Steelheading Gear Talk Part 3 - Reels March 31 2024, 1 Comment

Reels dont need to be fancy for steelhead, but steelhead will make decent runs and can require a bit of backing to consistently fight them on the fly rod. That means your minimum criteria for a fly reel are plenty of line capacity, and a decent drag. But is there more to the story?

Fly fishing for steelhead is somewhat steeped in tradition and aesthetic. After all, why else do we choose to swing flies instead of float fish? Its, for us, the most enjoyable way to fish. And so it can be with equipment. A few years back, I fished with a gentleman that had a gorgeous classic fly reel. I talked to him about it and he told me that he was really lucky and got it for $1200. My emotions were toyed with no way would I be able to spend that sort of money on a reel simply because it looked nice.

So we set about finding a way to remedy that situation. We managed to source a cheaper alternative to that reel. Much cheaper. Check out the line of classic fly reels . All of them have large capacity, relatively large arbour, an incredibly strong modern disc drag (something most classic reels lack), and have the look and sound of something from yesteryear.

Try one, and send us your pic so we can see how happy you are!!