The Hardy Resonate fly reel, designed for trout, smallmouth and panfish, is lightweight, tough--and good looking enough to qualify as man jewelry. (Hardy)

You can fly fish without any reel at all if you fish most freshwater species including all the trout varieties, panfish and bass. Since these fish rarely or never strip line directly from the reel in eastern rivers, you just don’t need all that excess line or a reel to hold it except when you’re done for the day.

In fact, some guys have actually done away with their reels in fishing small streams—the “tenkara” school of fishing, which is basically cane-poling with a fly. (It’s a great exercise in stealth if you do it right, and an exercise in futility if you don’t.)

That’s why we now see a plethora of fly reels that look like they are man jewelry rather than fishing tools coming out in the fly fishing world, topped by the exquisite, just released Hardy Resonate, a metal spiderweb that looks more like the inside of a Swiss watch than a working reel. 

The Hatch Iconic Plus is a high end reel made in sizes large enough to take on the largest fish. It doesn't hurt that it looks good, too. (Hatch)

It’s only available for sizes 1-5 lines, which is definitely on the stream trout/panfish end of the flyfishing scale. For those species, you’re rarely going to cast more than 50 feet, and with the exception of an occasional lake run rainbow sneaking into a creek, you’re not going to need any backing on the fly line. 

The reels might be strong as a tank, but they look like a mayfly landing on the handle might do some damage—they’re definitely in the “man jewelry” end of the fishing tackle spectrum, the sort of thing you might set on your desk rather than keeping in the garage.

List on the Hardy Resonate is $330; www.HardyFishing.com. It’s far from being an “expensive” fly reel as these things go.

Reels for larger species cost a whole lot more. If you chase tarpon, kings, bull reds or big snook—or maybe even head offshore to try for a sailfish or a striped marlin—a considerably more muscular reel is called for.

The Mako 9700 is one of the highest priced fly reels on the market, designed to whip the largest of coastal gamefish. (Mako Reels)

However, you can get 10-12 weight reels designed to handle saltwater species, all the way up to tarpon, in man jewelry as well. 

For example, the Hatch Iconic 11 is about $1,100, has lots of eye appeal, and looks delicate even though it’s not. The Mako 9700 is a built-to-order gem, reportedly gator-tough, that lists for $2,600.

Of course, if you’re spending 10 grand on a giant trevalle trip in the Seychelles, the price of the reel won’t matter that much to you. (You can get almost the same buzz, though, by throwing to 30-pound jack crevalles about this time of year down in Choctawhatchee Bay, for a lot less.)

If you have the money and appreciate the art as well as the science of fishing gear, why not own some fishing bling? But if these fine reels are beyond your economic reach, you can get along just fine with much more affordable gear in the fly-fishing world.

— Frank Sargeant
Frankmako1@gmail.com