Choosing A Saltwater Fly Fishing Reel 2021

Choosing a saltwater fly fishing reel can be challenging. The choices seem to be endless and new manufacturers are popping up every year. I want to be able to help my guests and other anglers navigate through the maze of reels and simplify the process based on my experiences. This guide is aimed at Saltwater Fly Fisherman to be better educated at choosing the right reel that fists the demands that saltwater and saltwater species put on fly fishing reels. Saltwater fly fishing reels can be a pricey investment and I hope this article helps you choose a reel that will put the fish of a lifetime in hand! The reels mentioned in this article are reels that I have used personally and have been tested in saltwater.

There are two types of saltwater fly reels, Sealed drag and an unsealed drag.

Sealed Drag

Most manufacturers offer sealed drags. Hatch, Orvis, Ross, Nautilus, and Sage, are sealed drag systems. A sealed drag boasts low maintenance, a quick rinse after use on the water and they should last forever. Very rarely can the seal be damaged thus resulting in a failed drag. If that happens, the mentioned reel manufacturers will fix them under warranty.

The drag system is located inside a housing that is sealed off from the elements. Saltwater is not supposed to able penetrate the system. The drag works by using carbon drag discs that are pressed or sandwiched together when the angler tightens the drag.

*Changing retrieve from left hand to right hand can be difficult and can break the manufacturers seal. Always check with the manufacturer before trying to change the retrieve. It can void some warranties.

sealed drag discs

Unsealed or cork drag

When discussing unsealed drags for saltwater fly fishing it is important to note that these reels are designed specifically for saltwater use. There are plenty of unsealed drags (think “click and pawl”) that are not suited for saltwater use. Always check manufacturers recommendation. The unsealed drags that are saltwater specific have a cork drag system, commonly seen in Abel and Tibor reels. This drag system has been time tested and it works well.

The benefits of a cork drag system is its simplicity, smoothness, and easy do it yourself maintenance. You generally don’t have to send this reel back to the manufacturer if something breaks, its a simple system that requires simple tools.

*Changing retrieve from left hand to right hand is very simple with these reels, usually only requiring a Phillips head screwdriver. Manufactures usually have instructions on their websites.

Cork Drag Discs

The cork drag system works by using a pull bar that spans the width of the reel to pull the spool closer to the face of the cork when the drag knob is tightened. Cork drags systems tend to be smoother and less “jumpy” than their sealed drag counterparts. It’s not uncommon to see older Abel and Tibor Reels working flawlessly, even after 30 years of saltwater abuse.

The only downside to cork drag reels is that they tend to be a bit heavier and bulky do having to house the cork. The newer Abel Super Series reels have done a good job of slimming and lightening up the reel while keeping a bulletproof drag

UNderstanding reel size and arbor size

You would hate to show up for a Tarpon trip with an undersized reel, and equally so, you probably wouldn’t want to cast all day at bonefish with a reel the size of your head. Most anglers can easily differentiate the size of the reel they need based on species and rod weight, but there are some things that should be taken into consideration especially when it comes to tarpon fishing

If you’re going to spend the day blind casting for tarpon in mangroves and tannic water it might be in your best interest to look for a lighter reel. Casting with a heavy reel all day is exhausting and can definitely strain your arm and make the rest of your trip painful. Lighter reels like the Nautilus NV-G are a great sealed drag option to keep your arm happy.

On the other hand, if you’re going to be sight fishing to giant tarpon on the ocean or in the back country you’ll probably not be casting all day and having the largest reel and arbor you can find makes life really easy when you need to pick up a lot of line quickly and it makes fighting fish much easier. A Tibor Signature 11-12 or Tibor Pacific makes fighting big fish more manageable.

A quick note about fly reel arbor. The arbor of a fly reel is the diameter of the spool where the line is attached. The bigger the arbor, the faster the rate of retrieval of line. There are three sizes of arbor, small, medium, and large. Most modern saltwater reels fall under large arbor, and every reel mentioned in this article has a large arbor.

THE BEST SALTWATER REELS BY MOON CAST ANGLERS