Fly Fisherman's 2025 Gear Guide Best New Freshwater Reel: Seigler LF & CF

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A few years ago Wes Seigler developed saltwater reels with a lever that allowed you to quickly disengage the drag or quickly reengage the drag and return to a precise and previously determined drag setting. Allow me to explain: Let’s say you are tarpon fishing in Florida, running from spot to spot in a skiff. Each time you stand up on the bow, you’ll need to strip out line but you don’t want to pull against the drag. On a standard reel you have to use the drag knob to release the drag. When you have enough line out, you turn up the drag in an attempt to get back to the right setting. Seigler reels still have a drag knob but they also have a lever, which allows you to instantly disengage the drag, strip out line, and then flip the lever to quickly return to the previous drag setting. It’s helpful when you just staked up, and a string of tarpon is rapidly approaching—or in any situation where speed and a precise drag setting are essential.

People fell in love with these finely crafted and machined reels, and freshwater fishermen were constantly asking Seigler to create a reel for them. For trout fishermen, pulling line against the drag isn’t a huge problem because we don’t use 20-pound-test tippet and 15 pounds of drag. But when I’m streamer fishing or drifting big nymphs in the spring, my drag is turned up high to promote a quick and healthy release. I always release the drag when I strip out line, and the lever on the new Seigler LF and CF makes it simple and fast. I rarely have to mess with the drag knob. The LF ($550, shown here) has a lightweight ported spool. The CF ($400) has a closed, solid frame and still weighs less than 8 ounces. They both have a drag range of 1 to 6 pounds, a spool width of 0.80", and a spool diameter of 3.25" that is perfect for 5- and 6-weight trout rods.

$400-$550 | tridentflyfishing.com

To read all of the nitty gritty, field-tested reviews of new fly-fishing gear for 2025, grab a copy of Gear Guide 2025 at https://www.osgnewsstand.com/product/ff-gear-guide-2025.

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