Crofoot Twin Spool Fly Reel

I was in Central Oregon back in May trout fishing with my son, Mason. We met Gary Lewis, of Gary Lewis Outdoors, - author, journalist and T.V. producer for outdoor sports.  I have been fishing and hunting all over the world with Gary for twenty years and always enjoy his company.  He graciously hosted us for an excellent trout fishing trip all around Central Oregon which I wrote about in an earlier blog. 

While on this trip I borrowed a reel from Gary that I used with my Orvis 4wgt rod.  The reel is made by Jim Crofoot of JC Technologies, Inc. which is a small company in Central Oregon.  This reel is an interesting piece of machinery.  It is a twin spool fly reel that can hold two fly lines at the same time.  He calls this reel the “Trout Special”.  If you use one of the ultra-thin backings that are on the market today you can get 75 to 100 yards of 15lb to 20lb backing on both sides of the reel and have enough room for 90ft of 7wgt or less floating line. 

While in Oregon I loaded it with 4wgt line and used it while fishing for trout, it performed flawlessly.  The 6061 aluminum spools are lathed from solid stock and anodized.  It has a 304 stainless steel housing formed from one piece.  6061 aluminum anodized tension control handles and handle shaft. The Trout Special weighs 5.8 oz.  It comes with velcro line holders to keep the line secure for the spool not in use.

It has a compression drag that has a stationary series of curved discs that do not rotate or spin and is compressed against a non-movable brass fixture.  The compression drag operates in both directions so it can be used either right or left handed.  The tension control tightens clockwise and when backed all the way off, the spool spins free.  You can also use the drag on the outer rim by using hand pressure which automatically overrides the compression drag.

It has an open spool so the line can come off just like a spinning reel.  There are multiple configurations that can be used.  Some use monofilament line on one spool to fish deep with a sinking fly and a fly line on the other spool.  Others use two different floating lines, some two sinking lines, more commonly is having it loaded with one floating and one sinking of the same weight. 

I was impressed with this reel when I used it in Oregon and when I got back home from Oregon, I ordered one from Gary.  I loaded it with 5wt line, WF floating on one side and a sink tip on the other and I use it with my 5wgt bamboo rod.  He has a few in inventory with his logo engraved on the reels.  It is my understanding that he may be the only one with any inventory right now and he only has half a dozen of them.  These are high quality, low production pieces made in Central Oregon.  If you are interested let me know and I can put you in touch with Gary or you can find his contact information at www.garylewisoutdoors.com