waterworks / lamson 2011
Transform The Greek philosopher Heraclitus understood . . . as does every single fly fisherman alive, that you can’t step into
the same river twice. Everything changes, everything is in constant motion and transformation. Except, it seems, the Waterworks ULA Force LT reel. For 14 straight years it has been the bearer of what we consider the Holy Grail of fly reels: The near perfect balance between physical weight, ultra-high retrieve rate, drag torque consistency and
vanquish
4
ula saltwater / spey
6
ula force sl
7
lamson litespeed
8
lamson velocity
9
lamson guru
10
lamson konic
11
specifications
12
smoothness, and maintenance-free function. These performance virtues were achieved by intense design study – which resulted in things like integrating the counterbalance into the structure, inventing a new type of drag system, using advanced materials and state of the art machining techniques, creating a new way to store line, and a new type of frame. Alas, the “state of the art” in manufacturing is always a moving target. And we listened to our customers: The frame could be a little stiffer. Ergonomics could be improved. The reel is a little fragile. So what does one do to take a whisp of a reel and make it stiffer, stronger, more robust and easier to use without adding weight? The answer is you re-think everything, including the things one vainly believes are perfect, because nothing ever is. Take each good idea and make it better. Move material around without adding any. Take a tiny bit away where it isn’t needed. The results? The Force LT is now the Force SL, “Super- Light.” The frame and spool are stiffer, stronger and tougher in every way. The drag knob is more user friendly, the handle a little longer; the reel sits, Vanquish style, closer to the rod axis for smoother casting. And yes, we actually reduced the total mass [of the F3] from 3.8 ounces to 3.3 ounces in the process. Well . . . one should expect 14 years of thinking about a thing so simple ought to amount to something. Mark Farris Ketchum, Idaho
Catalog photography by Mark Farris and Trina Benson Post production by Elizibeth Belts Kauffman Front & Back Cover shots by Trina Benson Special thanks to James Taft for the use of his lovely handcrafted driftboat Classic Valco “The Alumonster” canoe courtesy of Charles Lindsay Classic Necky kayaks courtesy of Mark Farris
vanquish To support this kind of torque, a new, much stiffer frame was created — one that transmits extreme loads with a simple, efficient and graceful structure. Vanquish 12 and 10 reels are available in a “closed face” version for those anglers who prefer only small porting on a rotating spool. (LT spool version shown in left image; closed face version shown on right.) Other innovative Vanquish features include: > an integrated foot/frame which, while stronger than a traditional fastened-on foot, also raises the center of mass of the reel, improving casting ease and accuracy > machined-from-solid, modular stainless stripping arm on V12 and V10 > our proprietary “Hard Alox” finish > large, ergonomic, self lubricating no-slip handle > tandem roller clutch transmits higher torque and provides redundancy > Fully sealed, zero maintenance drag components As the name implies, we created the Vanquish reel with just one thing in mind – total victory. And as the “form follows function” zealots we are, it all starts with the
format Large Arbor materials Machined 6061 aluminum finish Hard Alox™ weight 3.80 oz / 5-6 wt
world’s smoothest, and now much larger and more powerful drag system. Delivering twice the torque of our previous salt water design, the Waterworks conical drag generates no stick-slip even at the line-snapping rates required by blue water anglers.
ula force saltwater / spey
format Ultra Large Arbor materials Aluminum & 17-4 stainless steel finish Hard Alox™ weight 6.80 oz / 8 wt
Force FS reels are built for speed. If fast fish in big water is the order, then this is your reel. With its extreme diameter, an F4 will haul in about a foot of line every turn (if loaded to capacity), which means most anglers can reel line faster than they can strip it. All FS reels employ a scaled-up version of our fully sealed conical drag to produce tarpon stopping torque with the silk-smooth feel of our best trout reel.
waterworks force SL
With the same physical dimensions as its predecessor, the frame and spool of the new Force SL (Super-Light) carry on with echoes of the iconic LT styling, but have evolved into a combination of subtle space-frame and complex CNC carved cross sections that make the SL more ridged, more rugged, yet as the name implies, even lighter. The Vanquishstyle integrated foot/frame raises the center of mass making casting smoother and contributes to both a reduction in weight and greater rigidity. The high-grip drag knob makes fine-tuning the world’s smoothest drag system even easier.
