Fly Fishing Reels

Fly Fishing Basics Make this fly fishing season your best! Shock your friends by landing more fish than any of them. Take advantage of insider information when choosing your rod, line, lure or bait.

Fly Fishing Reels

For anyone seeking more information on fly fishing reels, we hope to serve you well with some fundamental information that will hopefully be of practical use for you on your next trip.

Does a heavier reel make a difference?

Some view heavier fly fishing reels as the higher quality option but in fact lighter ones can be more costly and an improvement on their heavier counterparts. I would go as far as to say, if everything else is the same, I'd go for the lighter reel. Your highest priority when deciding up the weight however is the weight of both the rod and the line.

You are looking for equality in weight with the reel, the line, and the rod. You are not looking at how heavy the reel is but at the balance between these three. When you're buying your gear in general, the very first thing you should take into account is the kind of fish you will be trying to catch, then from that you can locate the correct weight line and then base the weight of your rod and your reel around that.

How big does it have to be?

The bigger the spool is, the quicker the potential of your line retrieval and you will also have improved line handling. It also needs to fit your hand like a glove.

Single or not?

Fly fishing reels with single action are the easiest to use and almost the most popular. Every time you turn the handle equals one turn of the spool. They are also a breeze to maintain. Multiplier fly fishing reels also have their advantages. For example, the spool turns three times each turn of the handle so line retrieval is faster. Of course, there's always the automatic fly fishing retrieval, which clearly comes top of the class when it comes to ease of use but it's certainly not the easiest to maintain. For line retrieval, all it takes is one flick of a lever.

Drag Systems

There are various types of drag systems from which to select for your reel. You have to look at why you want to drag. It gives friction to the spool, which heps your casting and the smoothness of the fish landing.

Spring-and-pawl drag systems are both easy to use and easy on the wallet. This is fantastic for light fishing. You really want one that includes a knob that can alter the tension of your drag.

Caliper drag systems are not so easy on the wallet. How it works is a caliper pad slows down the spool spin by rubbing against the spool's braking surface, creating drag. You really want it to include an exposes palming rim.

If cost is no issue, then a high quality drag system I can whole-heartedly recommend is a disc drag system. It allows far more control and is so much more efficient. It also allows more control than other drag systems and applies the most pressure. If you talk to fellow fly fishers, I think you'll find that many will agree that this system is the best for fly fishing reels.