Fly reels are reels that were designed primarily for fishing with a fly. Anglers were fishing with flies long before reels are believed to have been commonly used. And anglers have likely been using reels while fly fishing for nearly 400 years. In the mid-1800s, fishing reel designs began to bifurcate along two pathways: reels that were better for casting a minnow and reels that were more suitable to present a fly. The earliest fly reels are single action; one turn of the handle drives a single spool rotation. Initially, large line capacity was not necessary as rods weren’t suitable for long casts. In 1870, only the best fly casters could get their lines out more than 40 feet. When fly fishing, an angler would typically pull line off of the reel and retrieve it by hand. Reels which had handles that did not extend beyond the reel frame were favored for fly fishing because the handles were less likely to tangle with the line. Reels which permitted line to easily drain and dry were also favored because early fly lines were susceptible to rot. In the late 1800s, as fly rods improved and longer casts could be achieved, line management became even more important. New fly reel designs developed to avoid excessive stray loose line, which could easily tangle when a fish was hooked. These included multiplying fly reels and spring-loaded automatic fly reels.
Fly Reel Parts
Single Action Fly Reels
The earliest reel that was likely designed primarily for fly fishing is Frederick Skinner’s Archimeidan reel, with a registered design in 1848. It has a handle knob attached directly to the shaft, avoiding the potential of line tangling with a crank arm. It also has large perforations in the spool to help line drain and dry more quickly.
Frederick Skinner’s Archimedian fly reel, made in England, has a handle knob attached directly to the shaft, avoiding the potential of line tangling with a crank arm. It also has large perforations in the spool to help line drain and dry more quickly. The design for this reel was registered in 1848.
William Billinghurst’s 1859-patented fly reel has a handle knob that is out of the way and a skeleton framework to accommodate line drying. It also has a relatively large diameter and can hold more line than the Archimedian. Seth Green, a record-setting distance caster, reportedly collaborated with Billinghurst for the reel design and routinely used Billinghurst reels.
During the mid-1800s, single-action reels with fixed (permanent) clicks, such as this early British brass reel, were preferred for fly fishing. The raised housing on the tail plate stores the click mechanism.
This early to mid-1860s nickel-silver click reel sold by Bradford of Boston was likely made by Frederick Vom Hofe. This reel is less than 2” in diameter and could not hold a lot of line. But most anglers were not casting long lines—if casting at all—while fly fishing.
The perforations in Charles Orvis’s 1874-patented fly reel helped drain and aerate fly line for drying.
Two circa-1880 fly reels with safety rims (outward lip on the front rim) to prevent line from tangling with the crank arm.
Many British fly fisherman, who accepted line-drying as an inherent part of their sport, favored brass reels with a cover plate over the spool, often called “Birmingham reels” after the city where many were initially made.
In the 1880s, large fly reels designed for Salmon fishing gained popularity. The top reel, made by Andrew Fowle for a New York sporting goods firm, Abbey & Imbrie, is similar to contemporary Scottish reels. The wooden frame reel was made by Charles Farlow, a major British tackle manufacturer and retailer.
Reels that have the foot parallel to spool faces are called side-mount reels. Side-mount single action fly reels were popular during the middle and late 1800s. These three reels were produced by Albert Pettengill in central New York State during the late 1890s. The first and third are sidemount reels and the middle reel has an “upright” spool orientation. The two fly reels, to the left, have fixed clicks. The third reel has a finger-controlled spring spool brake and would have doubled as a light trolling and fly reel.
This circa-1900 raised pillar, hard rubber and aluminum salmon reel has and adjustable check.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the Vom Hofe brothers made beautiful trout reels: an Edward Vom Hofe Peerless reel and a Julius Vom Hofe raised pillar fly reel with a screw-off handle.
B. F. Meek & Sons No. 44 nickel-silver fly reels were made from 1900 until 1914. It is the only model of fly reel ever produced by this renowned Kentucky reel manufacturer, although collectors note there were three distinct versions of this reel.
This 1910-patented, nickel-silver trout reel had a three-position lever on the tail plate that allowed an angler to easily select a heavy drag, a click check or neither.
From the late 1890s to the 1930s, lightweight and affordable, skeleton-framed reels were popular among fly fishermen. Note the similarity in design and finish of the Pflueger Progress and Diamond Brand reels.
Introduced in 1929, the Pflueger Medalist series all have spools that can be easily changed and sturdy check and drag systems. They have remained a favorite of fly anglers for nearly 100 years. The Gayle Simplicity reels typically sold for under a dollar during the Depression, helping to make fly fishing on a tight budget attainable. Gayle advertisements advised the angler that the reels could also be used for casting.
Precisionbilt’s post-WWII 3” diameter Mosquito and 3.5” diameter Silver Moth both had transparent covers, selectable clicks and adjustable drags.
Both the late 1980s STH Cayuga cassette reel and Hardy JLH Ultralite are lightweight, have palming rims, and have designs that facilitate quick line changes in the field.
Aesthetics are important to many fly anglers. This circa-1890 brass and white metal platewind British fly reel was beautifully engraved by master gun and reel detailer Frank Conroy around 2003.
