall short as would any reel in it's price range, but compared with other reels in those price ranges they will match or exceed most of them.

[GRIZZ]

I'm going to add a couple more things about Doug Hannon himself. In the process of learning about his gear I have spent about 10-12 hours in face to face conversation with Doug himself. He lives about a half hour from where I now live in FL. I'll bet that nearly everyone on this board is, in one way or another, using something for fishing that is a Doug Hannon invention. A couple of examples. If you use a trolling motor, your using a Doug Hannon invention. The weedless trolling motor prop. At his home I saw and handled the original hand built prototypes, along with some other innovations that should absolutely come to market, but never will. If you have ever used a Quantum spinning reel you know that they have the best bail trip mechanism of any spinning reel in existence. The magnetic bail trip. A quantum exclusive I wish every reel could have which is another Doug Hannon invention.

The time I spent talking with him I found him to be fascinating and brilliant. This is a man who is misunderstood because of the nature of the type of advertising he has chosen to sell some of his products. He deserves a little respect and appreciation for what he has added to the fishing world we love so much. Like many brilliant, non traditional people Doug can be a little difficult to take in large doses. I think I got brain fry after every time I spoke to him, but he's a great guy and I look forward to the next brain frazzling conversation we have. Doug if you read this, sorry, but you know I speak the truth. I believe that if more people knew Doug as well as I do now, that they would take a much more serious look at any product that comes from that creative mind. I wish I could have taken a picture of his workshop to post here. It's quit a sight.

[chucktx]

never met the man, but have admired him for many, many years..............

[huntinslabs]

I stand corrected then Griz. I always thought of him as the Billy mays of fishing. Guess it is just his marketing strategy. I do know that he has a wealth of fishing knowledge on Bass, but thought he was just a pitch man for companies.

[GRIZZ]

Something funny I just remembered about Dougs house. He was explaining the invention of the magnetic bail trip and mentioned that his wife used to complain about the front door never closing right. Doug incorporated the magnet bail trip idea into the wood of the door and when you close it now the door gets close then, snap, it shuts itself tight. I have seen cabinet doors that do that but never house doors.