Choosing The Right Fly Reel.

[E.T.]

Introduction




A fly reel is  more than just a device for storing fly line. When you hook a big fish, your  rod will help you play the fish, but the reel will enable you to actually land  it. A high quality fly reel will cost a minimum of R2000 and upwards and could  last a lifetime. A good fly reel will cost a minimum of R1000 and may not last  a lifetime, but it should give you a couple years of good service. An  inexpensive fly reel should cost from R200-R800 and should serve you well when  you are fishing for small fish such as bluegill or trout in small streams.

When buying a fly  reel it is essential to know that the reel can withstand corrosion. A cheap  reel usually has only a thin layer of clear varnish and once that wears off, it  is not long before rust spots start developing. A high quality fly reel should  be able to withstand all kinds of corrosion and rust.Another important  factor is the ease of changing spools. If you only fish a floating line, a  single spool will suffice. However, if I you fish in situations where a variety  of depths need to be reached, you will need a reel with spools that can be  quickly and easily be changed. This is a characteristic of the best reels. If,  when purchasing the reel, you feel the need for extra spools, buy them  immediately. If you wait two or three years, you might end up not getting such  spools as your reel model might, by then, have been discontinued.

Drag Mechanism

All fly reels  have a frame, reel foot, spool and an internal drag of some sort. The simplest  of drag systems is the clicker. This is either an ON or OFF and some brands, it  is on permanently. If you fish a 2-3wt  outfit for small stream trout or bluegill, a clicker drag will suffice. The  difference in price between a clicker drag and a spring and pawl drag is not  significant. I prefer the spring and pawl system – as featured on some Hardy reels  - to reels which have a clicker drag only

How do you  determine what drag a reel has? There are two ways to determine this. You can  read the supplier’s manual or you can take the reel apart. To examine the drag  mechanism of a fly reel, you need to remove the spool from the frame by pushing  down the quick release button or lever most reels have. Not all reels are that  easy to take apart as some have a screw on the drag knob that first needs to be  unscrewed in order to take the reel apart.   When you are sitting at the dining room table this is easy to achieve  but, if you try this next to a river or on the beach you could well drop the  screw and lose fishing time.

The drag is  exposed and easy to examine when the spool is removed. Apart from the clicker  it should have one of the following three mechanisms.

The Spring and Pawl.




This drag  functions by increasing or decreasing the tension on a spring that applies  pressure onto a triangular pawl which works against the spool of the reel. If the  reel allows you to adjust this tension, it will enable you to do so via a lever  or a knob on the outside of the reel.

The Double Spring and Pawl




Some  manufacturers have doubled the spring-and-pawl concept. When you examine the  frame of the Orvis Battenkill 3/4 or 5/6, you will see two springs and two  triangular pawls. Is this an inexpensive and cost-cutting option? Not at all - the  Battenkill is beloved by many for its timelessness and reliability. The spring  and pawl system does not necessarily mean "cheap." There are quite a  few blue chip reel manufacturers which have chosen this design route to produce  top class products. For example, the Abel TR/series uses the spring-and-pawl  concept; other examples include Hardy, Peerless and the Hodge & Sons Vintage  Winston. These reels and others are of the highest quality and are machined to  the highest standard and precision and are far from inexpensive. Spring-and-pawl  reels are designed to protect very light tippets, but they aren’t able to cope  with the long and powerful runs of big fish – for that you need a disc drag.


  Below is an example of an Double Spring And Pawl Adjustable 





The Disc Drag.




For most contemporary  reels, this has become the preferred drag system.

The disc drag  reel allows you to apply more or less tension to the fly line simply by turning  the drag control knob on the reel. There are two types of disc drag systems - the  calliper disc-drag and the "true" disc-drag. While the calliper  disc-drag is less favoured by most reel manufacturers, I would say that they are  both effective. The Lamson One, for example, has a calliper disc drag and these  reels have a lifetime warranty. Mine has done its fair share of fishing and it  is still as good as the day it was made.

Disc drag reels  justify their expense when you hook that fish of a lifetime.

The smoothness with  which the drag releases line is crucial in landing those long-running and  powerful trophy fish. Heat quickly builds as the spool spins against the friction  caused by the applied drag. You can actually feel the reel heating up. The  better the drag and its design, the better the heat will dissipate, and the  longer the reel will continue to function. This is why most modern reels have  spools that are ported.  This not only reduces  the weight of the reel, it also disperses generated heat. There have been many  occasions when a reel seized under the continuous stress of fighting a really  powerful fish. For landing big and strong fish you need look no further than a  disk drag.

