Fly reels

The materials

Generally, the most commonly used materials in the construction of fly-fishing reels are:

1) Plastic polymers: they are used for fly reels of low or medium-low range, quite lightweight but not too resistant.

2) Graphite: material used for fly fishing reels of medium range, suitable for use in freshwater; excellent for those looking for a product light, durable and with a good value for money.

3) Aluminum: used in reels for fly fishing extraordinarily light and performing; also ideal for sea fishing where the drag is often under pressure.

The spool

A good fly-fishing reel must balance the rod and must be light and performing, with a good drag.

Today most fly reels are “large arbor,” i.e., with the spool having a larger diameter; this aspect is important because it allows the fly line to be evenly distributed around the spool and wide spirals, thus preventing annoying tangles during fishing.

On the market there are fly reels with interchangeable spools, so you can quickly change the type of line always using the same reel; an example of these reels is the Hardy ASR.

The drag

The drag is the element that most of all contributes to increasing the performance of the fly-fishing reel; it is made of different materials depending on the power of the reel.

In fly reels used for sea fishing, the drag is hermetically sealed in a capsule that keeps the internal discs lubricated and protects them from corrosion.

In some models the discs can be in carbon or cork; the sensitivity of the drag adjustment is proportional to the quality of the reel, in fact, the reels have a much more powerful drag with a higher max drag.

The handle

This can be made of various materials: plastic polymers, aluminum, wood, or knurled rubber; this last one offers the best performances in terms of resistance and grip during the recovery phase.

Some models have no handle as this is automatic thanks to a spring lever that, if pulled, rotates the reel recovering the excess line; the most classic example is the Vivarelli.

Capacity and power

The fly reel is classified according to the line it can contain; reels for line #5/6 can contain a line of 5 or number 6, in proportion to the amount of backing.

On the box of the fly-fishing reel are reported the capacities, generally indicated in meters or Yards (1 Yd = 0.9144 meters).

The choice of the rees

After you’ve learned about the basic features of a fly-fishing reel, you’re ready to choose the reel that best suits your needs!

If, for example, you fish dry or nymph in small streams, you’ll need a small, lightweight reel that contains a few meters of backing and a line.

If you want to fish for pike, you can choose a reel for line #9/10 with a good drag, that can contain a hundred meters of backing. If you want to fish challenging fishes in saltwater from the boat, then a large reel for large lines, with an excellent drag and resistant to salt water will be the right one for you!

Knots and attachments to the fly reel

First of all, it is necessary to tie the backing to the spool of the reel; the backing is a thread in Dacron, generally of 20 or 30 lbs., which serves as a “reserve line” in the case, during the fight, the fish unrolls all the 30 meters of the line;

then we will execute a loop knot that we will tighten until it is tight.

Depending on the type of fly reel and the type of fishing that you will face we will mount more or less backing (which may vary depending on the poundage and the number of the line).

Now you need to connect the line to the backing, and in this case, the knots can be different: