Quality Matters in Fly Reels
Brett Fogle
Like everything else in this world, quality matters when trout fishing. If all you will ever do is fish for small trout and pan fish, virtually any cheap fly reel will work just fine. In these situations, all a reel really does is to serve as a place to hold fly line. And even a cheap reel does this task ok.
Unfortunately, this all changes once you get a large fish on the other end of your fly line. If the fly reel you are using is not well made with precision parts, the line will come out with uneven tension or the fly reel may seize up altogether. The reason cheap fly reels are inexpensive is because of what is inside them. Most cheap reels have the cheapest types of parts that can be found. These parts break when least desirable and wear out very quickly. Remember, a fly reel has moving parts inside it. A cheap fly reel will quickly begin to wear out, often only after a year or two of moderate fishing. And it can fail miserably if you get a large fish on the end of the line.
A high quality fly reel will truly last a lifetime. A good quality fly reel, while it may not last a lifetime, will last many, many years and will provide reliable duty in the field. A very high quality fly reel will run around two hundred dollars or more. A good quality fly reel will be in the hundred-dollar range. A cheap fly reel will be less than fifty dollars. To me, at least, it makes sense to spend a little bit more now so that you don't end up having to buy another reel two years down the road or to have a fishing trip ruined by malfunctioning gear.
Another thing to keep in mind about fly reels is how resistant they are to corrosion. While this is vitally important in saltwater fishing, it is still important in freshwater fishing. A cheap fly reel has often nothing more than a cheap coat of paint on it that soon wears off. Once that's gone the reel will frequently start developing rust spots, among other things. A very high quality fly reel will resist all forms of rust and corrosion. We're now familiar with quality issues on fly reels and you should be familiar with the different types of drag systems on a fly reel. Armed with that knowledge, it is time to move on to the type of retrieve a fly reel offers.
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