The fly reel’s  disc-drag is similar to the drag on the best open-face spinning reels.  Tightening the drag compresses the disc(s), thus increasing the pressure  applied to the broad surface of the reel’s spool. Increasing the pressure  increasingly denies line release. The disc(s) are manufactured out of cork or  space age materials such as Teflon or any combination thereof. There are two types of drag resistance in the  fly fishing reel. The first resistance is against the initial pressure it takes  to get the spool moving. The second is the sustained pressure it takes to  maintain the spool’s momentum. The first is the most important: overcoming  inertia to start the spool moving always requires more pressure than it takes  to keep it moving. Usually, the smaller the difference between the two, the  better the reel.


Below is an example of a Caliper Disc Drag






For a detailed view of a disc drag please visit.....

http://www.tiborreel.com/diagrams/08_tibdia.pdf

Reel weight

With modern day  designs and technologies, reels are becoming lighter and lighter. Materials  like Bar Stock Aluminium are machined on CNC Machines and by porting the reel  and the spool, you are able to reduce weight tremendously and manufacturers are  constantly pushing these boundaries.

Is the AFTMA (the  American Fishing Tackle Manufacturers Association) rating on modern day reels  correct? Would you fish a reel that is rated as a 5wt reel on a 3wt Rod? Most  would frown upon the mention of such a suggestion. Well when you look at the  Sensation Viking it is rated as a 5wt, however this particular reel is super  light and I have fished mine on anything from a 1wt to a 3wt. And it cost under  R200. Another good example is the Daiwa Lochmor. It is an outstanding reel that  can be fished on anything from a 1-5wt. Some manufacturers rates their reels as  5-7wt. What does this mean? Well depending on which rod you are fishing, you  could fish this reel with a matching line on a 5, 6 or 7wt Rod. So this reel  could work well if you have extra spools for it, cause then you can use one reel  on three different rods.

Now when it comes  to actual weight this should be a useful guide. (Keep in mind that the heavier  the line weight, the bigger the reel has to be to accommodate the line and an  appropriate length of backing material.)

0-4wt: 100grams  and less

5-9wt: 100-250grams

10-16wt: 150 –  350grams and even heavier

[E.T.]

Types of Reels

Direct Drive Fly Reel.




Most reels are  direct drive. What is direct drive? Well, when the fish takes the line, it  starts turning the spool. This also applies when you turn the spool to retrieve  line. This is a time-proven design that  will remain popular for the foreseeable future.

Multiplier Reels




This reel  contains gears that enable the spool to turn more than once when the handle is  turned one full revolution. This allows line to be retrieved at a faster rate  than the direct drive reel. As such reels are more complex, they could prove to  be less durable than the direct drive models.

Automatic Fly Reel










The automatic fly  reel is not universally popular but it does help with line control. It  automatically reels in line when you activate a lever. The drawback of these  reels is that they tend to be a heavier than conventional fly reels as they  have a geared system.

Below is some pics of the new Thinkfish with adjustable drag setting...









Cassette Fly Reel











When getting that  first outfit most people buy the combination of rod, reel and line suggested by the salesmen.  Normally they will sell you a floating line with the purchase. Not a bad choice  at all.

Often, however, when  you start fishing you soon discover that not all fish are caught at the  surface. What now?

You will need a  heavier line to get the fly to the depth where the fish are holding. Hopefully  you will start to realise that the most important thing is the line.  So now you buy an intermediate line and maybe  even a sinking line. Great, all you now need is one or two extra spools and you  are sorted. Let’s say you bought a high end reel of R4000 and belatedly  discover that a spare spool will set you back a third or even half the price  you paid for the reel. Now the thought comes up, why should I buy a spare spool  if for that money I could actually get a good fly reel as an extra or back-up alternative?

Well, this is  where the cassette reels are a beneficial option. By buying the relatively  inexpensive and easily-interchangeable cassettes you can fish several different  lines on one reel.

So the cassette  reel gives the average angler the opportunity to buy extra spools/cassettes  from as little as R100 a cassette. The cassette reel ranges includes brands like  the Wychwood Truefly that comes with extra spools all put together in a neat  carry case for just under a R1000. Another example is the new Greys Cassette  that comes with clear cassettes with different line ratings on them which you  can mark to indicate what line is on each cassette. Pure genius and I would say  that they are a must-have for those who fly fish dams.

Below you will see how the marking system works on the new Greys GX700....

Greys Fly Reels - GX300, 500 and 700


Anti-Reverse Reels











When hooking a  large and strong fish on a direct drive reel, you will notice that the reel  spins at Mach 4 and getting your hand in the way means one thing and one thing  only - bloody knuckles and even broken fingers in some cases. The only ones  smiling would be your fishing friends and the doctor you need to pay.

