Pflueger Patriach gets a "Good" Review 2025

Micro reply :

Actually, under TT's scoring system, the reel did very well.

http://tackletour.com/reviewpfluegerpatriarch.html

For those of you who haven't tried a Pflueger, I will say it's got one of the best brakes I've ever tried. I had a Johnny Morris Elite reel with the same brake and it is the only one I could set so that once I took my thumb off the spool at the beginning of the cast, I didn't really have to use it again. I got super long casts and the best brake controlability of any reel I've ever tried (to include Revos and Curados).

Nice looking reel, too, the Patriach.

The Rooster reply :

I'm not surprised....it's Pflueger!!! I'm able to do that same thing with my BPS Extreme and the ITB brake system it has too (made by Pflueger). I hardly touch the spool during cast, only just before the lure hits the water. Gotta love Pflueger!! That Patriarch is loaded with bearings and is ALL aluminum, sideplates and all. If I were to spend $200 on a reel, that would be the one!!!

Big Tom reply :

I have been looking at these non stop since the first time I ever saw them which was probably about 9 or 10 months ago. In my opinion, they are just about as pretty a reel as I have ever seen.

I am for sure picking one of these up pretty soon.

burleytog reply :

$200 for a Flooger?

Tin reply :

Quote
$200 for a Flooger?

Especially when the E7 is only $160.

Big Tom reply :

(They aren't that much on our friendly popular auction site).

Bassyak reply :

Concur...I got mine for just a shade over $150...and worth every penny. Smooth as butter and pretty as a prom queen. Pflueger makes some nice stuff.

Muddy reply :

My next big investment MICRO! Let those She Man OH guys laugh all they want, these are good reels and will stand up with any other weel made reel in it's class. Label Status does not make anyone a better or worse fisherman, although the tackle guys will tell you otherwise.

cart7t reply :

I pulled the palm plate off my Johnny Morris JMX10HC too see if it compared to the Patriarch, close but not the same.

The Shimano guys laugh but they have no idea just how good this dual braking system is. It's virtually a thumb free way to cast.

I've also found the titanium finish is quite comfortable for an entire day of fishing. I'm seriously considering changing out my Revo's for either this reel or more of the Johnny Morris reels. I like them that much.

Boogey Man reply :

In Tackle Tour's conclusion of the review it say's it comes in a narrow and wide spool version. Has anybody found the narrow spool version? I've only seen the wide spool.

Joe Boss reply :

I would love to get one, it is one of the best looking reels I have seen. Pure eye candy with the guts to match its exterior looks. I love the titanium finish it looks so much better than that hideous blue green Johnny Morris reel.

Daniel My Brother reply :

Does the President baitcaster come with the same dual braking system?

Muddy reply :

No. The Trion, Assaro.Purist and President have centrifical

The Dual system is on the

Eschelon

Summit

Supreme

Patriarch

I relly prefer the centrifugal brakes over the dual, I t may be the one thing that keeps me with the Trions

Speed Worm reply :

I would not pay more than 20 bucks for a pflueger ...

Daniel My Brother reply :

Quote
I would not pay more than 20 bucks for a pflueger ...

Good. More for us.

Pencil Pusher reply :

The Echelon has Magnetic only, not the dual system.

adclem reply :

Isn't this basically the same reel as the Johnny Morris only with slight differences?

I recently(no laughing) just switched from using Shimano to the Supreme and a Johnny Morris Signature reel and I have a question, since I have only ever used the Shimano centrifugal braking system how do I go about setting the magnetic brake on these reels. Right now I have it at 0 and my thumb is doing all the work. But I keep reading that this system pretty much eliminates the need for so much thumbing.

Thanks,

Muddy reply :

Quote
I would not pay more than 20 bucks for a pflueger ...

What is your experience using them?

What models have you used?

What reels are you comparing them too, THAT YOU HAVE ACTUALLY

USED?

I bet that the answer to at least 2 of those questions is I don't kno or NO.

Raul reply :

Quote

how do I go about setting the magnetic brake on these reels.

You use the dial.

Joe Boss reply :

Quote
I would not pay more than 20 bucks for a pflueger ...

Pflueger has come a long way, they put out a quality product at a great price.

Speed Worm reply :

Quote

Quote
I would not pay more than 20 bucks for a pflueger ...

What is your experience using them?

What models have you used?

