{"id":3373,"count":9,"description":"Saltwater fly reels represent one of the biggest segments of the specialty reels. Our test of saltwater reels for the specialty reel category required a lot of input from a host of testers. Nearly a dozen individuals committed significant time to this endeavor. A half-dozen reels were tested alongside a number of new saltwater rods.\r\n\r\nTo put the gear to work in the field, we recruited guides, salt-water junkies, novice anglers, and committed enthusiasts using reels from Sage, Orvis, Hardy, Pflueger, and others. A couple of the reels in the initial pool of candidates failed to make it to the final rounds of testing for failing some basic requirements (reliability being the big one). In the end, four new models \u2014 all fitted with a variety of 8-weight lines \u2014 made it through our testing processes.\r\n\r\nThe test team used these reels in a variety of locals and conditions. We fished for bonefish in Belize, Mahi Mahi in Hawaii, salmon and sea-run cutthroat in Puget Sound, and even bass and carp in the warm pothole lakes of Eastern Washington. We loaded the reels with floating lines as well as heavy sinking lines. We threw light surface poppers, weighted jigs, and bulky crab patterns and streamers. Each reel was fished for at least a week, though most got more use as the team forced themselves to \u201cwork\u201d diligently with the reels.\r\n\r\n\"\"","link":"https:\/\/gearinstitute.com\/fishing\/fly-reels\/specialty-fly-reels\/","name":"Specialty Fly Reels","slug":"specialty-fly-reels","taxonomy":"category","parent":3194,"meta":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe Best Specialty Fly Reels | Reviews and Buying Advice | Gear Institute<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Our experts extensively field-tested the best Specialty Fly Reels of the year and rated the best based on transparent, objective criteria. Here are the results.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gearinstitute.com\/fishing\/fly-reels\/specialty-fly-reels\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Best Specialty Fly Reels | Reviews and Buying Advice | Gear Institute\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Our experts extensively field-tested the best Specialty Fly Reels of the year and rated the best based on transparent, objective criteria. 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