Fly reels used to play second fiddle to rods, at least in the fly-fishing world. Volumes have been written about the nuances of bamboo, fiberglass, and graphite fly rods. But the reel? “It’s just a ...

The Abel SDS has a fully sealed multi-disc drag, more than 20 pounds of drag pressure, an anodized aluminum construction, and an original-owner lifetime warranty. The NXT Black Label II offers a ...

Fly reels for trout fishing serve two main roles: To hold your fly line and backing and to have a drag capable of tiring out a fish during a fight. Pairing the right reel with your fly rod will help ...

The common refrain among freshwater fly anglers is that your reel doesn’t matter, but when it comes to saltwater fly reels, that statement couldn’t be farther from the truth. Saltwater alone will test ...

Vladimir Rachenko is a former aerospace engineer with a passion for fly fishing—so much so that twenty years ago, he transferred his skills from aerospace to making fly reels. His goal was to focus on ...

A silver fly reel will be fine 95% of the time; it's that 5% I'm concerned about. / photo by Ken Baldwin As I write this, I am fully aware that this could be "much ado about nothing." I'm only telling ...

The first fishing reel was invented some 1,700 years ago, and yet somehow each season, gear manufacturers continue to come up with better, smoother ways to zip in line. The latest crop of reels is ...

Stan Bogdan was happiest standing over his modest workbench, whether in a drafty corner of an old converted Nashua mill or his more recent shop off Turnpike Road in New Ipswich. But a close second, ...