[ColinC]

Are the uber (£££) reels worth the extra pennies and what benefit do they bring to your fly fishing expierence?

[Sandy Nelson]

Colin

Think, alloy wheels for fly rods Do the same job, may improve performance due to weight/drags etc but generally its about the way it looks
its purely down to personal choice. I love them

Sandy

[Mike Barrio]

Yes, I'm with Sandy on this one ...... fly reels are very much like alloy wheels on a car

You can get from A to B perfectly well with a set of bog standard steel wheels, but your personal choice of a nice set of alloys will be pleasing on the eye, which has the benefit of helping to make driving your car that little bit more enjoyable

Best wishes
Mike

[Rob Brownfield]

But the question still is not answered..are they worth the money

I can think of one reel that retails for £5000. At the end of the day its just a machined piece of metal with a set of bearings, all done using Cad and CNC, very very little "human" input...

Richard Carter makes (made) his reels from scratch, hand drilling everything, not a single part of the reel was "machine made" as such..and they retailed at £500. Secondhand they are going for £2500+

[Irvine Ross]

Colin

If you are asking, will a £500 trout reel gives 5 times better performance and durability than a £100 trout reel, then that's doubtful. Will it make you 5 times happier? Only you can say.

Any shiny new toy is "worth" what someone is prepared to pay for it. As they have parted with their cash they have made the decision for themselves that it is worth the price. What you have got to ask yourself is "is it worth that much to me?". Only you can answer that one.

Irvine

[Dave Gordon]

I bought a cascapedia, a reel i very much enjoy using, to celebrate a promotion in work. I like it and enjoy using it, so as such it adds to my fishing experience. I catch so few salmon that anything that adds to the experience is good.

Certainly a rattly damaged one would take away from the experience

just my thoughts

Dave

[Andy Wren]

I have a set of wee marquises for my trout nand grayling, some Viscounts for ressers and seatrout ,then a couple of big Marquisses for salmon .
not high end hardys but they will out last me and they do a fine job .
Also use a lot of 1950s and 60s reels made around Redditch ,all medium priced in there days but servicable and do the job
a few system2s and some BFRs and thats my 30 + reels
all do the job !
Were I to fish exotics that ran and ran I might want sto a train drags and large arbours ,but looks like I am a UK based fisher for the next few years and what I have there will do the job ,very very well !

[Sandy Nelson]

Richard Carter makes (made) his reels from scratch, hand drilling everything, not a single part of the reel was "machine made" as such..and they retailed at £500. Secondhand they are going for £2500+

But the question still is not answered..are they worth the money

Like Irvine says, something is always worth what someone is willing to pay for it.
Only you can decide that. It was a long time before i bought a high end reel, but i have 3 now.
2 were bought for purpose (Drag and durability) and 1 was bought because it was the lightest one i could find
and i loved the design Just a tart i'm afraid

Cheers

Sandy

[ColinC]

cheers for the views guys

[paavo]

It’s not big money in my reels. I’ll like the design and I’m little bit vain. 

//Harri

[Bell_James]

Hi everyone!

I'm James and I will start fly-fishing this year. I already bought some equipment but especially the range of  fly fishing reels is confusing me...  ???
One of my mates recommended Z-Reels, but before buying one I'd just like to make sure that it is the right choice..  
Does anyboby know Z-Reels? Any experience? Any comments? Anybody knows where I can buy them in the UK?
Thanks for your help..  

James

[Mike Barrio]

Hi James
Welcome to the forum

I haven't used a z-reel, they look very nice. If you are just starting fly fishing this year, you might consider a more economical reel for your first set up and get a good quality fly rod, fly line and some casting lessons. The money spent on casting lessons will help to make your first few years of fly fishing so much more enjoyable!

Best wishes
Mike

[Iain Goolager]

Each to their own but for me if it's;

Reliable
Large arbor'd
Sleek - it's got to be cosmetically good (it would never be ones choice to buy a bucket of a car - only financial)
Good Drag'd
Silent - must be quiet, I would never buy a reel that couldn't be silenced (just a a personal thing)
Light

then I don't see any reason not to buy it.

Cassette type reels for around the £50 are what I'd advise newcomers to buy - as they're reasonably cheap & reliable. I'm currently stocking my Scierra IC3, which I still think is a decent reel, with varying density lines for big boy fishing.

Happy Hunting
Iain