What is the best trout fly reel ever made?

[troutchaser8]

What, in your opinion, is the best trout fly reel ever made?

[noreaster]

The one that lands me a good ole sea run brookie trout.
Seriously though, no idea.
I'm sure we'll hear from the Hardy's and the Orvis's.
I like my Allen, and my Bean large arbor's.
I used to use an ole Fennwick Blackhawk Graphite click and pawl. It was basically plastic; so no entry there.

[newby]

It's hard to classify what the "best" trout fly reel ever made is. Is it the one with the greatest top end drag? Considering the quarry is trout, you are unlikely to ever use the top end of a high quality reel's drag range.

Is it the one with the finest machining, the tightest tolerances? Or is it that sentimental and venerable old pflueger medalist that your father gave you?

Is it the reel series that has stood the test of time, and continues to be made? Or maybe the hot new model that was just introduced with industry leading technology?

Is it the reel that has the highest quality and most features for a reasonable price, or that pricy, finely machined, good looking Abel Super with the trout graphics?

To each his own, I know you asked for an opinion, but this is a tough question.

[imxer]

Have to say there probably is no "BEST".

Imxer

[itchmesir]

the best one is the one you feel you got the best bang for your buck for... it's a trout reel after all... like others said... not likely to test anything near the high end of the drag

[jaybo41]

I agree with the others that "best" is certainly going to be subjective. Subjective to our individual reel design preferences, weight, where we we fish and the size of the fish in the streams/rivers/bodies of water, price, rod pairings. I could go on and on. Just to get the conversation going, I'll bite.

My personal short list of the most ideal trout reels, in no particular order:

Hardy LRH Lightweight- Simplicity at it's finest, light weight, classic timeless look

Abel PT.5- Classic looks, solid build, outstanding machining, nice heavy balance.

Orvis CFO III-Simplicity at it's finest, light weight, classic timeless look

Galvan Standard-classic styling meets modern reel technology. It's a Galvan for cripes sake!

Hardy Perfect- Arguably one of the most iconic reels ever produced.

There are undoubtedly lots of other great options out there and I'm basing my list on personal favorites. I've seen or own all but a Perfect. Someday I'll change that.

For trout, some may argue that each of them is overkill depending on whom you ask. Those Tenkara guys fish without a reel.

[streamwalker]

For me the reel on my trout rod rarely gets used!! Ill opt for the good ole pointer finger and the left hand stripping in line(:

[Rip Tide]

The Pflueger Medalist
The single most popular fly reel of all time.

[moucheur2003]

It's a tie between the Hardy Lightweight series and the (English-made, not current) Orvis CFO series.

The Lightweights get the edge for sheer classic elegance, especially the older 2-screw line guard models.

The CFOs get the edge for utility, because they have a palming rim.

[jaybo41]

Originally Posted by moucheur2003

It's a tie between the Hardy Lightweight series and the (English-made, not current) Orvis CFO series.

The Lightweights get the edge for sheer classic elegance, especially the older 2-screw line guard models.

The CFOs get the edge for utility, because they have a palming rim.

Mr. Moucher, you bring up a good point that I missed about the CFO's. The palming ring. I love that about that series.