When choosing between different type of fly fishing reels, you need to consider the type of fish that you plan to catching. All fly fishing reels has the same components: a frame, a spool, and a drag system. The frame hold the reel together.
The spool holds the fly line and the backing, and the drag system allow for resistance if the caught fish begin to pull on the line. However, if you choose a fishing reel that is too small for the types of fish that you are targeting, the fish may pull on the line too much for the line to effectively provide resistance. Therefore, you must consider three factor when selecting the best fly fishing reel for your needs: the size of the fish that you will target, the weight of the fly line that you will use, and the arbor size of the reel.
How to Choose the Right Fly Reel
The arbor size of a fishing reel is the inner diameter of the spool of the reel. Reels with standard arbors has narrow spools and allow anglers to pack more line onto the reel for those long fights with the targeted fish. Reels with mid-sized arbors balance the amount of line that can be packed onto the reel with the speed at which the angler can retrieve the line.
These reels are often used in a variety of river fishing scenarios. Reels with large arbors have wide spools that allow anglers to retrieve the line from the spool at a faster rate. Additionally, the line will lay into large loop on the water’s surface, which prevents the line from developing coil memory.
Coil memory cause the line to become coiled into a loop, which can cause the line to become entangled while fishing. Small fish require smaller reels. Small fish live in smaller bodies of water, such as ponds or creeks.
For instance, if you are fishing for brook trout in small creeks, a two-ounce ultralight reel works best with one-weight or three-weight fly lines. However, if you are targeting rainbow trout in a larger river, you will need a reel that can hold more line and use a four-weight fly line. For large fish species, larger reels is required with stronger drag systems.
For instance, bass and carp live in areas with heavy structure, and there powerful swimming ability require a fishing reel with strong drag systems with at least two hundred yards of line capacity. Species like bonefish require large-arbor reels so that the angler can reel in the line quick. Tarpon are large fish and require a reel with four hundred yards of thirty-pound fishing line with an eighty-pound drag system to handle the powerful surges of a tarpon.
Additionally, you can simplify the process of choosing the appropriate reel for the type of fish that you are targeting. For instance, two-weight and three-weight fly lines work best with brook trout because they are small fish species. Five-weight and six-weight fly lines is paired with brown trout species in large bodies of water because they have more strength in their movements.
For fish species like pike or muskie, nine-weight and ten-weight fishing lines are used because these fish live in areas with many weed and require more heavy-duty fishing equipment. Finally, twelve-weight fishing lines are used for tuna fish because they are very large fish species and require a maximum amount of line capacity in the reel. Beyond the considerations of the size and type of fish that you will be targeting when you use your fishing reel, there are additional considerations in the way that you will set up the fishing reel.
For instance, you need to ensure that the backing that is loaded onto the spool of the fishing reel is tightly wound and even so that it will not create movement within the reel while fighting the fish. Twenty-pound Dacron is best for freshwater fish, but thirty-pound Dacron is best for saltwater fish. Additionally, you must use an Albright knot to secure the fishing line to the backing, and the knot must be secure.
You should test the drag system by pulling on it with your hand to ensure it is smooth and doesnt create any friction when the fish is being reeled in. If you use this reel for saltwater fishing, you must rinse it with fresh water after use. Finally, when you store the fishing reel when not in use, you should store it in a drag-loosened state to ensure the components of the drag system do not remains compressed on the spool.
Additionally, you should ensure the seat of the reel is not over-tightened when you are assembling it; too much tightening may lead the reel becoming loose during a fight with a strong fish.