Howdy folks. I had a blast C&R'ing pinks on my fly rod over the weekend, but I came to realize that my fly reel is a larger piece of junk than I used to think it was.

I am pretty new to the fly fishing scene and know practically nothing about reels and such. I was hoping for a few suggestions for a decent mid-weight reel that wouldn't be too terribly overkill for trout, but would also be able to handle silvers/pinks and some light duty steelheading.

As usual, I am definitely on a budget and so my desire for "the best out there" will have to be balanced with the reality of my skinny wallet.

Thanks for the info!

Coley

You're going to have a lot of opinions on this one.... But the one thing I think we can all agree on is that trout and salmon will probably require a couple of different reels. Salmon, steelhead need more backing and a larger reel system to hold the heavier line (7wt-8wt). A smaller trout reel just won't have the capacity for this and a reasonable amount of backing.

In general if you are on a budget, I'd suggest getting one of the following choices (in order of increasing price)

Okuma Sierra
Okuma Integrity
Pflueger Trion

Each of these will be corrosion resistant, and will have reasonably smooth drags. All of them can be had for less than $75, with the Sierra being the cheapest at around $35 a pop.

Awesome. Thanks for this. The reel I have (Reddington) has trout pretty well covered. I guess in reality I am really shopping for a salmon/steelhead reel. No need for it to cover both categories.

I will have a look at the Okuma's and Pflueger. Thanks for the feedback!

One quick thing... What price range are you looking at? The Integrity's in my mind are the best value of reels at around $60.. But if you can climb into the $200 range, better options are available. Reason being, the Integrity does not have a sealed drag. It's butter smooth, but you have to make sure that you do take care of it for it to operate well for a long time...

Finally I did forget one reel that should have been mentioned. The old Pfluegar Medalist. Get those on Ebay for like $25 or so... Great deal, durable as hell, and won't break the bank.

Ross makes one in the $60-$80 range. I had one for salmon and steelhead and it worked great for what I paid. Nice thing was it was very balanced on my 8wt.

Ross "Fly Starts" are a good buy for around $50. I agree with Kingjamm on his recomendations. All of those reels are solid, hold a good amount of line, and wont break the bank. I have two Pflueger Trions and have never had a problem with either. Good drags but a little on the heavy side.

You didn't mention what wt rod you intend to fish? You are covering lots of different fishing situations with one reel going from trout to salmon to steelhead.
Also consider what lines you'll want to use. This is where spare spool costs come into play. One line won't really do it all. Fly fishing is an addiction just like other types of fishing.
Folks have given you some good suggestions.
A couple other to consider is the proven Ross Cimarron and the CLA, which is more expensive.
Also check out the Cortland Endurance.
Good Luck,
Brian

I was hoping to stick to around $100 or so. Willing and able to spend a bit more if the extra cost is a good step up in quality/performance.

Interesting point on the sealed drag and certainly something to consider.

I liked the look and description of the Pflueger reel mentioned above, and the $ is about right as well. I will have a look at the Ross also.

Another question I should have asked is what line weight. I have a 6wt rod right now, but would like to be able to use the reel on an 8wt down the road. It seems as though the benefits of an 8wt reel would be line capacity and drag performance? Would an 8wt reel feel totally out of place on a 6wt rod? If going on the lighter side for reels, would a 6/7 wt. reel be all wrong for an 8wt rod. Sorry if these are stupid questions. Haven't played the flyfishing game in a while.

If you are on the westside, swing buy Kitsap Sports the now have all there tackle 50% off. They had a couple redington reels. And Misc other stuff.

I have a Ross Cimmaron, and a JRyall both are nice reels. I had a ryall #4 that I miss. But my buddy really wanted it. The JRyall's are really nice. But I don't know anything about reels
JY

The deal is, you can use any sized reel you want as long as the following things are met:

1) It balances your outfit

2) It holds your line and backing without bunching up

3) It has a drag/clicker mechanism you feel you can control and is smooth

The first is personal preference. For instance a lot of bamboo guys use reels that most folks would consider clunkers and too large. Why? Cause it balances their rods ( which are very heavy compared to graphite).

