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Print versionFly Fishing Reels
UK saltwater fly fishing falls midway between needing the reel to fight fish using the reels drag system, or purely as a line storage system with the angler retrieving hooked fish by hand lining them in and letting the retrieved line fall loosely in to the water.
Only big bass and pollack here in the UK have the ability to run off all your fly line and take you in to the backing. Even then, few actually do. Nevertheless we need to be prepared to be able to target fast running fish that just might take out all the fly line and many yards of backing before tiring.
Most reels are made from alloy or graphite. Alloy reels tend to be more expensive. Graphite is generally cheaper and does not suffer from corrosion like alloy does, but they are not as robust. If you only need a reel to store line, then a graphite type is fine and will last several seasons. You can get graphite reels for around 30 that will do a fair job.
If you intend to target bigger fish that may run, like big bass and pollack, then the wiser choice is a quality alloy reel with a good disc drag system. Go for a reel that has been machined from a single piece of bar stock aluminium. Ignore reels that are welded together or screwed together. These are weakness with problems just waiting to happen and will also attract corrosion. Reels with sealed drag systems are nice, but tend to be the preserve of the more expensive reels.
Larger arbor fly reels are designed to minimise line memory under storage. They also have a wider spool width and give a small increase in retrieval rate. Large arbour reels help to minimise tiredness when you need to retrieve lots of line quickly. That said many experienced saltwater fly fisherman prefer a fully loaded conventional fly reel using braided backing to give at least 200-yards of backing line.
There are many makes of fly reel available ideal for UK fishing, but the conventional Scientific Anglers System two are tough and reliable with excellent disc drag systems capable of fighting big fast running fish overseas like dorado and roosterfish, so are well capable of tackling UK species. Of the large arbour reels the Leeda Modula Large Arbor reel in the 100 size is equally tough, but has the advantage that the spare spools are composite and cheap to buy for easy alternative line type changes. The Modula 100 takes a 9-weight line and around 200-yards of 20lb braided backing. Also consider the Orvis Battenkill large Arbor or the Loop range of reels.
Some anglers choose a reel designed to take line a size bigger than they will use. An example would be the System two. If you fish a 9-weight line, choose the reel rated for 10 and 11 lines. This gives you more backing line capacity. The disadvantage with this is that a larger reel is heavier and can start to unbalance a rod.
The biggest problem with saltwater fly reels is corrosion. Reels built from anodized aircraft rated alloy are lightweight, tough and reliable, but still prone to salt corrosion over time if not meticulously looked after. The anodized finish or paint often starts to peel away and bubble off when salt gets in to a scratch and eats the alloy away underneath the anodizing. The only way to minimise this corrosion is to loyally maintain your reels with a regular service, and more importantly to wash them in warm soapy water to remove all the salt depositation after every trip.
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