This is what  makes the anti-reverse such a great reel. It works like most spinning or bait  casting reels which allow the spool to turn when line is released against the  drag while the handle remains stationary.

The drag knob is  usually situated on the side of the reel opposite the handle. Its operation is  similar to the star drag on baitcasters. Turn it one way and you lighten the  drag, turn it the other way and you tighten the drag. Adjustments can be made  without the rod ever leaving your fighting hand. What more do you need?

When fighting a  marlin or a big tuna, it makes perfect sense to have a reel that won’t injure  your fingers, thus enhancing your ability to control and land the fish.

For a detailed diagram of an Anti Reverse please visit....

http://www.tiborreel.com/diagrams/08_patedia.pdf


Large Arbor Reels




Large arbor reels  have a bigger frame and spool than traditional designs. They provide greater  drag consistency, lower start-up inertia, reduce line memory and increase  retrieval speed. Furthermore they release and retrieve more line with a single  revolution than a conventional fly reel. To carry the same amount of backing,  the width of the spool need to be wider than normal.

The larger frame  and spool facilitates palming the reel when a fish takes off. So does this mean  that the large arbor is necessarily a heavy reel? Not at all. With modern light  alloys and precision machining, they can be ported to reduce weight and  dissipate the heat generated by the fish pulling hard against the drag.

Something interesting is that on certain Abel models you can now use your standard arbor and large arbor spools on the same reel.......


http://www.abelreels.com/abel-design-center.html


and


http://www.abelreels.com/flexabelity.html





Hubless  Fly Reel








A hubless reel  has a drum that works on a sealed bearing and there is no drive shaft/spindle.

It has a clicker  that aids slowing down the counter spin that normally creates line tangles.

Without the  clicker, this reel would not work. The drag mechanism on such reels is only  effective on smaller fish because it is usually just the knob that applies a  bit of resistance onto the drum/spool. These reels are silky smooth in  releasing and retrieving line. Not the best reels for big fish, but they are  great in the 3wt range.

So what should you buy?

Summing up  everything mentioned here, you should have a better understanding of what is  available. Essentially, the type of fishing you intend to do, will determine  what rod, reel and line you are going to purchase.

If your quarry is  sea fish, you do need a reel that will withstand the elements in terms of  corrosion and rust. A cheap reel will fail you.

The best reel for  the job is not necessarily the most expensive one. There are inexpensive reels available  which might suit your needs.

So what do you  do? You buy the best reel you can afford. With experience you will be able to  determine what functions best for your circumstances and to what extent  durability is important. As always the best products perform better and last  longer and the finest reels on the market today are heirloom quality and, in  due course, will serve your children as well as they have served you.


Credit / Thanks

I would like to take the time and thank the following friends for their valued time and input...


Ed Herbst
Anders Schagenström
Craig Thom
Christian Hörgen


And last but not least the UA Community for their keen interest in fly reels.

[REEFMAN]

Wow! Spectacular post ET!!  If I ever want to buy a fly reel, I know where to start! 

[Rory]

Super, super post Koos! Well written and very informative!

[Kumz]

   Super write-up Koos !!!  ...

[E.T.]

  Guys, this is the first of a 3 part series.


Next up would be Choosing the Right Flyrod and then Choosing the Right Flyline, so keep an eye out for these as well.

[icstuff]

Worth the wait. And some big names on input!
Thank you for the effort!

[Rory]

Guys, this is the first of a 3 part series.


Next up would be Choosing the Right Flyrod and then Choosing the Right Flyline, so keep an eye out for these as well.

Looking forward to them! Have some cred! 

[Ziggy]

Next up would be ....... then Choosing the Right Flyline.

this is the one I am eagerly waiting for - I need to change old flylines very soon - like now!

[UrbanFF]

  :shre:

[E.T.]

A while back I googled some stuff and I came across one of my threads on UA. So I decided to do a little search again.


Guess what I found????


https://www.google.co.za/#sclient=psy-ab&hl=en&site=&source=hp&q=choosing+the+right+fly+reel&oq=choosing+the+right+fly+reel&aq=f&aqi=g-K1&aql=&gs_l=hp.3..0i30.16999.27446.0.27701.33.23.2.8.8.2.1084.9371.3-4j13j2j0j1.20.0...0.0.PhDZNBS38nY&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=9a80ef8fb634fb0d&biw=991&bih=645


And its the 6th result from the top.....Interesting.

Another thing that was interesting from my first search was that you could type in a reel name and it would also point you to UA some way or another.