Backing for salmon and line capacity is something a bit more of a known quanity. For most steelhead/salmon around hear 100yrds of 20-30 lb backing is a pretty agreed on norm. If you go with a longer head line (Rio Grand/Wulff Triangle Taper) or a double taper, you'll need a larger reel to hold the line. If you go with some of the more compact lines like the SA Concept lines or Rio Windcutter, you can get by with a smaller spool.

The last thing is once again subjective. Some folks like click and pawl reels, others like drags. Regardless, you need to feel confident in handling the change in drag needed and it must be *SMOOTH*. If it's not you'll end up loosing fish because of herky jerky drags due to the hook pulling/working loose. Most folks I know that fish for steelhead/salmon has the drag set just so the spool won't over run and will palm the reel for added control.

If you can satisfly these 3 things, you'll be a heck of a lot better off than most folks who are looking for the "best" reel to buy.

You could use a 8 wt reel on a 6wt, it just won't be a very balanced outfit. You could also go with reel more suited for a 6 wt and put gel spun backing on it. The down side is that gel spun is it isn't cheap. You could use that reel on an 8 wt but again it really won't be a balanced outfit.
A 6 wt will work well for trout, pinks, beach and smaller river silvers and summer steelies.
A 8 wt will work well for large silvers, chums, and winter steelies.
In reality, two outfits would be the way to go if you've got the budget.
As far as lines go, you may want to consider a multi-tip line. Rio, SA and Airflo all produce these. If your 6 wt is a fast action rod, consider uplining it to a 7 wt line.
Good luck,
Brian

All great info for sure and thanks a ton. I think the way to go is a 6wt reel to match my rod and then just get an 8wt rig when I can swing it. Line choice probably warrants a conversation in an of itself eh. I just picked up a Cortland line (404?, 10ft sink tip something or other rocket taper) and it seems to be doing the trick. It casts well and gets the bug down quickly that is for sure.

I am going to do a little more web surfing and post back with a few different options to see if anyone is interested in helping me compare a few makes and models.

More to come!

So here is what I have narrowed the search down to based on the suggestions I have gotten here, and what is available locally.

http://www.rossreels.com/products/cla/cla.cfm

http://www.pfluegerfishing.com/products/products.php?p=28

http://www.rossreelsworldwide.com/products/reels/flywater/

http://products.gloomis.com/gl/products/...D=1189472963725

http://www.okumafishingteam.com/reels/fly/vashon.html

Anything else worth considering? I am kind of leaning towards the Pflueger because it seems fairly well made for the price. I don't think it has a sealed drag, but most don't in the price range I am looking at.

Thanks!

Of those I'd spring my cash on the CLA first, then the Trion second.... I'm not a fan of the flywater, just doesn't seem to fit with the same quality of the other Ross models....

You may also want to take a look at the Teton Tiogas if you've got CLA cash. One other option is to look at some of the sale Lamsons. There's a few of the older models online for like 40% off and they are excellent reels to. I hesitated to put them up cause of the price constraint, but once you stepped up to the CLA....

The CLA is definitely at the far end of the budget, but I would be willing to go there if you pay for what you get. The Pflueger model that I have found around here is the President. It looks pretty similar to the Trion, but large arbor instead of what they call medium? I can't really find any other differences, and it could be the one.

ColeyG

What's the verdict on that Pflueger reel. Did you end up with the President or the Trion?

What's your impression in the first season?

I"ll throw you a curve ball, see your looking at the Okuma Vashon. Did you know that Okuma makes the Reddington reels for Sage?? Yep.

I whould look HARD at the Okuma Integrity 7/8 reel...its less for more

http://allwatersfishing.com/product_info.php?products_id=9301

It is a large arbor over the Vashon's mid-arbor, so its gonna be a bit faster to strip line off & re-wind. It also has a good drag, I nailed a ton of pinks on the 8/9 & reel some of them were smoking hot......I notice looking at the pics some of the reels have a dinky drag knob, this Okuma has a big one you can work without looking down at it...I like that.

