Fly Fishing Reels: After you've chosen a fly rod, the next piece of fly fishing equipment you'll require is a fly reel. This section will teach you how to select the best fly fishing reels to complement your fly rod and reel combo.
TYPES OF FLY REELS
Fly fishing reels are typically operated by removing the line from the reel and wrapping it around the fingers with one hand while casting the rod with the other. Normally, you hold the fly rod in your dominant hand and manipulate the line with your other hand close to the reel, pulling line out in small increments as the energy in the line increases from backward and forward motions.
EARLY FLY REELS
Early fly reels frequently had no drag (a brake to keep the fish from swimming away). You had to apply hand pressure to the rim of the revolving spool to slow a fish (known as "palming the rim"). Fly fishing reels today typically feature more sophisticated disc-type drag systems with increased adjustment range and resistance to high temperatures generated during braking. Saltwater fly reels are available with either sealed or non-sealed drag systems.
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Sealed drag systems keep sand and salt out of the reel, but they also limit the types of drag materials available. Open drag systems are easy to disassemble if something gets caught in the reel, can be easily rinsed to keep clean, and are typically the least expensive option of fly fishing gear.
AUTOMATIC FLY REELS
Automatic fly fishing reels employ a coiled spring mechanism that, with the flick of a lever, draws line into the reel. Automatic reels are typically large for their size and have limited line capacity. Automatic fly reels were popular in the 1960s, but manual fly reels have outsold them many times over since then.
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MAKE IT RIGHT (OR LEFT) FOR YOU
Check the fly reel instructions to see if your fly reel model is reversible. Because of tradition, most fly reels are set up to retrieve with the right hand. The fly reel's line guard and drag system will be adjusted accordingly. If a conversion is possible, the manufacturer will provide conversion instructions. Typically, the only tool required for the conversion is a small screwdriver.
Decide hand will be used to reel in the fly line. Traditionally, fly fishing has required cranking the reel with the hand used for fly casting. This, however, necessitates switching the fly rod from the left to the right hand or from the right to the left. The traditional switching-hands method has more advantages than using one hand to fly cast and fight a fish and the other hand to operate the fly reel. I believe that cranking the fly reel with your free hand is almost always preferable (the left hand for right-handed casters and the right hand for left-handed casters).
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Attach the fly reel to the reel seat on the fly rod's butt section once it has been set up for the hand you prefer. Check that the fly reel is hanging below the rod and that the reel handle is on the correct side for the hand you intend to crank the reel with. The line guard on the fly reel should be facing up.
Fly Fisherman Magazine provided this image.
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