How it works
A fly reel is one of the simplest reels: a spool turning in a frame. The first view shows it whole from both sides; the second shows it apart, with the drag inside.
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Outside first, then inside
Numbers 1 to 5 are on the whole reel. On the left is the spool with its handle and, at the center, the spool release. On the right is the other side: the frame and the drag knob. Numbers 6 to 8 are on the reel taken apart. The back of the spool shows the arbor, the wide ring the backing and line are wound onto. Inside the frame are the disc drag and, beside it, the click and pawl.
- Frame or spool? The spool is the part that turns and comes off; the frame stays on the rod.
- The drag knob is outside the reel. The drag itself is inside.
Questions and answers
What are the parts of a fly reel?
A frame and a spool that turns in it. The spool has an arbor at its center and a handle on its face. Outside are two controls, the spool release and the drag knob; inside are the drag and often a click and pawl.
What is the arbor on a fly reel?
The center part of the spool. Backing is wound onto it first and the fly line after. A large-arbor reel has a wide spool, which takes line in faster.
What does the drag do on a fly reel?
It resists the spool when a fish pulls line off the reel, which slows and tires the fish. A disc drag does this by pressing discs together, and the drag knob sets how hard.
What is a click-and-pawl fly reel?
A reel in which a small pawl rides over a toothed wheel and clicks as the spool turns. It keeps the spool from overrunning when line is pulled off, and gives a light drag.
How is a fly reel different from a spinning reel?
A fly reel is simpler and has far fewer parts. It is a single-action reel: one turn of the handle turns the spool once. It has no bail and no line roller.