The Veteran Fly Fishing Reel

I really wanted a quality fly reel that wouldn’t break the bank. This reel checked all the boxes! Very smooth retrieve. I loved the drag on it. This was my first step up from a beginner’s level fly reel, and you can definitely tell the difference. Fantastic fly reel!

I like the smooth release of the line. The reel has such a smooth release that I had to make sure I still had the rod with me. The tensioner is easily adjusted and makes reeling in the big one easier. You won’t go wrong with this purchase.

Perfect 3 wt fly reel! Definitely getting a good reel for the price. The body seems to be a Aluminum and steel machined and does pop with the red on black. The drag system seems good and tight and loosens or holds with ease since it has the grip on the knob. The reels inside is squared off rather than inclined up like some other designs but I see no issue with that. It's a good little reel, seems will hold line just fine and looks good to boot. The knob is plastic but seems to be a tougher plastic, never had issues with these cracking or otherwise. Just remember to take care of your reel and oil it up every once in awhile and this will last a lifetime.

This fly reel hits a sweet spot where excellent design and quality are achieved at a fair price. It is easy to find boutique fly reels that cost 3x or more than this one, but they are not going to look or perform significantly better. This reel has a high quality anodized aluminum alloy construction, and impressive fit and finish. The drag is super smooth and adjustable. The 5/6 size reel was able to accommodate 100 yards of 20 lb. Dacron backing and a 6 weight forward fly line. The reel can be easily converted from left to right hand operation by removing one spring clip and flipping the sprag clutch located in the removable spool's hub. For the price, I can't say enough good things about this reel. I give it a strong buy recommendation.

I hope you find this review helpful.

Alrighty, so I'm a budget fly fisherman. We fly fishermen can be a snooty bunch so a lot of fly fishing gear is WAY out of my league. I ordered this reel (5/6) and figured I was going to take a step up from my current entry level Diawa. When it arrived I realized I had taken a quantum leap upward! Beautiful black finished aluminum with classy, functional, red anodized drag and spool release knobs. Now I actually have a legit, super-smooth drag that ranges infinitely to handle anything from bluegill in a pond up to small tuna/dorado in Baja. The drag itself is very smooth without any sudden release or or jerky movement under extended pull. Locally, I plan to fish steelhead, trout, smallmouth, and largemouth with this reel. What I'm really excited about is taking it down to Baja on my annual trip so I can put it to the test with peanut dorado and the ubiquitous black skipjack in the Sea of Cortez. To that end you can see in the photo that I already loaded it with a generous backing of 80# braid topped with a WF7F fly line. Yeah, I know I should have probably gone with the 7/8 for Baja but I'm not "scairt"! Thank you Perfect Hatch for a fantastic product at a price an "Average Joe" can afford. I'd give it six stars if I could!!!!