What reels are you comparing them too, THAT YOU HAVE ACTUALLY

USED?

I bet that the answer to at least 2 of those questions is I don't kno or NO.

You are right, I have not fished any top of the line Pfluegers. I have only fished trions and echelons (which I dont own, but a friend does) and they are pretty mediocre IMHO. I dont know how patriarchs perform.

Grey Wolf reply :

Quote

Quote

Quote
I would not pay more than 20 bucks for a pflueger ...

What is your experience using them?

What models have you used?

What reels are you comparing them too, THAT YOU HAVE ACTUALLY

USED?

I bet that the answer to at least 2 of those questions is I don't kno or NO.

You are right, I have not fished any top of the line Pfluegers. I have only fished trions and echelons (which I dont own, but a friend does) and they are pretty mediocre IMHO. I dont know how patriarchs perform.

Sometimes it's best to say nothing until you know what you're talking about. All of the major companies have quality equipment even Pflueger.

Muddy reply :

Quote
The Echelon has Magnetic only, not the dual system.

Yea Your right, I was trying to line them up in my old head!

The Eschelons have some kind of gimmicky magnetic brake, if it didn't i would actually consider it a much better reel.

adclem reply :

Quote

Quote

how do I go about setting the magnetic brake on these reels.

You use the dial.

Your kidding right!lol What I mean by that is do you set it around 5 or so and then just start adjusting from there? If I understand correctly you want the magnetic brakes slow down the spool as the lure is coming to the end of the cast, correct?

Thanks,

MSPbass reply :

Yeah, at the end, but you really need to play with it man. Set your cent. brakes and spool tension knob the way you normally would, set the mag. dial to 0 and start casting. Do it on a calm day and bump it up on each cast. You'll feel the difference by the time you hit 5. For me, if it's calm, my Patriarch's on 1. If it's windy, I start on 4-5. But you need to get your own feel for the reel.

That being said, I think the TT score is a tad low. I love this reel. I'm obviously biased, but 8 for features? What do you need for a 9 or 10? The dual cast ctrl. alone should give it an 8. The 11 bearings, 6.4:1 & 7.1:1 speeds, titanium finish and soft touch knobs should only bump that up. TT gave points to other reels for things they didn't even mention on the Patriarch; like the audible drag and cast knobs. I think the ergonomics are perfect as well. It's rounder and fits in my palm perfectly. Compared to other reels, I don't even thing the price tag is that out of whack. I don't know; I guess it's perfect for me, but I won't hesitate recommending it to anyone looking for a high quality reel.

J Francho reply :

Quote
I'm obviously biased, but 8 for features?

Indexed micro adjustments on the drag and spool control knob will usually bump this value up. I don't think those are on the features list for the Patriarch.

MSPbass reply :

Quote
I don't think those are on the features list

I don't remember if it says it on the box or not, but they obviously had the thing in their hands, right? That's the kind of sweet little extra that makes this reel top shelf, all the way.

21farms reply :

Quote
Your kidding right!lol What I mean by that is do you set it around 5 or so and then just start adjusting from there? If I understand correctly you want the magnetic brakes slow down the spool as the lure is coming to the end of the cast, correct?

i have the summit (which has the same spool and UBS). it came with 4 of the 6 centrifugal brakes enabled which was just way too heavy-handed...so, i adjusted it so only two are enabled but even with the magnetic control set all the way to the zero position, the spool still stops on it own and i'm not getting the kind of distance i'm used to with my other reels. my next step is to turn all the centrifugal brakes off and see how that goes.

anyway, the other poster is correct: adjust everything else first and start with the magnetic control at zero and slowly turn it up as needed (if needed).

21farms reply :

Quote
That being said, I think the TT score is a tad low. I love this reel. I'm obviously biased, but 8 for features? What do you need for a 9 or 10? The dual cast ctrl. alone should give it an 8. The 11 bearings, 6.4:1 & 7.1:1 speeds, titanium finish and soft touch knobs should only bump that up.

i think that's about right. the revo STX got a 9 but it also has a oversized brass main gear, HPCR bearings, a carbon ceramic drag discs and titanium nitride worm gear.

J Francho reply :

Perhaps its "Flooger" stigma?

J Francho reply :

Quote

Quote
I don't think those are on the features list

I don't remember if it says it on the box or not, but they obviously had the thing in their hands, right? That's the kind of sweet little extra that makes this reel top shelf, all the way.

