# Ever seen this Pate Trout reel?



## Scrob (Aug 26, 2015)

Buddy of mine got this from a widow who's husband had an extensive collection of fly gear. About 40 years old he was told by Tibor. Mint condition, not sure if its ever been fished. He's debating whether or not to fish it on his next trout trip. Would you?


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## Brandon Alexander (Jun 6, 2017)

The reel was made to get wet. I would make dang sure I don't set it down on the rocks though 😂

It's a beauty. If he ever wants to get rid of it tell him to give me a shout!


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## Backcountry 16 (Mar 15, 2016)

Awesome find there.


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## Flyboy (Aug 26, 2019)

Yeah there was a red prototype of it on eBay a few months back


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

Fish the dam thing. That's what it made for. You think Billy would put it on a shelf


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## spc7669 (Apr 15, 2015)

I’d fish it, but treat it nice. That’s a beautiful reel.


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## Tripletail (Apr 8, 2021)

Beautiful reel, I want lol


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## flytyn (Aug 21, 2012)

Billy would take it trout fishing, so should your friend. Fish it.


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## Reed Wilson (Aug 9, 2020)

Scrob said:


> Buddy of mine got this from a widow who's husband had an extensive collection of fly gear. About 40 years old he was told by Tibor. Mint condition, not sure if its ever been fished. He's debating whether or not to fish it on his next trout trip. Would you?
> 
> View attachment 187268


Fish it. Don’t scratch it!


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## TheAdamsProject (Oct 29, 2007)

Yep. I have an all satin gold DD Trout. Been fishing it for years and will pass it along when I’m gone.


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## fatman (Nov 23, 2012)

Billy Pate Trout reels show up on ebay from time to time. Not real common, but not exactly "rare", although that may be the first all-black example I've seen. Is it direct drive or anti-reverse? A photo of the other side of the reel would be nice to see.....


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## 7665 (Jun 9, 2014)

I have a pate trout as well. Mine has a gold back. Great little reel.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

I've seen a few of them over the years...as noted they're not very common.... My Tarpon reel is exactly like that, all black with white lettering... Direct Drive, right handed.


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## Moore Lyon and Quick (Aug 26, 2015)

I've got one - it's loaded with cortland clear camo wf-7-i and 100 yards of 40lb hollow ace backing. I match it to an old TFO
TICR 6wt rod and use it for trout and reds when wind permits. Great reel - better to use it with an intermediate line if using it with 6 or 7 wt setups. An Airflo or Wulff Bermuda 6wt floater would barely fit even after removing 10' or 15' of running line.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Here's a trick that served me well over the years when i wanted to put a fly line onto a reel that was just a bit small... Instead of touching the backing, I'd just remove ten or fifteen feet - from the butt end of the fly line itself... Just think, how often are you actually casting an entire fly line - all the way to the end? I'd much rather have more backing than fly line most days... 

This way when you go back to your normal line (whatever that is....) your backing won't have changed one bit... For years I used my Pate Bonefish reel for both 9 and 10wt lines (the 10 wt lines were shortened at the butt end to fit - the 9wt lines went on stock...


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## fishnpreacher (Jul 28, 2018)

lemaymiami said:


> Here's a trick that served me well over the years when i wanted to put a fly line onto a reel that was just a bit small... Instead of touching the backing, I'd just remove ten or fifteen feet - from the butt end of the fly line itself... Just think, how often are you actually casting an entire fly line - all the way to the end? I'd much rather have more backing than fly line most days...
> 
> This way when you go back to your normal line (whatever that is....) your backing won't have changed one bit... For years I used my Pate Bonefish reel for both 9 and 10wt lines (the 10 wt lines were shortened at the butt end to fit - the 9wt lines went on stock...


I've got a Bill Ballan trout reel with a 5wt DT line on it....actually half a line. With backing, there was only enough room for half a line, so I bought a DT and cut it in half. I have the unused half in my reel bag ready to go. The vast majority of trout reels never see the back half of a line.


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## flytyn (Aug 21, 2012)

View attachment 187334

[/QUOTE]

Schweet.


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## Scrob (Aug 26, 2015)

lemaymiami said:


> Here's a trick that served me well over the years when i wanted to put a fly line onto a reel that was just a bit small... Instead of touching the backing, I'd just remove ten or fifteen feet - from the butt end of the fly line itself... Just think, how often are you actually casting an entire fly line - all the way to the end? I'd much rather have more backing than fly line most days...
> 
> This way when you go back to your normal line (whatever that is....) your backing won't have changed one bit... For years I used my Pate Bonefish reel for both 9 and 10wt lines (the 10 wt lines were shortened at the butt end to fit - the 9wt lines went on stock...


Great suggestion Bob; thanks


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## jonny (May 1, 2007)

permitchaser said:


> Fish the dam thing. That's what it made for. You think Billy would put it on a shelf


Billy was born extremely wealthy. That’s why he was able to pay those guides to fish damn near ever day. So what he would do is different than most.


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## ikankecil (Jan 14, 2022)

I owned a Pate Trout at the same time that I had the Tibor Freestone. Neat reels to bookend a collection or fish, much like the small end of the Abel "Big Game" series in sizes 0, .5, etc.


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## MRichardson (May 27, 2010)

I had one, it was stolen. Mine was black/gold and I had it on a T&T 6wt. Miss that combo to this day.


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## The Fin (Sep 28, 2021)

Scrob said:


> Buddy of mine got this from a widow who's husband had an extensive collection of fly gear. About 40 years old he was told by Tibor. Mint condition, not sure if its ever been fished. He's debating whether or not to fish it on his next trout trip. Would you?
> 
> View attachment 187268


Looks like a Chinese counterfeit! You can send it to me for verification!😉😉😉


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Every reel Teddy made (the machinist who's company was called Tibor...) great reels - Billy Pate was the tarpon angler who needed someone to make a reel for him - all those years ago... From the first it was just "done right" - and until those modern CNC reels came along it was the tops (along with Fin Nor and Seamaster).... After I'm gone someone will get the two I own (a Tarpon and a Bonefish model) and have a reel that will last for their lifetimes as well...


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