Is an Automatic Fly Fishing Reel Worth the Trouble?

Somewhere in the 1960’s someone decided to find a solution to retrieving fly fishing line. The time consuming effort of pulling your line was replaced with the automatic fly fishing reel. An automatic fly fishing reel usually has no handle and can easily retrieve your line. However this is merely in theory.

There are some things you should take into consideration when deciding if an automatic fly fishing reel is for you. The first automatic reels went out of fashion after many felt they were too heavy to bother with. Modern automatic reels have improved but some fly fishing enthusiasts will steer clear of them.

Weight Considerations

Despite technological improvements many feel that the automatic fly fishing reel is still heavy. If you need to transport your fly fishing reels a lot then this might be something you need to take into consideration. These are probably not a great starter reel for young children either.

If you would still like to go ahead and use an automatic fly fishing reel then look for a good one. A good way to do this would be to look at a fly fishing reel review or two. This will allow you to see what other anglers are saying about the reels you are considering. Stay away from any type of cheap automatic fly fishing reel, this is sure to frustrate you.

Cautionary Use

One area of fly fishing that you rarely see the automatic fly fishing reel is seawater fly fishing. This is because the bigger fish that sea fly fishing involves cannot be reeled in well with an automatic fly fishing reel. It is best to use a manual reel if you intend to go sea fly fishing. You risk losing a great catch if you decide not to use a manual reel when sea fly fishing.

Some serious fly fishermen will tell you to stay away from the automatic fly fishing reel because it does not have the ideal drag. What this means is that you cannot completely control the speed at which you can reel in a fish. This can be a problem for serious fishermen.

However if you are still keen on buying an automatic fly fishing reel than there is shortage of supply. Automatic reels are readily available at any store that sells fishing equipment. You can also purchase an automatic reel online. Just remember that an automatic reel is not for every occasion and is probably best suited to smaller fish.