format Ultra Large Arbor materials Aluminum & 17-4 stainless steel finish Hard Alox™ weight 2.85 oz / 4-5 wt
lamson litespeed
Not long ago we introduced a Limited Edition Series 1 Litespeed with great success. With more extensive frame and spool porting, the Litespeed Hard Alox is based on the Series 1 development. Lighter without sacrificing strength, the Litespeed Hard Alox
comes in a close second to a corresponding Force reel in terms of retrieve rate and weight, and each shares our patented maintenance-free, super smooth conical drag.
lamson velocity
format True Large Arbor materials Aluminum, 17-4 & 303 stainless steel finish Hard Alox™ weight 3.80 oz / 5-6 wt
Velocity: Only the name remains the same. Totally redesigned and machined using a unique, “3 plane” pocket milling technique, every aspect of performance, strength-to-weight ratio, line pick-up speed and storage has been improved. And as is often the case, the distinctive new engineered “truss” wall structures give Velocity a personality all its own. Bigger, faster, lighter and stronger.
format Large Arbor materials Machined 6061 aluminum finish Hard Alox™ weight 4.20 oz / 5-6 wt
lamson guru
format Large Arbor materials Machined 6061 aluminum finish Clear Type 2 weight 4.90 oz / 5-6 wt
10
Newly introduced in 2009, Guru entered the Lamson family as our lowest-priced fully machined reel. The signature arm-style element on the frame combines with open spokes to maximize structural strength and minimize weight. As with our other reels, Guru features true large arbor ratios. Guru is available in 4 weight through 10 weight, and shares identical drag design and components with our most expensive reels. Guru is finished with a clear type 2 anodize.
lamson konic
format Large Arbor materials Aluminum, 17-4 super alloy & 304 stainless steel finish Anodize / Polyurethane weight 4.70 oz / 5-6 wt
Konic delivers smart design and high performance in Lamson’s most affordable reel. The same, super-smooth, fully sealed conical drag system and stainless roller clutch sed in our more expensive reels are matched with machined components and pressure cast ALDC12 aluminum alloy spool and frame. Konic is anodized then finished with a 100% solid polyurethane coating to resist gouging and abrasion. Affordable reels just got a whole lot better.
11
specifications rod wt line capacity
$/REEL $/SPOOL
ANQUISH 4.5 LT* V VANQUISH 5.6 LT* VANQUISH 7.8 LT* VANQUISH 8 LT* VANQUISH 10 LT* VANQUISH 10 VANQUISH 12 LT* VANQUISH 12
3.3" 3.5" 3.8" 4.1" 4.5 4.5" 4.7 4.7"
1.25" 1.25" 1.375" 1.5" 1.5 1.5" 1.5 1.5"
3.50 oz 3.80 oz 5.10 oz 7.30 oz 10.10 oz 10.70 oz 10.70 oz 11.10 oz
4,5 5,6 7,8 8 10 10 12 12
WF 4 WF 6 WF 7 WF8 WF10 WF10 WF12 WF12
100 yds 20# 100 yds 20# 150 yds 20# 220 yds 20# 220 yds 30# 220 yds 30# 175 yds 30# 325 yds 30#
$549 $599 $699 $799 $849 $849 $899 $899
$249 $269 $299 $359 $379 $379 $399 $399
ULA PURIST 1 ULA PURIST 2 ULA FORCE 2 SL ULA FORCE 2X SL ULA FORCE 3 SL ULA FORCE 3X SL
3.00" 3.25" 2.85" 2.85" 3.25" 3.25"
1.10" 1.15" 1.15" 1.15" 1.25" 1.25"
2.70 oz 2.90 oz 2.85 oz 2.95 oz 3.30 oz 3.40 oz
2,3,4 4,5 4,5 5,6 5,6,7 7,8
WF3 WF4 WF4 WF6 WF7 WF8
75 yds 12# 75 yds 20# 75 yds 20# 100 yds 20# 100 yds 20# 150 yds 20#
$329 $339 $409 $419 $449 $459
$159 $169 $179 $189 $199 $209
model dia width weight
ALTWATER / SPEY S ULA FORCE 3.3 3.75" 1.50" 6.80 oz 8 WF8 200 yds 20# $529 ULA FORCE 3.4 4.00" 1.50" 8.00 oz 8,9 WF9 220 yds 20# $559 ULA FORCE 3.5 4.25" 1.50" 8.40 oz 9,10 WF10 250 yds 20# $599 8,9,10 windcutter spey 200 yds 20# ULA FORCE 4 4.75" 1.50" 10.40 oz 11,12 WF12 300 yds 30# $639 10,11,12 windcutter spey 200 yds 30#
offered in one fantastic finish only — a proprietary combination of alloy selection, mechanical preparation and conversion coating we are dubbing “Hard Alox.” The term “Hard Alox” is taken from the anodizing process itself, wherein the aluminum surface is converted to aluminum oxide.
