How Important is a Fly Fishing Reel?

For many fly fishermen their rod is their most important tool. With that being said many fly fishermen don't understand how valuable or invaluable their reel is. Reels with a drag have a place in fly-fishing, but sometimes there is no need for them. Reels with no drag are very inexpensive compared to their counterparts with a drag. So which reel does you need, drag or no drag?

The answer depends on what type of fish you are targeting and how large they get. A reel with a drag is a very useful tool to a fisherman that is fighting large fish and fishing with heavy line. The drag should be set slightly looser then the breaking point of the line. This will allow you to keep control of the fish and land it quicker. The heavier line absorbs much of the shock when the fish tries to run and the drag will let line out before the line breaks. Matching the line strength to the fish you are targeting is commonplace; the larger the fish gets the heavier the line. Also, if you are fishing with larger flies heavier lines are a necessity to prevent stress on the line.

Now lets look at the other end of the spectrum. Many fly fishermen, especially those who target trout, understand there are times when your line strength has to be very light. During calm water situations or when you need to fish small flies, line strengths are often in the 1-2 pound range. This means the line is very likely to break if you have the drag set on your reel. When fishing light lines it is necessary to use a reel with no drag. This may simply mean setting your reel on the lightest possible drag setting. After hooking a fish with light line any additional stress will most likely cause your line to break.

To give a quick example of what this all means I will tell you how I use different reels for different situations. I am a die-hard trout angler, which means sometimes I am fishing small streams for trout that rarely get much bigger than 16 inches. However, I also frequently target trout in the tributaries of the great lakes. These fish get massive, up to 30 pounds. So I change my reel accordingly, for the small stream fishing I don't use a reel with a drag. Rarely if ever will you need it and it allow you to fish light lines without the fear of them breaking because of your drag. On the other hand, when I am targeting great lakes trout I do use a reel with a drag. In those situations I am normally fish line greater then 6-pound test and with the size of the fish you need some control over them when they try to run.

Fly fishermen must understand there is a time and place for a reel with a drag. Not all situations require your reel to have a drag, but there are instances when they are a necessity. Before your next fishing outing make sure you use the proper reel. Remember you will most likely need a drag if there is the potential of hooking large fish.