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.”