Poll time,what reel do you own and why?

[Fishing Jill]

I've got a few favorites. Price wise these are definitely lower end but they work for me. They are all in the 4/5 weight range.
Shakespeare 1094 - came with a combo. Good basic and solid reel.
Okuma Tempest - excellent little reel that I bought a few years ago. Possibly my favorite reel. Very, very smooth movement.
Orvis Clearwater - very dependable reel that has taken a beating from granite, gravel, sand, water, and me. Holds up well.
Cabela's Premier Prestige II - my newest reel. Bought it because it has an enclosed mechanism that won't collect gravel, something the other reels tend to do. It's empty until I buy some new line but it may end up in a tie with the Tempest for favorite reel.

[tedshuck]

I'm with planetrout, the Tibor Tailwater for rods 4-6 wt. It's light, sturdy and has the best light drag setting of any reel I have used.

Ted

[Big Bad Wulff]

It was on the combo I bought. I've come to think of a fly rod reel as a place to roll up the line when I'm done fishing and little more. Had some nice ones. Can't say they "performed" any better because the fishing I do does not require use of the reel as anything more than a spool to hold the line.

[bobbyg]

I really like my Heddon 125 Imperial's. I fish them on my cane rods all of the time. If I were to break out a plastic rod I would use a Bauer.

The Imperials are super reels. Do you own the one with the gunmetal finish and the circular lineguard?

[Utah David]

Big Bad Wulff and I are pretty much on the same page. I have yet to find a reel that isn't serviceable for the fishing I do, regardless of price, material, or design. And like him, I've "had some nice ones". (And I believe I still do.)

I only own two reel designs anymore, though I do have different sizes/models of them: Hardy Perfects (including the Bougles) and Hatch Finatics.

For me those two represent the very best in traditional and modern reels. But the Perfects are truly the reels I love. Not because they perform any better. It's purely an aesthetic and functional issue for me, as I love the looks of the Perfects and I've used them for so long that my hand instinctively knows where to go to put finger pressure on the spool. With any other reel design, I'm all screwed up, and have to "think" about what I'm doing should the need arise to add some drag. Being rather "heavy for their capacity/size, and coupled with my propensity to use the smallest reel I can, they also happen to balance really well with the rods I seem to fish more and more these days: Bamboo.

---David

[Chuck S]

My list includes: Pflueger Medalists, a P&K Retreev-it, Shakespeare 1822 Autos, Rim Flys, a Dam Finessa, A Waterworks P-1, a Cortland Vista, a couple Daiwa Lochmor with the standard arbor/click pawl, a Couple M series Bauers, an Abel Super 7, a couple SA System 2 and 1s, and likely a few more here and there I've forgotten or stored. Of these, I find I am more and more gravitating to click pawl or a modified click with drag such as the Medalists and SA System 2's have. Of paramount importance is lightness to me and on all of my five weight and below outfits, you'll find very light reels such as the Vista, the Lochmors, Rim Flys and the pricey P-1. I do like special purpose reels and for farm pond or pram fishing for bass the old Auto reels are hard to beat while the semi-auto P&K is in that realm also. When I get into Carp fishing mode, I opt for the SA Sys 2, the Dam, the Bauers, or the Abel as a bit of smooth drag does wonders. The same goes for big Bows, Steelhead and other freshwater critters that can put a run on you. Interesting thread and good comments all! As a side note, I've owned one or more reels from every manufacturer listed here plus a few more but have always traded, sold and bought far too often. I'm currently looking for another Heddon Daisy, Ocean City, or similar nice solid sided reel to put on a custom bamboo a friend made for us.

[CaseyP]

Ross Rhythm, because i can take it apart and get the sand/muck out with one hand, and keep the fish on the hook with the other hand.

for some reason, i drop my rod a lot when unhooking fish, and a lot of stuff gets into the reel. it's hard to get it all out, and the last little grain of sand will show up at the worst of times!

[gadabout]

I like traditional click-and-pawl reels for freshwater. An Orvis CFO III is my main trout reel but I also use Pflueger Medalists and a Martin MC56.

I like them because they are simple, reliable, and they look, feel, and sound like a fly reel is supposed to, to my way of thinking. No yuppified ferris wheels for me, thank you.

[Prairieschooner]

... No yuppified ferris wheels for me, thank you.

(10 characters.)

[stevehaun]

redington rs2 - one 5/6 wt, three 7/8 wt, and one 9/10 wt. I think they are about the best compromise between quality and price. You can pay "much more" but you won't get "much more" reel. Medium arbor and disc drag. Very durable. YMMV.