When choosing between different type of fly reels, there are a few different factors that will allow you to make the best decision for the type of fishing that you will be doing. One of the main factor to consider is the type of fish that you are catching and the environment in which you are catching them. If you choose a fly reel that is too small or too light for the type of fish that you are trying to catch, for instance, the fish may pull too much lines off of the reel such that the reel cant stop the fish.
Similarly, if the fish are heavy and you choose a fly reel that is too heavy in comparison to the remaining component of your fishing setup (particularly the fly rod), the weight of the fly reel will make it difficult for you to cast your line. Most fly reels consists of several different parts. One of the most important part of a fly reel is the arbor.
How to Choose the Right Fly Reel
The arbor is the central hub of the fly reel on which the backing is tied. The size of the arbor can have an impact upon the way in which the line comes off of the fly reel; larger arbors allow the line to come off of the reel more quick, which can be an advantage when fighting fish. At the same time, smaller arbors provides more space for the backing to be loaded onto the reel, which is helpful if the fish may travel long distance.
Another factor that is important to consider is the weight of the fly reel. The weight of the reel should balance with the weight of the fishing rod. Thus, anglers use ultralight reels with ultralight rods to catch small fish, and heavier reels are required to balance the effort required to fight larger fish.
Using a reel that is too light will cause the fish to overpower the reel, and using one that is too heavy will cause fatigue of the arm that is casting the line for long period of time. Finally, another important component of the fly reel is the drag system. Some drag systems use click-pawl systems that create resistance with the teeth of a metal pawl; these systems are generally used for freshwater fish.
Other drag systems use pads that provides smooth drag for the fish; these are used in saltwater fishing to prevent the salt and grit from the environment from damaging the drag system. Backing is the material that you tie to the arbor of the fly reel prior to attaching your fly line. To ensure that the fish do not pull all of the line off of the fly reel, you need to have enough backing on the fly reel.
Most angler use braided Dacron for the backing due to the affordability of Dacron. However, some anglers prefers using gel-spun backing as it is thinner allowing more yard of backing to fit onto the fly reel. Additionally, you must tie the backing to the arbor of the fly reel using a secure knot, such as a surgeon knot to prevent the backing from slipping off of the arbor while fishing.
The type of environment that you are fishing in will determine the type of fly reel that you should use. If you are fishing in freshwater environments, lighter fly reels can be used. However, if you are fishing in saltwater environments, the fly reel should be made of materials that is resistant to corrosion caused by the salt in the water.
The majority of saltwater fly reels uses hard-anodized metals and titanium components as these metals are resistant to the corrosive effect of saltwater. Using a freshwater fly reel in saltwater environments will eventually cause the salt to damage the fly reel and prevent the fly reel from functioning correct. To ensure that your fly reel functions correctly, it is necessary to perform maintenance on the reel.
After using the fly reel in saltwater environments, it is important to rinse the salt out of the fly reel to remove the salt from the reel. Additionally, it is important to dry the fly reel to ensure that moisture does not remain on the reel. Furthermore, you should lubricate the drag systems of the fly reel using the correct grease once a year.
It is also important to perform an inspection of the knot on the arbor of the fly reel to ensure that the knot isnt fraying. If you dont perform these maintenance task regularly with the reel in use, the fly reel will eventually wear down and fail during its use.