# Recommendations for a good fly reel



## JohnJH (Feb 3, 2015)

I got an 8/9wt fly rod for Christmas and I'm looking for recommendations for a good reel. Also looking for recommendations on what kind of line/flies to get for steelhead fishing. Thanks


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## Whaler (Nov 16, 2004)

Tie you own flies as you will lose a lot once you get started.


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## zimmerj (Oct 17, 2014)

I have an Orvis Clearwater Large Arbor reel. It's about $79.00 and has a good drag system. A large arbor will allow you pick up line quicker For nymphing and swinging streamers a weight forward floating line will work. You can always buy a sinking leader to get to the deeper pools when swinging a streamer.


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## OnTheFly (Jul 30, 2010)

redington behemoth... not sure if they are offering the free spool deal, but I got two when they were. solid reel


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## GrandRiverBassman (Mar 26, 2016)

Grab an okuma for 80 bucks. I've caught hundreds of steel on mine and absolutely beat the hell out of it and it still works great.


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## GrandRiverBassman (Mar 26, 2016)

Go with a weight forward line and add sinking leader or split. Google steelhead flies and you'll get an idea.


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## capt j-rod (Feb 14, 2008)

Lots of great reels out there for reasonable prices. Look for close-outs. Lamson builds a decent starter reel for the money. I have a reddington that gets the job done nicely. Ross reels that are made in USA are great too. Most of the time more money is buying less weight. On a 8-9 wt you will need a good drag. If you can get a close out on a high end reel you are usually getting a better drag with it. Don't be afraid to stretch a little on the budget, you will own this for a long time. Ask around for some used stuff too. I'll poke around my group and see what I can turn up!
http://www.mrfc.com/waterworks-lamson-litespeed-iv-reel.html?id=757391&quantity=1


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## trekker (Feb 18, 2013)

I like Ross. American made and bullet proof.


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## sbreech (Jun 6, 2010)

There are a lot of good reels out there at many price points. Steelhead fishing, a decent drag is more important than if you were targeting smaller trout. A sealed drag isn't necessary, but can be useful while fishing for steelhead due to cold weather. Non-sealed drags can freeze up / slick up, which isn't good. If a drag slicks up from ice, you can always just palm the reel for some drag resistance. Knowing your budget would be helpful for recommending a reel, as well as how much you intend to use it. If you're only going to use it once or twice a year, I'd be crazy to recommend a $500 reel, but if you're going to fish every day, including heading over to fish salt, it might not be such a bad thing. All of the reels recommended so far will do the trick, as well as the Redington Surge or Redington Path.


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## JohnJH (Feb 3, 2015)

My price range is about $50-150 dollars. And I've been steelhead fishin a few times but want to get more into it with the fly rod.


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## sbreech (Jun 6, 2010)

I would take a good look at the Lamson Liquid, in either size 3.5 or 4. What line are you throwing on that rod? If the 9wt, then the 4 will give you a LOT more room for backing. If you're planning on using an 8wt line, the 3.5 would do just fine. Ebay has them for $130 or less, shipped, if you don't have a local fly shop. 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lamson-Liqu...249116?hash=item4b08be7e5c:g:UmMAAOSwCGVX8nYK


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## smath (Nov 20, 2013)

allenflyfishing.com makes some very nice, not too expensive reels. Check out the Kraken series. I fish with one and it is a terrific reel with a very smooth drag.


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## steelhead (Jul 2, 2004)

If you can find a used Bauer m4, they are nice but expensive new....I've been rolling mine for over 15 years and it is still smooth as silk


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## JRock3227 (Apr 7, 2008)

Echo reels and rods are great entry level setups. I have an echo ion 7wt rod with an echo ion reel and its still one of my favorites and I've got hatch, nautilus and tibor reels and top of the line loomis, sage and orvis rods. you won't be disappointed in the echo's.


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## buckeyebowman (Feb 24, 2012)

I like some of the suggestions above. You can get a good quality reel without spending a fortune, all you have to do is avoid the cheap crap. Steelhead can pull some drag on you but I've had just as many kind of sit in one spot and go berserk while I stand there and wait for them to go somewhere.

It's not like they're bonefish or tarpon!


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## david tennant (Mar 17, 2016)

Spend some good money on your line. I like the scientific angler mastery nymph line. The head is heavy so you can turn over the split shot and indicator, plus it is easy to cast streamers easily. You'll pay close to $90 for the line but as long as you clean and condition it, it will last years. I get almost 7 years out of buying a good line once instead of dropping $20 a year on the cheap stuff like I use to. As far as a reel goes, I personally like Ross Reels. The weight of an inexpensive reel isn't bad. It will serve as a counter balance and Ross' warranty is awesome and their reels are smooth. The Orvis battenkill reels made in England are excellent quality also. They can picked up on ebay fairly cheap now these days. A drag that locks up your line isn't necessarily needed. if the fish feels the resistance of the drag many time they will run down stream. So a click and pawl or a light drag is what I prefer.


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## chuckNduck (Jun 29, 2012)

The Lamson Liquid is a great reel at that price point. It's tough, with a great sealed drag, and made in the USA. Make sure the reel is balanced with your rod. Just because the reel says 8/9 weight on it, doesn't mean it balances well with your rod. Take your rod to a shop, and try a few sizes of reel. So many people balance the rod, and empty reel on their finger and say yup, that's good, but forget that when you use the rod, your going to have the weight of the line out front. A lot of people aren't using a heavy enough reel, and you're going to have a sore wrist at the end of the day. A few ounces makes a difference.
Get yourself a decent weight forward floating line, and keep it clean. Any clean line will cast and float much better than an expensive dirty one. I've used Scientific Anglers, Cortland, Rio. They're all good.
Backing? Get some cheap 20 lb. braided dacron. All it does is take up space on the arbor. I have never had a Lake Erie steelhead pull an entire length of fly line out, and into the backing in over 30 years.
Setting up your rod properly will help you enjoy fly fishing much more, without fighting it all day.


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