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Where Can I Go?
Overview
the reel story
Reel components
key parts of fly reels
& their functions
Types of reels
the 3 basic styles
Reel
construction
basic fly reel manufacture
Reel features
& what they do
Drag systems
drag mechanisms &
their purpose
Fly line & backing
how much should be used on
a reel?
How to select a
reel
step-by-step guideline
Reel costs
how much should I expect
to spend?
Care & maintenance
how to protect your
investment
NFSP Online Store
some reel ideas
Glossary
words & phrases used
in this course
School
Library
books, glossary, costs & more
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Reels . . . the fly fishers
other love
Next to fly rods, the most prized of the
fly fisher's possessions are fly reels. Like we do with fly rods, we develop
an attachment to reels that many of us might describe as "love."
We "love" to hear the sound of the reel's click
mechanism as we (or better yet, a good fish) pull the fly line off the reel,
and, when we reel it back in. It's a "purring" sound that is music to the
fly fisher's ears.
Reel purpose . . .
Other than "sing" to you, there are 2 things
you want a fly reel to do:
1. Hold the fly line, and
2.
Assist with fighting large fish.
The simplest function of the fly reel is to
hold the fly line. For most of us, for the vast majority of our fly
fishing, that is all we will need a reel to do.
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A fly reel will not be used to assist in
casting. Unlike other fishing
methods that rely directly on the reel for casting and retrieving the lure, fly fishers
use the fly line to cast, and most often retrieve, the "lure", with the reel adding nothing to
the process.
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Nor will the fly reel be required to serve
as a fish fighting tool very often.
Here again, unlike other fishing methods where the reel is the only
means of dispensing and retrieving line, most fly fishing involves casting
to and catching fish that aren't large enough to force us to use the reel
to retrieve line . . . most often we can do this entire process with our
hands.
However, there will
be a time when a reel that simply holds the line is not enough. For
someday you will need your reel to provide support in fighting a fish .
. . and that is when you will want to rely on a good reel with a good drag
system.
This need for a good drag will arise under 2
situations:
1. When good fortune ("luck") and/or skill enable you to hook the
"BIG ONE"; maybe that fish-of-a-lifetime that catches you
by surprise (and you want to be sure it doesn't become "the big one that
got away.") 2. Or, at the point where you have progressed in your fly
fishing and purposely take on fish that are known to be large and/or strong
enough to easily and repeatedly take line from you and your reel with ease.
This is immediately and particularly true for saltwater anglers.
There are about 100 reel manufacturers, producing an ever increasing
number of reels, to confuse us poor anglers. So, to
"stay ahead of the curve", we need to
understand a bit about fly reels . . .
Let's get started by reviewing the components
that make up fly reels. 
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