inline reel

[Anglinarcher]

First use/impression of my new Piscifun ICX Carbon Ice Fishing Reel.  I like it!  ?

The trigger – the trigger is a 2-position trigger.  You can push it forward and the reel will free spool continuously until you pull it back or turn the hand crank.  You can pull it back and the reel will free spool until you release the trigger.  This gives me slightly better control of the free spooling function of the drop.  On the negative side, the trigger is I little more upright and further back than the trigger on my Ghost reels and don’t feel as comfortable to use as the Ghost trigger.  That may change with continued use, but for now it just seems a little awkward. 

The drag – I didn’t catch any fish large enough to engage the drag.  It appears to be fairly smooth by just pulling out the line by hand.

Free fall control – there is a control knob on the side of the reel that will adjust the spacing of 7, small magnets on the inside of the reel in relationship to the spool.  It allows me to adjust the free fall speed for individual lure weights.  This is a nice feature IMHO.  Yes, magnets don’t work on aluminum.  Unless either one is moving – as in the spool turning in free fall.  Google it.

Line tangles – one of the main complaints of in-line reels is the possibility of the smaller diameter lines to escape the reel through a small gap between the spool and the frame of the reel.  I have found this to be more of a problem with the Eagle Claw reels than with the Fish 13 reels; but that’s just my experience.  With the Piscifun reels, there is a small, square window in the frame that the line goes through.  I think this feature will greatly reduce the possibility of this happening.  But only time will tell for sure.



Line freeze – same as with any reel.  If you fish out in the open and it is below freezing, then you will have to contend with line freeze on the spool making it necessary to pull the line off the reel by hand for drops unless your lure weight is large enough to overcome the freeze tension.  Inside a shelter; no problem.

Hand crank – zero backward play.

I think this reel is a keeper.  It will replace my Ghost reels as my primary perch reels.  The Ghost reels will now be used on my trout rods on my Jigging Jaw Jacker.

I checked into this one before I got 2 Ghost XLs that have the windows and similar drag.  Yours is smaller and that would be nice.  The negative reviews for the trigger being way to the wrong side and that spooked me.  How comfortable is the handle for you?