Fly Fishing Insider Podcast
Waterworks Lamson began in the late 1980s as a company machining specialized mountain bike parts in Ketchum, Idaho. Its founders were avid fly fishers and moved into fly fishing in the mid-1990s, first with a catch and release tool, then in 1996 with the original Purist and Force reels.
Nick is the community manager at Waterworks Lamson, six and a half years with the company after starting on the production floor building reels, and now runs its social channels, pro program and trade show presence.
Also on Apple Podcasts · Spotify · YouTube
How did Waterworks Lamson start out making bike parts?
Waterworks Lamson's founding partners built specialized mountain bike components, working with bicycle manufacturers, and moved to Ketchum, Idaho in the late 1980s to do it. Both were avid fly fishers, and by the mid-1990s the engineering side of the company had turned toward fly fishing. The first fishing product was not a reel at all but a catch and release tool, still in the line today, designed to pop a hook out without lifting the fish from the water.
What were the first Lamson fly reels?
The first Waterworks reels arrived in 1996 as the original Purist and Force, and they broke with everything on the shelf: sealed drag systems when reels were built from 80-plus parts and open drags, and a weight of roughly 2.73 ounces that was lighter than anything anglers had seen. They also used large arbors before large arbor was a category. The look drew pushback at first, then the market followed, and the Litespeed that came a few years later, with its wide arbor and big cutouts, became one of the company's most popular reels ever.
What is the Center Axis reel and rod system?
Center Axis came out of asking rod designers what would make a reel better for a rod, and learning that they cast prototypes without reels attached because a reel hanging off the side interfered with the feel of the blank loading. The answer was to de-lever the reel and align it with the center axis of the rod, removing swing weight so the angler feels the rod interacting with the line more purely. The concept was designed in the mid-1990s and licensed to a rod maker who released a few small-line-weight models at a setup price reported near $1,100, which was severe for the era.
Why does Center Axis work better in bigger line weights?
The heavier the reel, the more an angler feels the benefit of removing swing weight, which is why the original small-size Center Axis models never quite caught on. In 5, 6, 7 and 8 weight setups the effect becomes obvious rather than theoretical. That is the reasoning behind Waterworks Lamson bringing the concept back in its current Center Axis line rather than leaving it in the 1990s.
Where did the Lamson name come from?
The Lamson name did not originate with the Waterworks founders. It came from a reel maker in Washington whose company was bought by a rod manufacturer in the late 1980s or early 1990s, machine shop and all, and reels were made under that ownership for a period. Waterworks, which was building reels under its own name at the time, acquired the Lamson name from that manufacturer, producing the combined Waterworks Lamson brand that launched the Litespeed around 1998 to 1999. There is no current affiliation between the two companies.
Which Waterworks Lamson reel gives the most for the money?
The Liquid is the volume seller, at a $99 price point, because it carries the same sealed drag system used across the freshwater lineup in a die-cast case and spool, with US-made internal components and a Teflon-coated cone. The three-pack, with a reel, two spare spools and a case at around $189, effectively adds a spool for free and suits a stillwater angler running a sinking line, a floating line and an indicator rig, or a guide keeping five or six setups rigged in a boat. Higher up, the Speedster and Guru are described as the fully machined US-made bread and butter of the line, while the Cobalt 12-weight sits at the top for the biggest game fish.
How does Waterworks Lamson design reels for different fish?
Reels are designed by purpose rather than by species: trout reels for freshwater, saltwater models for the flats and blue water, with crossovers that genuinely work in both. The Speedster's very large, narrow arbor exists for fish that take a lot of line, where picking line up fast on a flat matters. The Cobalt, and the Vanquish before it, were the company's move into big game saltwater. Rods followed in the last few years, with an SS freshwater line and an SSS saltwater line covering 6 through 11 weight in a fast action built to cut wind.
Key takeaways
- The first Waterworks reels shipped in 1996 with sealed drags and large arbors, at roughly 2.73 ounces.
- Center Axis aligns the reel with the center of the rod to remove swing weight, and the benefit grows as line weight increases.
- The Liquid at $99 uses the same sealed drag as the rest of the freshwater line, in a die-cast case and spool with US-made internals.
- A Liquid three-pack at about $189 gives a reel, two spare spools and a case - enough to carry sinking, floating and indicator setups on a lake.
- The Speedster's large, narrow arbor is built for line pickup speed on fish that run, such as bonefish on the flats.
- Waterworks Lamson sells through established dealers rather than direct, with discontinued legacy spools and parts available on its own website.
