Best Fly Reels Reviews,
Reels don’t just hold your flyline. They balance your fly rod. They control the lunker at the end of your line. They aid in your casts. They can be aesthetically pleasing. And if you fish enough, you’ll expect your fly reel to be durable. Reels should be something to be proud of, something to be happy to control your fish. You can get by with a lousy reel if you’re fishing a small stream and never have to put a fish on your reel but if you have a salmon or bass, tarpon or tuna hooked, you’ll need your reel to perform or you’ll be fishless and mad.
With those elements in mind, here is my list of the top ten fly reels on the market today. I recommend buying all the reel you can afford. Reels really do make a difference.
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Best Fly Reels by Mark D. Williams
The Best You Can Get
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Mark says:
The House of Hardy has been producing time-tested fly reels of classic, timeless design since 1888. The Angel is at once classic and modern, a state-of-the-art engineering marvel, stunningly attractive, and expensive-looking. This is an apex reel, top of the line, destined to accompany an equally-deserving fly rod. One report claims that some Hardy reels will be made in Korea and not in England which is one of the cool selling points for these classic click drag reels.
- Large arbor, low-start-up inertia, less line memory, raised anti-snag reel seat, and quick line retrieval
- Stunning appearance, contemporary design
- Powerful drag system
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Mark says:
This hard-working, handsome, lightweight, large-arbor reel has a sealed dual carbon fiber disc drag system and V-Arbor design. The Rogue offers the patented Bauer clutch, more backing capacity and a quick release spool. Bauer reels are proven over and over, record after record, that they deliver when the big fish is on the line.
- Precision machined 100% aerospace bar stock aluminum and stainless steel construction for maximum strength and corrosion protection
- New V-Arbor design, precision sealed stainless steel ball bearings, sealed drag mechanism, simple (silent) retrieve direction conversion with outgoing click
- Lifetime guarantee
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Mark says:
These might be the hottest-looking, coolest, hippest reels that you can buy. When you add in the ability to interchange the spools and frames to the numerous world records Abel reels hold, you have a reel made for the serious angler.
Think about it. Since the Super Series Reels spools have 100% interchangeability with spools of comparably-sized standard Abel Big Game Reels, you get two reels in one but at half the price.
- Three sealed waterproof stainless steel ball bearings for near frictionless rotation, hard anodized for superior corrosion resistance, new double pawl system on models 3N and larger
- Convertible from left to right hand wind, outgoing click, and oblong porting
- ?InterchangABEL? with Super Series large arbor spools
- Limited lifetime warranty
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Mark says:
I’ve read and heard the complaints about the newest Hart models - too esoteric, exotic design for design’s sake, made for the collector, too expensive for even a rich angler, more like fishing bling than practical utilitarianism. It’s all true.
But you cannot deny that if you had the money, you’d purchase a Hart Astrid just because you know your quality rod deserves a work of modern art to balance things out. These rods are innovative, elemental, and designed beautifully. They also perform like a prince and last forever. Who wouldn’t want to own a reel designed by Ari 't Hart and made by the only company that has a permanent display in the Architecture and Design Collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City?
- Titanium reelfoot, needle lock bearing, handpalming, unique adjustable drag system
- Convertible from right-handed to left-handed with no additional parts needed
- Lifetime guarantee
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Mark says:
Sage is best known for making quality rods but their reels offer anglers the same quality and attention to detail. Don’t think that you can only match up a Sage reel to a Sage rod either; they’ll make any rod you own look and perform better.
On the 3000 series, the drag is sealed so you'll never have to worry about wrecking a thing of luxury like this. These reels are comparable in all the bells and whistles found on reels that cost much more, the look of the reel is first-rate and the cost makes the Sage 3000 series worth investigating (if you like silver, the only color they offer).
- Click-adjust drag systems, rim-control design
- Numbered, positive-click drag-adjust knob offers settings from one to 10, with 360? movement
- All the bells and whistles as reels that cost much more
You will be happy with any of these
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Mark says:
My fishing buddies will ask me why I didn’t include the Orvis Battenkill reel since I’ve used that model (and the exact same reel) on my four-weight everyday rod for the last eight years. The Battenkill is a great backup or starter reel and if I had my druthers, I’d own the Orvis Vortex for all my rods and especially my larger ones.
The large-arbor Vortex is a fish-fighting fiend of a reel made so by its reliability and fish-halting drag surface, the largest of any reel out there. When the big fish heat up your reel, the VO2 keeps your reel cool so you can keep your cool. The VO2 is a nice-looking reel but not as handsome as other reels on this list. You’re buying this one for the combination of reasonable price meets performance.
- 65% more drag surface than competing fly reels
- Machined from corrosion-resistant bar stock, aerospace-grade, 6262-T6 aluminum for durability and precision
- Twenty-percent lighter and has one-fourth more capacity than the 2004 Vortex fly reel
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Mark says:
The Tibor line of reels is well-known and highly-respected for their saltwater performances over the years (especially the Billy Pate models) and they match performance with a beautiful design. That said, I have selected the Tibor Light series because they are so lightweight, create such balance with these lighter rods (one of the most underrated aspects of quality casting and retrieval) and their simple elegance. The Tibor Light reels work best for rods in the 3-6 weight class.
- Every reel can also be used for saltwater
- ConstaLube is a drag composed of Jenvan felt and a special lubricant, TiborLube and these result in continuous lubrication and a smoother drag
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Mark says:
The Galvan Torque reels are nothing fancy to look at but therein lies the rub - it’s because they are not eye-candy that they produce such a lightweight reel, ideal to balance out a 2-6 weight rod. The ventilated design reduces weight, plain and simple. Not many anglers have heard of Galvan but their reels are workhorses, ideal for those anglers who aren’t ready to pony up the big bucks but still want a reliable, precision, balanced reel that won’t fail them when they hook up with a whopper. The Galvan Torque is the perfect reel for the price-conscious fisher.
- Ventilated design reduces weight, stainless steel drag system
- State-of-the-art, heat- and wear-resistant braking control
- Large arbor dramatically increases retrieve speed
- Convertible right- to left-hand retrieve
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Mark says:
I’d be hard-pressed to find a reel on the market today that gives the angler as much quality for the dollar as any of the Ross reels. Machined from aircraft-quality bar stock aluminum, the Ross Evolution reel is not only durable and hard-working but sensitive and good-looking. I like the fact that these lightweight reels are capable of saltwater use with no chance of getting salt or dirt or sand in the reel to muck things up.
- Large arbor, extra spools available
- Saltwater won?t hurt these reels plus these innovative reels have a lifetime guarantee
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Mark says:
Affordable. Durable. Ideal for the beginner or the intermediate angler who isn’t going to mortgage the house just to outfit their fly rod. I’ve given these as presents to nephews and nieces, that’s how strongly I feel about these reels. The Tioga is anodized so it will fight abrasion and rust, has an excellent drag system for this price range and can be used in both salt and freshwater. You won’t find a better reel at this popular price.
- Unconditional guarantee to the original owner
- Patented Teton drag system, adjustable stripping tension
- All of these reels are anodized with Type-3 hard anodize