I see where they took points away: no lefty and extra weight. Nitpicking on a $200 reel, if you ask me, but that's what TT is all about: details.

MSPbass reply :

The Devil's in the details but Flooger stigma is rampant!

And I hear you fs. Those Revo STXs are also great reels. When I got my first Patriarch, it had actually come down to choosing between the two. I would probably be singing the praises of the STX had picked differently; but I went with the Patriarch because it's so shiny.

Micro reply :

Quote

That being said, I think the TT score is a tad low. I love this reel. I'm obviously biased, but 8 for features? What do you need for a 9 or 10? The dual cast ctrl. alone should give it an 8. The 11 bearings, 6.4:1 & 7.1:1 speeds, titanium finish and soft touch knobs should only bump that up. TT gave points to other reels for things they didn't even mention on the Patriarch; like the audible drag and cast knobs. I think the ergonomics are perfect as well. It's rounder and fits in my palm perfectly. Compared to other reels, I don't even thing the price tag is that out of whack. I don't know; I guess it's perfect for me, but I won't hesitate recommending it to anyone looking for a high quality reel.

I think it's low, too. TT's "pros" are substantial, and their "cons" are trivial. The only really significant issue is the lack of a lefty, and 7-8 lbs of drag, which I think is a wee bit low (JM Elite makes 14 lbs, I think). If the Patriach casts anything like my JM Elite reel did, then it is absolutely competive with the Abu and Shimanos in the same price range. The Partriarchs I've seen were flawless in their finishes,inside nd out. I think the reel deserved a higher score. But hey, there is no denying that site is really a mecca for the Shimano/Diawa crowd.

cart7t reply :

Quote

Quote

That being said, I think the TT score is a tad low. I love this reel. I'm obviously biased, but 8 for features? What do you need for a 9 or 10? The dual cast ctrl. alone should give it an 8. The 11 bearings, 6.4:1 & 7.1:1 speeds, titanium finish and soft touch knobs should only bump that up. TT gave points to other reels for things they didn't even mention on the Patriarch; like the audible drag and cast knobs. I think the ergonomics are perfect as well. It's rounder and fits in my palm perfectly. Compared to other reels, I don't even thing the price tag is that out of whack. I don't know; I guess it's perfect for me, but I won't hesitate recommending it to anyone looking for a high quality reel.

I think it's low, too. TT's "pros" are substantial, and their "cons" are trivial. The only really significant issue is the lack of a lefty, and 7-8 lbs of drag, which I think is a wee bit low (JM Elite makes 14 lbs, I think). If the Patriach casts anything like my JM Elite reel did, then it is absolutely competive with the Abu and Shimanos in the same price range. The Partriarchs I've seen were flawless in their finishes,inside nd out. I think the reel deserved a higher score. But hey, there is no denying that site is really a mecca for the Shimano/Diawa crowd.

After fishing this past weekend comparing the JM's and the Revo STX's I'm afraid I'm about to become a Flooger guy. There's just no comparison.

While the STX casts nicely, getting the spool tension correct along with the mag braking is touchy. By Changing lure weight or if the wind changes direction you have to readjust. The JM's aren't so critical.

I just bought a Patriarch tonight. Looks like the Revo's will be up for sale here.

fathom reply :

Quote
$200 for a Flooger?

8-)

The_Natural reply :

Just use what you like...

MSPbass reply :

That's sound advise Natural.

But cart7t, you will LOVE your Patriarch.

burleytog reply :

Quote
Just use what you like...

Where's the fun in that?

cart7t reply :

Took the Patriarchs out today for the first time.

Wow!

After a little set up the reels are superb. I have zero regrets trading the SX and STX reels in on these. I still have a couple S reels I'm keeping so I'm not completely Garcia free.

Muddy reply :

Quote
Took the Pariarchs out today for the first time.
Wow!

After a little set up the reels are superb. I have zero regrets trading the SX and STX reels in on these. I still have a couple S reels I'm keeping so I'm not completely Garcia free.

Here ya Go Cart7, so you can feel better about yourself... ONE GARCIA COMINIG UP

cart7t reply :

3016

Pflueger Patriach gets a "Good" Review 2025

related Fishing Rods Reels Line Knots topic

previous topic

next topic

most viewed Fishing Rods Reels Line Knots topic