How to Choose a Fly Reel

[Kevin]

FEATURES TO CONSIDER WHEN SELECTING A FLY REEL

BY JOHN BERRY

As I have written before, the fly reel is just a fly line storage device until you hook a big fish. Then it quickly becomes the most important piece of gear you own. When you go to a fly shop or look in a catalog there are literally dozens of choices. They vary widely in price, come in a variety of colors and shapes and all make some pretty impressive claims. Which one do you buy?

There are a lot of different types of reels. We all remember Grand Pa’s automatic reel. It was really pretty cool. It had a strong spring in it that could wind in any excess line pretty quickly. They are just too heavy, have a limited capacity to carry backing and have no effective working drag system.

I have a multiplier reel. If you turn the crank one full revolution the spool turns one and a half times. This feature allows me to get control over slack line very quickly. I bought it over twenty five years ago after attending a Dave Whitlock seminar on fly fishing for bass where he mentioned one. I have never fished with it. It is too heavy and I just do not need to gather up slack that quickly.

I have an anti reverse reel. This reel allows line to come off the reel without turning the crank on the side of the reel. It was designed for fishing in saltwater where strong fish can take long runs. If you were to place an errant finger in the wrong place, you could easily break a digit. I have never fished with this reel either. It is too heavy and was ridiculously expensive.

Then there is the single action reel. You turn the crank one time and the spool makes one revolution. It is simple to use and reliable. This is the one that I use for all of my fishing.

There are two basic drag systems for fly reels, spring and pawl and disc drags. The spring and pawl is basic nineteenth century technology. It is basically a ratchet system that prevents the spool from freewheeling on long runs. They have been around forever and are easy to maintain and do a great job. The disc drag is a technological breakthrough. It is just like the brake system on your car. They can be adjusted to put just the right amount of tension on the fly line. I am a traditionalist, in that, I mostly fish reels with spring and pawl drag systems.

Cheap reels are stamped from sheet metal. They are flimsy and unreliable. Moderately priced reels are made from cast aluminum. It is an inexpensive material and is reasonably strong and reliable. The high dollar reels are lathe turned from a solid block of aluminum. This not only makes them stronger but ensures that they will run true at high revolutions per minute (rpms).

Most reels come with interchangeable spools. The spool is the part of the reel that holds the fly line. If you have interchangeable spools you can buy multiple fly lines and put each one on a different spool. This allows you to easily change from a floating line to a sink tip or a full sinking line. you to have a five weight line and a six weight line on separate spools. This would allow you to use the same reel on two or more different rods. I have spare spools for most of my reels.

The current trend in fly reels is to manufacture them with larger arbors. The arbor is the hub on the spool. If you have a larger arbor you can crank in more line with a single revolution of the spool. There are mid arbor and large arbors. The simple fact is that they are significantly heavier than a reel with a conventionally sized arbor. Over the last few years fly rods have become lighter and at the same time fly reels have become heavier and heavier. It is not just the large arbors that have added weight. The switch to disc drag systems from spring and pawl drag systems has also increased the weight of these reels.

I have never understood the allure of the large or mid arbor reels. Their increased weight does not balance as well as that of conventionally sized reels. I have never been in a situation where I had so much slack line out that I wished that I had a larger arbor to crank in the slack quicker. It is a cure for a problem that I do not experience. I would rather fish with a lighter reel.

 When choosing a reel pay particular attention to their capacity. What sizes of line will they hold and with how much backing? Backing is the thin Dacron line that is attached between the reel spool and the fly line. It acts as an insurance policy in case a fish takes a long run (longer than the fly line). I want a reel that will hold the line I am buying it for and one hundred yards of backing. Whatever you choose, have the fly shop install the backing and fly line for you. This will make everything easier.

If you are going to use your reel in salt water make sure that it is designed for that purpose. Many of the high priced reels on the market are not designed to survive the abuse of salt water. At the same time, there are several moderately priced reels that function well in salt water.

Take a bit of time when you choose a reel and make sure that it compliments your rod and your fishing style. It will help you become a better fly fisher.