New to fly fishing?  Or are you just trying to understand all of the different fly fishing reels available on the market?  This short guide should help remove some of the mystery.

There are several things to consider when looking at a fly reel.  Each item is listed below with a brief description. 

Action:  There are three main types of actions for fly reels:  Single Action, Multiplier reels, and Automatic reels.  Most fly reels today are single action fly reels meaning that the spool the line is stored on turns at the same rate as the handle used to reel the line in.  For each full turn of the handle, the spool makes one full turn.  Multiplier reels have a mechanism that increases the number of turns the spool makes for each turn of the handle.  This type of reel is desirable if you plan on fishing with a lot of line out to help with a quicker recovery of the line.  You can also get some benefit in this situation by getting a large arbor reel (see arbors below).  Automatic reels are spring loaded and will wind the line up by themselves.  These reels are generally less dependable than the other reel types and are heavy by comparison.  Automatic reels are generally only used for small fish because larger fish can ruin the spring mechanism if they go on a long run.  Again, the most popular type of fly reel, especially for fresh water fishing, is the single action reel.

Drag System:  The two main types on the market today are the click and pawl and the disc drag.  A relatively new type of drag system is the Turbine System.  The click and pawl system is sometimes referred to as the click or click mechanism.  This system uses a spring loaded ratchet on a gear to create the drag.  The drag is adjusted by increasing the spring tension on the gear or gears creating more or less braking action on the spool.   This is done by turning an adjustment on the reel.  There are reels that have a single click and pawl and reels that have double click and pawl.  The difference being the number of spring loaded ratchets that contact the gear or gears.  The disc drag uses a system of friction discs.  Again, the drag is adjusted by increasing the friction on the discs by turning an adjustment on the reel.  This mechanism is usually found on better quality reels because it offers a much wider range of drag than the click and pawl.  The discs can be made from materials ranging from cork to a composite Delrin.  With both the click and pawl and disc drag reels the drag needs to be adjusted when retrieving a fish in order to keep from breaking the line or letting the fish run too far.  The newest drag system on the market, the Turbine System, uses a turbine system immersed in a special multi-viscosity fluid.  This creates arguably the smoothest drag system available today and provides many benefits over the click and pawl or disc drag system.  Probably the biggest advantage here is you do not have to adjust the drag when fighting a fish based on the size of the fish.  This drag system changes automatically based on the speed at which the fish is trying to run.  As the fish speeds up, the drag increases.  Spool over-run or backlash is impossible with the type of drag system.  When the fish stops running the spool stops as well.  It will also help keep from breaking your tippet.  With conventional drag systems, the click and pawl or disc drag, the drag is set when the fish hits.  If the drag is too high the fish can break your tippet.  When a fish first hits on the Turbine Drag there is not initial friction to overcome.  You can also get some combination drag systems such as the Disc Drag combined with the Turbine Drag.  The Turbine Drag system is only available on reels manufactured by STH or Cortland at this time.  It should be noted that on some reels the rim of the spool remains exposed so the angler can palm the spool to control the drag.  This can be useful if your drag does not set high enough to keep a fish from running of if you can not get to your drag adjustment in time.  I would recommend getting a reel with this feature as it comes in handy.  Here I would have to say that the disc drag system is the most popular.  The turbine drag is to new to tell.

Material of Construction:  The frames of most fly reels are made from a light metal such as aluminum or magnesium.  Since the weight of a reel is important some reels are made out of graphite or some type of composite material that may include graphite.  The reel frames (and spool for that matter) usually have holes or slots in them to help reduce weight and to aid in drying the line once it is wrapped up on the spool.  Some of the models that are extremely light (or higher end reels) will have counter weights on the reels to offset the weight of the handle.  This only becomes important if you have a fish running really fast.  In this situation the reel can become un-balanced due to the weight of the handle causing your drag to act strangely possibly leading to a broken line.  The aluminum frames are usually anodized to keep corrosion from occurring.

Arbor Size:  There are three sizes of arbors that I am aware of; small, mid, and large.  The arbor basically refers to the diameter of the spool that holds the line.  The larger the arbor the faster the line is picked up when you reel the line in. 

Line Weight:  This is basically the weight of line the reel is compatible with.  If you buy a 5 or 6 wieght rod you will need a reel that is for 5 or 6 wieght line and you will need 5 or 6 weight line to go with the rod and reel.  Below is a quick guide to help you decide what weight you might need.
 
Weight              Fish

1-3                   Small trout and similar small fish
4                       Small to medium-size trout and similarly sized fish
5-6                   Medium-sized trout, small bass, and similarly sized fish       
7-8                   Large trout and bass
9+                    Steelhead, salmon, and saltwater fish

If you are new to fly fishing you need to decide how much money you are willing to spend to get started.  When you go through this process don’t forget that you need a rod, reel, line, vest, waders, flies, and wading boots at a minimum to get started.  It all adds up quickly.  If you want to spend the minimum amount get a click and pawl drag system, single action, aluminum construction, small arbor.  You can pick these up new for around $30.00 from any manufacturer and it will be a great reel to get you started.  If you find you really enjoy the sport you can upgrade later.  If you are willing to spend a bit more money to get started I would stick with the aluminum construction but go to a mid or large arbor and a disc or turbine drag system.  These reels will start at about $50.00 and will go into the thousands.

If you are experienced at fly fishing and were just trying to figure out what some of the new reels were about I hope this was helpful.

I will be writing similar guides for rods and lines in the future so check back frequently.