Trout Fly Reel Reviews
Most trout reels never actually fight the fish. The drag is almost irrelevant when you're playing a 14-inch brown. But that doesn't mean your trout reel doesn't matter. Weight, balance, arbor size for quick line retrieval, and build quality all affect how your outfit feels over a long day on the water. And when you do hook the fish of a lifetime, the big wild rainbow that makes a three-run downstream sprint, you'll be glad you chose a reel with a smooth, reliable drag and enough backing.
60+ trout reels tested across the full price spectrum - from entry-level to heirloom-grade - with consistent evaluation criteria so the comparisons are actually useful. Full reviews below.
Lamson Litespeed IV #2 Fly Reel Review
Spoiler alert. We've given away the punch line. The Lamson Litespeed IV is th...
Redington Rise II 5/6 Fly Reel Review
Redington is well known for making great value-priced products, including gre...
Galvan Rush Light Fly Reel Review
Ask and you shall receive. You wanted to see how Galvan reels stack up, and a...
Lamson Guru 2.0 Fly Reel Review
The Lamson Guru fly reel has long been the entry point for made in the USA qu...
Ross F1 #2 Fly Reel Review
Based in Montrose, Colorado, Ross is one of the world's leading fly reel manu...
Ross Evolution LT Fly Reel Review
The Ross Evolution LT. It's one of our best sellers. It's become a modern cla...
Ross Animas Fly Reel Review
One of the two exciting reel launches from Mayfly Outdoors is the Ross Animas...
Galvan Torque T-5 Fly Reel Review
When we published our 8-weight shootout, the two comments we got most of all ...
Orvis Mirage III Fly Reel Review
Love them or hate them, Orvis makes a lot of really great products. The Helio...
TFO BVK II Fly Reel Review
When most people think TFO, they think about fly rods. More specifically, the...
Sage 2250 Fly Reel Review
We loved Sage's 1880. While not the prettiest reel, it virtually re-defined e...
Sage 4250 Fly Reel Review
Sage is undoubtedly one of fly fishing's iconic brands. While they're mostly ...
Nautilus FWX 5/6 Fly Reel Review
The Nautilus FWX is the little brother to the much-loved NVG. The so-called '...
Hatch 4 Plus Fly Reel Review
Hatch. One of the finest reel makers in the business. We know this, not becau...
Bozeman RS325 Fly Reel Review
This job is a lot of fun. We get to try out a lot of exciting new gear, and t...
Abel Super 4N Fly Reel Review
It should come as no surprise by now that classic reels don't perform as well...
Orvis Hydros Large Arbor Fly Reel Review
By now you know that we like Orvis products. The high-end Mirage did very wel...
Sage Domain Fly Reel Review
Sage has marketed its new Sage Domain as "Marrying tradition with advanced de...
Hardy DD Fly Reel Review
Hardy has been building fly reels for nearly a century. Reels like the Hardy ...
Cheeky Ambush 375 Fly Reel Review
When we test the Cheeky Mojo in our 8-weight Shootout, it was one of the firs...
23 articles