# Anti-reverse fly reels?



## Loogie (Jul 24, 2019)

Anti reverse reels work great on gamefish that will pull a lot of line out on a regular basis. I use one on my 10wt chasing Bonita in Harkers Island, works very well. I have also used it on big schooling Redfish in Destin. Its nice not having to worry about the reel hitting you when the line is spooling out.


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## mro (Jan 24, 2018)

I used AR Fin Nor in the seventies.
Only reels I've sold as they were (to me) not that great a reel but got most of my money back. Pull your line out then adjust the drag, then adjust again when fighting the fish.

I wound up over the years with a small collection of Ross Big Game reels. Like their rim and drag.


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## jsnipes (May 1, 2011)

because they aren't fly fishing


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## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

Gonna take a flip side approach from Loogie. To me the only time I would consider using an anti-reverse reel is on a fish that isn't going to pull back much. I want to know when I am cranking the handle that line is absolutely being gained.

As for the handle spinning. Same thing with guys who don't like braid/gsp backing because its thin and can cut them. Learn the correct way to fight fish and neither of these is an issue.


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## MRichardson (May 27, 2010)

Having to worry about breaking a knuckle is part of the fun.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

More moving parts to break


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## Loogie (Jul 24, 2019)

ifsteve said:


> Gonna take a flip side approach from Loogie. To me the only time I would consider using an anti-reverse reel is on a fish that isn't going to pull back much. I want to know when I am cranking the handle that line is absolutely being gained.
> 
> As for the handle spinning. Same thing with guys who don't like braid/gsp backing because its thin and can cut them. Learn the correct way to fight fish and neither of these is an issue.


I don't mind the handles spinning, and just because I use an anti reverse a few times doesn't mean I dont know how to fight a fish with a normal reel. I was just trying to provide some advantages of the reel. BTW if you do use an anti reverse like an STH, you can tell immediately when the fish is pulling line out and your are cranking, it generates a different sound on purpose.


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## WeeHooker (Aug 26, 2016)

I bought into the anti reverse concept for SW fishing in the NE back in the 90's when I got started. ( Orvis, Valentine and another that escapes me right now.) It seemed to make allot of sense. However, I quickly learned that (for me) they were overly heavy and VERY awkward as compared to my other traditional reels. I also learned that (again, for me) the direct feedback received from holding the reel handle was lost. Lastly, It seemed to dull that direct connection with the fight .
I sold those reels off in favor of traditional reels after a two year experiment and don't feel the need to ever go back. IMHO, if they have a place, it isn't in any type of fishing I've encountered.
hth


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## Scrather (Mar 12, 2018)

Thanks for the replies guys. Pretty much what I thought, Smack’s comment on more moving parts makes me think it is not a reel you want to be far from civilization with. Weightwise the STH I have isn’t bad at all, and for the species I mainly fish for, stripers and bluefish, they are not really going to smoke a drag. I’m looking forward to catching something on it.


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## mro (Jan 24, 2018)

The old Fin Nors AR's were just as reliable as any other reel and I never had a warranty while my all time favorite reel ((Ross big game) ( #4, one of 5 Ross reels)) something came loose in the drag which just ended the drag from working. Having a very good "exposed" spool I didn't bother swapping it out till the next day fishing.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

Back in the day (I believe the mid 90's somewhere around there), I had a couple of high end STH's (Cortland had picked up that brand for U.S. sales) since I like the idea that they offered a reel, boasting performance, but for way less money than the big boys. I did look at the AR reels but never picked one up. But bottom line was... They didn't hold up well for the long term as far as corrosion resistance goes.

I've never owned an AR but had tried the Billy Pate and the Fin Nor (even one that was a multiplier reel, increasing line pick up with gearing) with people who came to fish with me. I originally thought it was a great idea, but observed that people took longer getting a poon to the boat with them over a direct drive reel. So one day I had the prilviage to talk to Stu about that very subject and he even endorsed the one that STH had come up with, but he confided that you couldn't put as much heat on the fish as you could with the normal DD reels. So he almost always used a DD reel on his rigs. That's why you would see him wearing a garden glove on his right hand (his reeling hand). Because even tho you may have developed great dexterity in letting go for the handle, that knob may still get your knuckles every once in a while, (aside from using the glove to reduce the heat of having to palm the spool so much, which today, the better drags help to solve those problems).

As far as the STH reels goes, then best ones were their "Lever Drag" reels and tthe one they called the "SALT" which both had fine drags for inshore species and was better at anti-crossion than some of their other reels.

Getting back to the AR drag reels. What I've observed back then was they were heavier than normal reels. Also, there is the advantage of directly putting lots of pressure on a large fish by pointing the rod at the fish, winding down on him with full force, 1:1 direct drive with no drag slippage, then holding the reel spool while the rod was still pointed at the fish, with rod butt up against your hip and then rotating/torquing your to the side, using only the rod butt to pull the fish at you (again, with no drag slippage). You could never do that with an AR reel because the reel's drag would give at the applied setting you parked the drag at. In other words, you could do the same movement as I explained above, but the drag will just give at that setting, so you couldn't put any more pressure on the fish than what the drag was set at, as you wind down on the fish.

It probably is fine for normal saltwater inshore species or salmon where that is not as important and a little drag release here and there is no big deal. But remember, it's mainly a crutch for having good dexterity on releasing the handle when needed, giving the rod some to the fish to give you a chance to do so and feeling that direct contact to the fish (which, IMO, enhances the whole experience). But nevertheless, IMO, it's not great for large species (i.e. tarpon, tuna, billfish, etc), if the object is getting them in quickly for a harm-free release, as oppose to over exhausting them into defeat and risking a successful release.

Ted Haas


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

Years and years ago those anti-reverse fly reels (also called slip clutch reels) were referred to as "doctor's reels" and were recommended for anyone that had to take particular care of their hands (surgeons, professional musicians, etc.). These days, since they were never the big sellers that direct drive reels were... there are some new samples still on the market occasionally (particularly the Billy Pate AR models...).

Everything that backwater said about them is true - but with a bit of work you could learn to reach inside one to lock down on that spool when pulling hard on a fish to get the same effect as a direct drive reel... 

Whenever someone brings one of those old slip clutch reels on my skiff I figure I'm dealing with someone that might have forgotten more about fly fishing than I'll ever learn (some of my anglers are in their eighties...).


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## Sabalon (Aug 16, 2016)

I like them and use a Billy Pate 
Tarpon as a bonefish setup. 

However, when a bonefish turns back and heads toward the boat, I can’t reel it as fast to take up the slack. Reel diameter is too small and line pickup is lacking.

I’ve pretty much switched to all oversize reels now because of this...and all direct drive.


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