Welcome to our fly fishing reels shop, where you'll find a diverse selection of top branded fly reels for sale designed for trout, salmon and grayling fishing. We offer a range of options to suit every angler, from beginners to advanced fly fishermen. Our fly reels are sourced from leading fly reel manufacture's to provide reliable performance on the water. With precision drag systems and durable construction, they ensure optimal control and fly line management during your fishing adventures.
Whether you prefer the classic feel of a click-and-pawl drag system reel or the versatility of a modern disc-drag large arbor fly reel, we have the perfect reel to match your fishing style and preferences. Browse through our fly fishing reels category and choose from a range of arbor sizes, reel weights and designs to find the ideal reel for your fly fishing needs. We source our reels from reputable reel brands, including Hardy fly reels known for their reliability and design, ensuring exceptional quality and performance. Whether you're targeting trout, salmon or grayling, our fly fishing reels online shop has the perfect reel to enhance your angling experience – Shop now!
Finding the right fly fishing reel to balance your rod is crucial. Not only does it aid in casting, but the reel plays a vital role in controlling your line and fighting fish. A well chosen reel can be the perfect aesthetic and functional complement to your fly rod.
What Makes a Great Fly Reel?
We are meticulous when it comes to handpicking the right fly reel for the job, offering a range of models that provide distinct advantages on the water.
Durability and Quality: Higher priced reels are built to a superior specification. They are typically lighter and stronger, machined from better quality metals that resist flexing when battling powerful species. This ensures longevity and peak performance.
Superior Drag Systems: More expensive reels often benefit from advanced drag systems, which provide more stopping power and can be finely tuned. This prevents breakages when using fine tippets and helps control the run of a powerful fish. Sealed drag systems are a significant advantage for destination holidays, protecting against corrosion and sand.
Aesthetic and Feel: The perfect fly reel can aesthetically complete your setup. Whether you’re looking for a classic design or modern performance, the finish and feel of a premium reel are a pleasure to own and fish with.
Increase Line Capacity: When spooling a reel, line capacity varies by model. Using a thin braided or gel-spun backing, especially on salmon or saltwater reels, allows you to significantly increase the amount of line you can spool on your reel.
Choosing the Right Reel: A Guide
Selecting a fly reel depends on your fishing style, target species, and casting requirements.
Reel Size: Trout Fly Reels: A 7/8 size is a popular choice in the UK, as it accommodates most trout lines and the most common rod sizes.
Salmon Fly Reels: A 9/10 size is a popular option, as it accommodates most shooting head lines and is a good match for the most popular rod sizes in the UK.
Saltwater Fly Reels: An 8/9 is a popular size for targeting tropical species and sea trout, as it easily accommodates most suitable lines.
Matching to Your Rod: The key to a balanced setup is matching the reel size to the line rating of your rod. A balanced outfit feels comfortable in hand and enhances your casting.
Drag vs. Click Reels: A drag system is essential when targeting larger species, as it provides stopping power and protects your line from snapping. When fishing for small trout with fine tippet, a simple click reel is often sufficient and can be more than suitable.
FAQs
Do you really need an expensive fly reel? Opting for a more expensive fly reel offers a lighter, strong frame, and a superior drag system with better stopping power. This is particularly advantageous for destination fishing, as these reels often feature fully sealed drag systems and greater line capacity. Ultimately, you get what you pay for in terms of quality and performance.
What is the difference between a drag and a click reel? A drag system is essential for larger species, providing ample stopping power and adjustability. On the other hand, a click check reel is suitable for smaller trout and primarily prevents line overrun, though it provides no real stopping power.
How do you choose the best reel size for fly fishing? The best size is dictated by your style of fishing. A 7/8 is popular for UK trout fishing, a 9/10 for UK salmon, and an 8/9 for tropical saltwater species.
What is a “caged” fly reel? A caged fly reel has a full frame that prevents thin lines and running lines from slipping through the gap between the spool and the reel frame. This is a popular design for nymphing.
About Fly Fishing Reels
Finding the right fly fishing reel to balance your fly rod setup is extremely important. Not only does it help aid casting, but a fly reel plays a crucial role; in controlling and managing the fly line. While its main job is to retrieve and fight fish, the perfect fly reel can aesthetically complete your setup.
Here at Angling Active, we are meticulous when it comes to handpicking the right fly reels for the job. We stock an extensive range of fly reels from trout fly reels, salmon fly reels right through to saltwater fly reels, ideal for targeting tropical species such as tarpon and GT.
We also ensure we stock a diverse range of different fly reel models, so whether you’re in the market for a new cassette fly reel with spare spools to house an array of trout fly lines or a robust caged fly reel for nymphing we cater for all.
We pride ourselves on bringing you the worlds premium fly reel brands and are authorised dealers of brands such as: Sage, Hardy, Abel, Guideline, Ross, Shilton, Guideline and Lamson fly reels.
We don’t just cater for the fly fishing enthusiast though, we also stock some amazing brands for the more budget-minded or entry level fly angler in the form of Greys, Airflo, Vision, Snowbee, Shakespeare and Redington. To complete you fly fishing reel setup, shop for backing line, fly lines and tippet material.
What size reel is best for fly fishing?
Depending on your style of fishing will dictate which fly reel size you would opt for.
- Trout Fly Reels - 7/8 would be the most popular size in the UK to accommodate any trout line and the most popular rod sizes.
- Salmon Fly Reels - 9/10 accommodates most shooting head lines and the most popular rod sizes in the UK.
- Saltwater Fly Reels - For targeting tropical species the most popular size would be an 8/9 this will easily accommodate the majority of tropical fly lines.
Frequently Asked Questions about Fly Fishing Reels
When purchasing a fly reel the more expensive in price point the higher the specification and quality of finish improves. Opting for a more expensive fly fishing reel offers you a lighter and stronger reel frame and spool but also benefits from improved drag systems which offer more stopping power and can be more finely tuned when using finer tippets preventing breakages and hook pulls.
When travelling on a destination holiday it is definitely advantageous to opt for a higher end model as these will have fully sealed drag systems, more stopping power and will have a greater line capacity. Higher end reels also are machined from better quality metals, which will stop potential flexing in the reel frame when targeting powerful tropical species.
When looking for the perfect reel matching the reel size to the line rating of the rod will provide you a perfectly balanced outfit.
A drag is essential when targeting larger species; however, when fishing for smaller trout on rivers with fine tippet, click reels are more than suitable. A drag is essential when fishing in the salt and having a drag system that has an ample amount of stopping power as well as a quick 1 turn drag drag knob is advantageous.
When spooling a reel, the line capacity will vary from model to model. On smaller trout reels, using a 20lb backing will enable you to have a greater line capacity. On salmon reels, a 30lb backing or even gel spun will enable you to increase the amount of backing you can have on the reel.
Line capacity will vary from model to model; however, using gel-spun backing on saltwater reels will greatly increase the amount of line you can spool on the reel.