$289
porosity our Hard Alox finish sets a new standard for
3.00" 3.25" 3.50" 3.75" 3.75" 4.00" 4.00" 4.50"
1.10" 3.20 oz 1,2,3 1.10" 3.50 oz 3,4,5 1.10" 3.80 oz 4,5,6 1.25" 5.10 oz 6,7,8 1.25" 4.90 oz 8 1.38" 5.90 oz 8,9 1.38" 5.50 oz 9 1.50" 9.00 oz 10,11
WF3 WF4 WF6 WF7 WF8 WF9 WF9 WF10
75 yds 12# 100 yds 20# 100 yds 20# 150 yds 20# 225 yds 20# 200 yds 20# 250 yds 30# 250 yds 30#
$279 $289 $299 $339 $349 $359 $369 $419
$130 $135 $140 $155 $160 $165 $170 $195
VELOCITY 1 VELOCITY 1.5 VELOCITY 2 VELOCITY 3 VELOCITY 3X VELOCITY 3.5 VELOCITY 3.5X VELOCITY 4
3.15" 3.15" 3.30" 3.63" 3.63" 3.85" 3.85" 4.25"
1.10" 1.10" 1.10" 1.25" 1.25" 1.38" 1.38" 1.50"
4.00 oz 1,2,3 4.00 oz 3,4,5 4.20 oz 5,6 5.10 oz 7,8 5.10 oz 8 5.90 oz 8,9 5.90 oz 9 7.10 oz 10,11
WF3 WF4 WF6 WF7 WF8 WF9 WF9 WF10
75 yds 12# 100 yds 20# 100 yds 20# 150 yds 20# 225 yds 20# 200 yds 20# 250 yds 30# 250 yds 30#
$229 $239 $249 $269 $279 $299 $309 $339
$100 $105 $110 $125 $130 $135 $140 $155
GURU 1.5 GURU 2 GURU 3 GURU 3.5 GURU 4
3.15" 3.30" 3.63" 3.75" 4.25"
1.10" 1.10" 1.25" 1.38" 1.50"
4.70 oz 4.90 oz 5.50 oz 6.20 oz 7.30 oz
WF4 WF6 WF7 WF9 WF10
100 yds 20# 100 yds 20# 150 yds 20# 200 yds 20# 250 yds 30#
$179 $189 $199 $229 $249
$75 $80 $90 $105 $115
KONIC 1.5 KONIC 2 KONIC 3.5 KONIC 4
3.10" 3.40" 3.70" 3.90"
1.00" 1.10" 1.22" 1.25"
4.40 oz 3,4 4.70 oz 5,6 6.10 oz 7,8 6.80 oz 9,10
WF4 WF6 WF8 WF10
100 yds 12# 100 yds 20# 200 yds 20# 240 yds 30#
$119 $129 $139 $149
$60 $65 $70 $75
hard alox™ All of our premium reels are
$239 $249 $269
LITESPEED 1 LITESPEED 1.5 LITESPEED 2 LITESPEED 3 LITESPEED 3X LITESPEED 3.5 LITESPEED 3.5X LITESPEED 4
3,4,5 5,6 7,8 8,9 10,11
PO Box 2367 Ketchum, ID 83340 208.726.1513 800.435.9374 www.waterworks-lamson.com info@waterworks-lamson.com
“LT” suffix on Vanquish denotes lighter, open-spoke spool
By increasing coating thickness and reducing toughness. Ask a dealer for a demonstration, and be prepared to be impressed.
CLUTCH The Waterworks-Lamson brands employ a fully STAINLESS STEEL zero-lash roller clutch. This mechanism relies on the locking effect of a number of ramps and rollers to achieve torque transmission. There are no “teeth” or “steps” to break off or wear out. The zero-lash feature means instant engagement, improving feel and eliminating “spike” that the reel, line and leader experience when a typical pawl clutch hooks up.
Slim Farris