Best Fly Fishing Reels of 2026

A drag rated to 9.07 kg on a reel that does not cost like a machined big-game reel is exactly why the Behemoth is here. The carbon fiber stack does the work, and it comes on smoothly rather than in steps — which is what you want when a fish makes its third run and your tippet is 3X. That is the part of this reel worth paying for.

Where the money did not go is the frame. It is die-cast rather than machined, which is how Redington keeps the cost down, and at 10.4 ounces it is a reel for a 7- or 8-weight rod: it balances a longer, heavier rod nicely and feels like a paperweight on a 4-weight. The deep V-spool swallows 200 yards of 20-pound backing, so a running fish has somewhere to go.

The weak point in a hard knock is the handle, which is the part that has let go, and a die-cast frame will ding where a machined one would not. That is a fair trade for the price and the lifetime warranty, and it is why this one belongs in a boat bag rather than loose in the bed of a truck. Where the Zero is a specialist's light-touch reel, the Behemoth is built to be leaned on.

A spring-loaded clicker presses against the spool on the Zero, giving resistance on a running fish and the sound most of us associate with small trout water. You slow a hot fish by palming the rim or letting it run, which is a technique rather than a handicap once you are used to it.

At 5.6 ounces it is the lightest reel in this guide, and on a 4-weight that is the difference between a rod that feels like a wand and one that feels like a tool. We like it best on the water it was built for: short casts, tight cover, fish that never take 60 feet of line. The soft-touch twin handle is a small thing that turns out to matter at the end of a long day.

The practical detail we appreciate most is the push-button quick-change spool, which lets you move to a sink-tip without respooling in the rain. Capacity is 100 yards of 20-pound backing, plenty for the trout rivers this reel suits, and the die-cast body keeps it well below the Behemoth on price. Cast a light rod with it once and the appeal is obvious: the reel mostly stays out of the way.

What arrives in the box is the whole point of this one. The spool comes loaded with orange backing, a moss green weight-forward floating line and a 9-foot 5X tapered leader, looped and ready to tie on. For anyone who has stood in a fly shop trying to match a line to a reel, that is worth paying a little more for.

Under the line it is a 6061-T6 machined frame with a disc drag and a one-way clutch, at 125 grams. Machined frames usually seat a spool more tightly than die-cast ones, and this one lives up to that; the drag comes on smoothly rather than in a grab. The moss-and-gunmetal color scheme is the one styling choice here that might divide people.

As a first outfit, or a gift for someone who wants to be fishing rather than shopping, this is the least fiddly route in the guide. Compared with the Sword you pay a bit more and give up some drag headroom and a little weight savings; compared with the Tino you get a machined frame and a step up in line weight for bigger water. For a 5-weight trout rod, that is a fair trade.

The Tino is aimed at the person who has just bought a first rod and does not want to learn about backing, tapers and loop knots before their first trip. It shows up spooled with a weight-forward floating line, backing and a tapered leader on a CNC-cut aluminum frame, which makes it the least expensive complete setup in this guide.

The rest of the design is more than starter-kit. The large arbor picks up line quickly, the Teflon and stainless disc drag comes on smoothly, and the one-way bearing flips the retrieve from left to right in about 30 seconds without tools — handy when somebody else picks up the rod.

At 4.17 inches across and 3 inches deep it drops into a jacket pocket, and the 3/4 size suits the light rods it is meant for: small-stream trout, panfish, the kind of creek where you cast 20 feet and strip line by hand. It is the reel we put on a pack rod and forget about until a fish takes.

A graphite frame is how this reel stays light and stays inexpensive. The molded body will not corrode, which matters for a reel that lives in a wet vest pocket between trips, and the fit and finish reads closer to metal than the material suggests.

The drag is a central disc with a one-way bearing: silent on the retrieve, with a clicker on the outgoing run so you hear a fish taking line. Behind a WF3F line there is room for 60 meters of backing, more than most small creeks ask for, and the large-arbor spool keeps the whole package compact on a light rod.

As a second reel, a backup, or a first reel on a kid's rod, we think it earns its place: quiet, light and smooth enough that you stop thinking about it. It is the lightest-duty reel here, and that is the trade you are making for the price.

Sand is the enemy of an open drag, and the SF005 is the only reel in this guide with a sealed, dust-proof drag. If your fishing involves beach approaches, gravel bars or a lot of kneeling in the shallows, that seal is the feature you are buying.

It is also light for its line class at 132 grams, with a hard-anodized 6061 frame, a neoprene case and a two-year warranty. We came away thinking of it as the travel reel of the group: the one that goes in a duffel without a second thought and does not mind a bit of grit. The small audible report on the outbound run is a nice touch when you are watching a fish rather than the spool.

The 5/6/7 sizing gives some flexibility if you are between rods, and the gunmetal finish is the most subdued here. Where it sits in the lineup: a step up in sealing and finish from the Sword, without the Zero's specialist appeal or the Behemoth's drag.