There are now fly reels to cater for just about every situation the game fisherman will encounter. Irrespective of cost most fly reels fall into 3 categories.

Standard reels with a check
These are basic reels that do not have a proper drag or handbrake, but usually have a simple ratchet system to provide some form of resistance to prevent overrun. If you mainly play fish by hand lining, a standard reel is fine..The reel should be about half filled with backing line then the fly line attached so that when correctly installed the fly line is approx 3-4 mm from the spool rim. Such reels typically cost between £10-£50.

Standard reels with a drag
These are reels that have some form of drag mechanism which is essentially an adjustable handbrake. The idea is that the tension or braking effect can be adjusted so that you are able to play with a fish from the reel thereby applying the correct amount of pressure to the fish in order to wear him down and at the same time stop the line over running and causing tangle It is important that the drag [tension] be adjusted correctly - if the braking effect is too severe, the fish could easily snap the tippet which is usually the weakest link.

Large Arbor Reels
These are a relatively recent variation in that the center spindle of the spool has been greatly enlarged
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