I am going to get into fly fishing but don't know anything about fly reels. I was looking on ebay, but realized that the price wouldnt mean much to me because I would have no idea whether the reel was good. If I am ever gonna get a reel off there I will need advice from someone who knows what they are doing. So i was just wondering if anyone could give me some good ideas on what reel to get. I'm looking for one within the $50-$80 range. A bit more exspensive shouldn't hurt. I may just end up going to a store and test my luck at finding a good reel for a good price.

My first bit of advice is don't go breaking the bank; especially when you are first starting. Keep it simple. You don't need a pricey reel if trout are your target. I caught the three biggest I ever have had on "cheapo" reels. One was an old 3M Sci-Angler click & pawl and the other a Cabela's click drag that came with a 5 pc. Stow-Away rod/reel combo. You don't have to go on e-Bay either. Look Cabela's over. My advice to ALL newbies is to see if there is a Trout Unlimited Chapter in your area and hook-up with them(pun). You will garner an untold amout of know-how. Great bunch of guys too. Where in NY are you from; I may be able to locate a chapter for you?


Qtip
Soli Deo Gloria!
To God Alone be The Glory!

I agree with Qtip. You don't have to get fancy. For a majority of the time the reel is just a place to store your line when you're not using it. Later you will probably upgrade but for now you are better off putting most of the money that you spend getting started on the rod and the line. A 25 dollar reel and a 250 dollar rod with a 60 dollar line is better than a 150 dollar rod, 150 dollar reel and 25 dollar line.

Yep again, no need to get fancy. My first reel was a Martin with a simple clicker. I think I paid $12 for it.

Just fishing smaller fish I never use the reel, just pull them in by hand.

Plus you will need to start saving for LATER. Two years after the $12 Martin I was buying $450 reels and $600 rods..........


Good Luck.

Keva,

Ditto to no need for fancy stuff for fishing trout. Several companies are coming out with lightweight graphite reels that are sweet to use and weigh almost nothing. The best one that I've seen is a Redington one called something like Crossfire. I saw it in a Canadian fly fishing specialty shop for about $60 Canadian, so if you can find it in a US discounter it should go for under $30 probably. Feather light, no corrosion, big drag knob, one way bearings, clicker only on outgoing line, left or right hand conversion, large arbor, exposed rim for palming. The Okuma a Airframe is similar, for $29 on the web. The only reason I picked the Redington first is that I have held one in hand and have only seen the Okuma on the web. I recently bought a Cortland Carisma, a similar graphite, large arbor, one way bearings, etc. The drag isn't as good as the Redington nor I suspect the Okuma, but I bought it one day and was catching fish with it the next day instead of waiting for a order to arrive.

For trout, I'd buy one of these large arbor lightweight reels because they offer some of the best improvments in fly reels over the older designs, and put the savings into line first, then rod, as others have said.

I have a Phleuger Medalist, recently lost a Phleuger Purist which I liked better, and for which I paid $19 at a discount sporting goods store. Also have a single action Martin with only an on-off clicker, no drag but you can palm it. It is a nice simple reel, but I'd go for the large arbor graphites over any of these. I have a couple of older heavier fly reels and some older cheaper ones, don't know brands on any of them and have retired them even from backup fly rods.

"large arbor lightweight reels because they offer some of the best improvments in fly reels over the older designs."

Some of the very earliest English fly reels, the Nottingham Winches, were very definately large arbor reels. A fly reel is much to simple for anything seriously new in design, beyond new materials, that is.
art

Sitka D., thanks for that bit of info. What a hoot! There really isn't anything new under the sun. As I mellow (rather than age) I am amused at how often our new ideas are rediscovering of old ones.

Thanks guys. I will take your advice and buy a cheaper reel and a more exspensive rod. I don't know a thing about fly line and brands so if you have a favorite fly line I would like to know and any favorite lieters. Thanks for your help. I'm devoting next spring to trout fishing.

You can go DIZZY with the different lines available today.

A good choice would be the Cortland Classic 444 Peach, in a WF design. There are certainly some less expensive lines, and a bunch ABOVE the price, but that 444 Peach does very well, and it is pretty forgiving for new casters, but it also allows you to grow into it.

This link is just a picture of what I am descriping, I have never ordered from them.
444 Peach

A certain Grayling has learned to cast quite well with exactly that line...

Because salmon are so brutal to lines I have bought the cheapest lines whenever I see them in close-out bins and such. With that experience I can assure you good lines make a difference. But even the Cortland 333 is a very decent line.
art

Having tried several different line I've setteled onthe SA XPS weight forward. The GPX is ok too but I prefer the XPS.

I agree with the rest of the folks responding here about reels-- almost any entry level reel that you can buy these days will work just fine for most trout fishing. Really, when you start out, you just need a place to store line. A good click and pawl reel or a rudimentary disc drag reel will work fine. The Pflugers are heavy and clumsy, but they are cheap and work pretty well (almost every flyfisher has at least one-- I have 5). The entry reels from Orvis, Cabelas, etc. are even better.

On fly line-- buy the best you can afford. Scientific anglers lines (various kinds-- see your dealer) are my favorite lately. But there are lots of good lines. The less expensive Cortland lines work fine-- I've used them. But better lines float better, cast better, and last longer. You can get top of the line for about $50-60. Don't let the price stop you from going fishing though-- buy the cheap line if you have to. Don't worry, cause you will buy MANY fly lines over your fly fishing life.

Lastly, buy your entry equipment at a real, honest to goodness fly shop, not a general sporting goods store or mail order, if you can. The reason is that most real fly shops will help you get started and keep you from making mistakes. It's in their best interest. They'll also load your flyline and backing so you don't have to learn how to do it before you can fish, give advice on flies, leaders, books etc. If they are one of the few that give you attitude (most don't), try someplace else.

As an example of the perils of going it alone, years ago I met a young person on the water. He was just starting fly fishing and had bought all his equipment at a general sporting goods store. They had apparently allowed him to buy a woefully mismatched rig-- 8 wt rod, 6 wt level line, and a tiny reel. It's a wonder he could cast it at all.

Good fishing!