Merwin on Large Arbor Fly Reels

In this issue of Field & Stream, John Merwin writes on the advantages of large arbor reels

. “Fly reels designed for trout fishing have been essentially unchanged since 1874, when Charles Orvis patented the first American ventilated, narrow-spool model. Sure, a few advances have come along, such as palming rims, better metals and machining, and more sophisticated drags.”