3D Fly Reels

Courtesy of on one of the pre production reels....way gnarly.

Precision bearings, seals and counterweights have arrived! This is enough to build 200 reels - and cost a pretty penny for sure. I will move towards opening up general orders for Big Sur sometime in the next two weeks.

Not everything in a 3D printed fly reel can or should be 3d Printed. Not if it is going to be for realsies. I use 5 critical custom machined parts in stainless steel, Delrin and Anodized Aluminum.

I just received enough of these to build 50 Big Surs. I still need to receive all the hardware (screws, nuts, bearing, seals etc) but inching closer to starting production.

Pre-production reels are done and shipped. It was thanks to those orders that I had the funds to purchase these parts.

I will be dropping a listing for Nine Big Sur Pre-Production Special Edition Reels at some point over the next week. I have a list of interested parties that I will be giving advanced warning via DM. Everybody else will find out via IG post AFTER the listing is live. So if you haven't asked to be on the list yet...well you know what to do.

These special editions will be $240 and will come with "X of 9" printed inside, your name or phrase printed on the face if you want it, more color customization than will be allowed in production and a display stand.

This size of Big Sur is a 5/6/7 and:
- Weighs 6 Oz
- 200 yards 20lb Dacron with 5 WT line
- 175 yards 20lb Dacron with 6 WT line
- 150 yards 20lb Dacron with 7 WT line
- The same killer lubricated cork/Teflon disk drag as El Capitan
- Improved drag sealing
- Outgoing clicker
- Floats!!!!
- Printed using durable high temperature plastics
- Extensive use of stainless steel and Anodized machined aluminum where plastic just won't get it done
- Ultra smooth precision bearings
- Crazy range of color availability

I originally designed this version of Big Sur as a 4/5/6. The BETA units shipped in that config with a large arbor spool and backing capacity to match.

Buuuuttt...it's kind of a silly mismatch. With the same drag as El Capitan the end result was a reel speed down to 4 weight easily capable of landing 30+lb carp 🤣. I had actually landed a 23 on it myself!

Also, this thing balances very nicely on lighter 7WTs such as the Helios pictured.

Sooo.....I redesigned the spool to be a bit more mid-arbor and will reposition it as a 5/6/7. Future Big Sur sizes will be 3/4/5 and 7/8/9. Bigger than that will be a completely different model penciled in as "Catalina".

Look back in my feed and two years ago you will find nearly the exact same photo from the last carp fest. Different year and an early prototype of Big Sur, but same team, same number of fish, same place - but most importantly same great time. Thanks for putting up with the absent professor .tiki and thanks for a great event

Always next year!

Printer technology has advanced significantly. I can now do multi-color custom graphics and text.

I am not sure how far I can and should go down the customization path, but at a minimum one-off special editions are so much easier now.

This one will be a rifle item to benefit at this weekend's Carp Fest in Kern.

Big Sur IS happening. First BETAS coming off the bench and showing up on the water this weekend. They are exceeding all of my wildest expectations. Lighter, better quality, better durability, better water proofing. You name it. Well, graphics may need a lil love ...?

I am considering the following to generate seed money for launch:

1). Take Pre-Orders
2). Reduce the number of BETAS from 15 to 8 and instead sell about 7 of them as pre production special editions.

Would anybody be interested?

Serviced an OG El Hefe today. Has to be 5 years old?

Nothing was wrong, it had just found a new home who wanted to have it checked out.

This reel had been used pretty hard (good) and the frame shows it - but all the mechanicals were still operating tip top! Ain't gonna lie, that is intensely satisfying. Gave it a little clean and re-grease, updated to an Aluminum stripping guide and used a scotch-bright to knock down some rough edges.

Big Sur is to Magnum as El Capitan was to Blue Steel.

It will happen. I promise.

This is the new drag cartridge - optimized for new multi-color print capabilities, weight, ease of assembly and most importantly an all new sealing mechanism to keep that drag high and dry for the life of the reel.

Second thing I gotta do as part of relaunching is rediscover the passion.

As part of that I have caught more carp over the past month than in the previous two years ... But y'all have seen waaaaay too many pictures of me holding carp. Boooooring.

Instead check out with his first carp - a gorgeous specimen giving us the fin ... with El Capitan making an appearance in the background. Well done sir.

Besides the fact I contributed to another life ruined (just say no to carp addiction) this picture made my day.

Passion rediscovered - check

First thing we gotta do before we can relaunch La Nina is get caught up on some El Capitan / El Hefe repairs and spool orders. Solid progress.

The grey part on that El Hefe spools is the first 3dflyreels production part of of my new printer. HUGE improvement and the El Hefe aesthetic (which many prefer) is much much more practical to produce now.

So....Im back. Man...I have a crapload of messages to catch up on. It's a little...allot...intimidating. Many just wondering where I am at and if I am Ok. Quite a few wanting to know if I am still making reels. And a painfull few wondering why I haven't followed up on prior commitments. That one really sucks. Nobody owns me - but commitments are commitments.

So here is the dealio. Over the last couple years I have been through some s**t. And believe me, compared to many, (maybe even you), what I consider going through s**t is no big deal maybe. Doesn't matter if it is or isn't. It's my s**t and I own it. Bottom line is when I launched La Nina last spring on top of some warranty and refurb work while trying to work through my issues, well it melted me down. 3dflyreels was suddenly adding to my problems rather than providing relief. And suddenly I couldn't cope. So I blew off a message. Then a commitment. Then another. Eventually every time I would get a new alert from IG ... It was like my mind would blank it out because I couldn't deal.

Well life has improved. And I miss 3dflyreels desperately. I love my product. I love that others use it and value it and send me pictures of big fish (and little fish) with huge smiles. I love that I took a stupid idea (seriously performance 3d printed fly reels was an idiotic idea) and made it work.

So here is the state of the union. I am basically out of some machined parts for El Hefe and El Capitan. I have a limited supply, but I am holding them back for refurbishments and getting more is impractical.

I have enough parts to build 15 Big Sur Betas. (i.e. advanced prototypes). I plan to get those out this Spring/Summer. Big Sur will replace El Hefe / El Capitan. Its way lighter and easier to make. Which hopefully means it doesn't burn me out.

I also have parts (or can easily get parts) for at least 70 La Ninas.

So there it is. An explanation. As for the apology - for anybody I blew off I apologize. Inexcusable. I will be catching up on messages over the next ~month and will do my best to fulfill all commitments.