I have an Integrity in 5/6, 7/8 & 8/9....only knock is the finish comes off pretty easy if you toss them around lke me. Another + is the extra spools are about $ 17 I have 2-3 for each reel with diffrent lines...

C/22

You must live up on Lake Dawn.

FNP, I ended up going with the Trion and sadly haven't been able to subject it to a range of proper testing conditions just yet. In about half a dozen trips out, I have only landed one small silver and a few dollies. To me it seems pretty well made and it fits my rod setup perfectly with regard to weight and balance. For a 5-6 weight reel it seems slightly smaller than similar models. My main interest is how the drag will do with a larger fish. I can't help but think it will be a bit light for an 8+ lb fish with some life in it. Then again this is purely an assumption as I haven't touched one yet on this rig.

I will be bringing it along to the OP for 5-6 day stint after christmas and hope to find a steelie that will help outline the limitations a little better.

Coley

you won't hear this in a fly shop or from a yuppie fly fisher (not all fly fishers are yuppies)...

The priority i'd put on the essental fly fishing salmon\steelhead gear is as follows:

*** Line - need a good line, or set of lines, or interchangeable system for covering various conditions. Get good lines. Not necessarily the most expensive. Make sure it matches your ROD. I'd take my rod and reel into a fly shop (the one time it really helps to get their advice) and have them help you find a line that will load properly on your rod. Just because you have an 8wt rod, doesn't mean you want an 8wt line...

*** Waders + felt soled wading boots - you'll want to be able to wade. Mainly just to be sure you have backcasting room at times. Note - you don't HAVE to wade to be fly fishing. For some reason, some guys seem to think you need to be up to your arm pits in the river to by fly fishing...


*** Rod - mostly a preference thing. Beginners, and many old timers prefer a slow to med\fast action rod. Some guys only like the super fast action. I like them both depending on what I'm doing. But for an all around rod, I like a med to med fast rod. Nothing fancy is needed. TFO makes some great sticks that you can get used for under $100 at times. Even their low end rods are fine and they have a great warranty. But I have a pleuger rod and reel combo that has served me well for many years. Many fly angler yuppies would be embarrassed to be caught fishing such gear. But it's not the gear, it's the fisherman... I've had expensive Sage rods and others, and went back to TFO and other lower priced rods that work just fine. An 8.5 to 9.5 foot 8wt is a great all around salmon\steelhead stick.

*** Reel - again, mostly a preference thing. If you like bling above functionality, there are plenty of reels to spend mucho bucks on. But I know many hard core steelheaders that only use Pflueger Medalist fly reels (made in USA models mostly, but the newer stuff is fine too). For about $20 each, I buy several and use a different one for each type of line I have. No need to buy spools, but you can if you want for about $8 each (keep in mind an extra spool for a top of the line reel can be a few hundred $$ easily). Drag on a fly reel only really needs to be set once. Just make sure that when you give it a solid tug, it does not over spool you, but comes off easy enough with some pressure. That way all you need to do is use your rod angle to change the pressure on the fish. If you must stop it from running into a log jam or something, having a model or reel that allows you to palm it helps (Medalists have an "RC" version "Rim Control" that I like).

*** Plolarized glasses. Spotting fish and just seeing the bottom structure can help. Also, many times I have spotted fish following my fly that I may not have notice had I not had the glasses. Plus, they can protect your eyes from your mis-timed cast....

*** Leader - I make my own leader and tippet from Max UG. Ask if you want instructions. Pretty simple, cheap, and bullet proof.

*** Flies - steelhead will bite a plain corky or chunk of yarn. So the most important thing to do is get your fly, no matter what pattern, in front of the fish so it can see it. To do that, it's up to your line and your technique. Stick to a few basic patterns to get started. Big Purple and blacks will get you through the winter\spring, and smaller versions of those will do fine in the summer. First focus on the line control and have confidence your fly is getting to the fish.

Good luck!