Reel Dimensions For Creek Rods

Pairing up a rod and reel for small stream fishing has many considerations and is mostly a matter of personal taste by the fly fisher. I have evolved through the years about which reel diameters I prefer for my rod and reel pairings. I used to fish fly reels with rim diameters that were less than three inches. That was pretty much the norm for everyone about fifteen years ago, because their reels had standard arbors. Today, I like a 3" diameter reel for my 2wt and 3wt rods...the proportions seem more appealing to me now, and I can load a bit more backing in the reel as well. Like all things in life, our preferences evolve.

That 3" reel preference comes with a caveat, though. That's my preference for pairing a reel to classic fly rods that are 7'6" or shorter. For modern lightweight rods, I prefer a larger diameter reel with a large arbor and significant porting. To my eye, a large arbor reel with a diameter that is 3 1/8 to 3 1/4 inches seems appropriate. And, makes for a very lightweight rod/reel combination. Remember, we're talking about creek rods here.

Fishing my small streams actually do not require much of a drag because the average wild trout is only 8 to 10 inches, with an occasional 14" trophy. Yeah, the drag is nice when the rare heavy trout latches on to my line. Still though, a click/pawl reel has plenty of drag for these mountain creeks of mine. Truth is, I use both click/pawl reels and adjustable drag reels on small streams, even though I don't really need an adjustable drag...they both work fine and is no big deal which one I choose when heading out of the door for some fly fishing.

Click on photo for larger view

Top Photo: Bauer SST3 reel with sealed, adjustable disc drag.

Middle Photo: Sage Click reel with adjustable clicker drag.

Bottom Photo: Trutta Perfetta reel with non-adjustable click/pawl drag.