If you have ever held an Islander reel, you know the weight and finish feel different. In Episode 12 of the Fly Fishing Insider Podcast, Islander's brand manager explains where that quality comes from: a working machine shop on the west coast of British Columbia.
From machine shop to reel maker
Islander began making fishing reels in 1990, but the parent company was a machine shop first and still is one, producing precision parts for everything from ocean sensors to boat components. The first reel was a steelhead centerpin. Soon after came machined aluminum mooching reels, a single-action style used for salmon on the Pacific coast, and then fly reels, since all three share similar mechanics. That history explains the brand's confidence: the people building your reel are machinists first.
What lifetime quality actually means
The brand manager says Islander reels are meant to last a lifetime or two, and describes anglers passing them down to children and grandchildren. Two details stand out. Reels are hand polished to a mirror finish instead of simply tumbled or blasted, and the company sells cosmetic seconds, which it calls blems, whose flaws are so slight that dealers wonder what the first-quality reels look like. When you shop for any reel, those are the things to look at: finish consistency, smooth drag action and tight tolerances you can feel in the hand.
Why three niches matter
Because Islander serves fly, centerpin and mooching anglers, it can absorb downturns in any one market, whether from regulation changes or the economy. The guest also talks candidly about how border problems after 9/11 and the financial crisis cooled the brand's presence in the United States, and how a refreshed marketing effort and new products are meant to bring it back.
Getting into fly fishing the long way
Our guest's own path is a good story: Olympic-style wrestling, years in the Yukon as a professional hiker for a gold exploration company, then fly fishing taking off where catching fish is easy and fun, and finally a marketing job at Islander. He is the first to say he is not an expert angler, which makes his love for the sport relatable.
Gear
A great reel only matters if the rest of your system is dialed. Our Tips and Tricks for Fly Fishing eBook covers rigging and leader fundamentals that make any reel perform better, and your local fly shop is the best place to cast and feel a reel before you buy.
