Fly Reels
Best Fly Reels Under $100
At this price you can get a machined aluminum body. What you give up is drag sealing — and for trout, that is a real but survivable trade.
We do not print prices, so treat this as the band these reels have consistently occupied and check the live figure at the retailer. One honest warning first: only one pick below is genuinely inside this band. The sub-$100 reel market is dominated by brands that publish construction and finish but not drag specification, and we are not going to rank reels on specs nobody has published. So this is one pick in the band plus the two reels just above it, labeled as such.
The surprise at this price is that you can get a CNC-machined aluminum body, which is genuinely unusual. What you give up is drag sealing, and for river trout that is survivable — which is the whole argument of this page.
The short list
| # | Pick | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Piscifun Sword Fly ReelCNC aluminum · mid arborBest Overall | A CNC-machined aluminum body at a die-cast price | 7.9 | Check price on Amazon |
| 2 | Orvis Battenkill Disc Fly ReelSize II (3-5 wt)Best for Small Streams | Just above the band — light and simple on a short rod | 7.4 | Check price on Amazon |
| 3 | Orvis Clearwater Large Arbor Reel II3.4" · 3-5 wt · 5.6 ozBest Upgrade Pick | The sealed drag, a band above | 8.6 | Check price on Amazon |
1. Best Overall
Piscifun Sword Fly Reel
A machined aluminum body for roughly what a die-cast reel costs, with a mid arbor as the compromise.
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Construction | CNC-machined aluminum alloy body |
| Arbor | Mid arbor |
| Sizes | 3/4 through 9/10 wt |
| Finishes | Multiple, including black, gunmetal and space gray |
Piscifun's Sword is the reel that makes the budget tier interesting: a CNC-machined aluminum alloy body rather than the die-cast construction almost everything else at this price uses. Machined bodies hold tolerances better and scratch where die-cast dents, and the Sword comes in sizes from 3/4 up to 9/10.
The compromise is the arbor. A mid-arbor spool has a smaller center, so you retrieve less line per turn and the line sits in tighter coils. In warm weather that is barely noticeable. In cold weather, when fly line is stiff anyway, tight coils are the difference between line lying flat and line tangling round your boots.
Published drag specification is limited, so we will say only what we can stand behind: it is a disc drag, it is adequate for trout, and we have no basis for claiming more than that.
What we like
- CNC-machined from aluminum rather than die-cast — unusual at this price, and it means dings scratch instead of deforming
- Covers 3/4 up to 9/10, so a second reel for a heavier rod is the same purchase
- Light enough not to unbalance an entry 5-weight
What you give up
- Mid arbor rather than large arbor, so line pick-up is slower and the line takes a tighter coil memory
- Published drag detail is thin — treat it as adequate for trout and no more
| Criterion | Score / 10 |
|---|---|
| Drag | 7 |
| Build | 8 |
| Line capacity | 7 |
| Weight | 8 |
| Value | 10 |
| Overall | 7.9 |
2. Best for Small Streams
Orvis Battenkill Disc Fly Reel
The small-stream reel: light, simple, good-looking, and deliberately not trying to be a big-fish reel.
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Sizes | II (3-5 wt), III (5-7 wt), IV (7-9 wt) |
| Colors | Black, copper, matte olive |
| Design | Updated classic with tightened tolerances |
The Battenkill is Orvis's long-running classic trout reel, recently updated with tighter tolerances and a restrained set of finishes. Size II covers 3-5 weight, III covers 5-7, IV covers 7-9.
It belongs on a short rod on small water, where the reel genuinely is just line storage and the thing you notice is weight and balance. If you are buying a 7'6" 4-weight for a brushy creek, this is the reel for it. If you are buying a 9-foot 5-weight as your only rod, the Clearwater II is the more useful choice.
What we like
- Light and simple, which is exactly right on a short rod for small fish
- A classic look that holds its appeal longer than a performance reel's styling
- Size II maps precisely to a 3-5 weight rod, no guessing
What you give up
- Less drag capability than the Clearwater II or Behemoth
- Smaller arbor than a dedicated large-arbor reel, so slower line pick-up
| Criterion | Score / 10 |
|---|---|
| Drag | 6 |
| Build | 8 |
| Line capacity | 6 |
| Weight | 9 |
| Value | 7 |
| Overall | 7.4 |
3. Best Upgrade Pick
Orvis Clearwater Large Arbor Reel II
A sealed-drag large-arbor reel rated for the exact weights a trout beginner fishes, at a price that makes the budget alternatives hard to argue for.
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 3.4" |
| Line weights | 3-5 wt |
| Weight | 5.6 oz |
| Drag | Sealed carbon-to-stainless disc |
| Construction | Die-cast with powder-coat finish |
| Retrieve | Converts to left- or right-hand |
A trout reel has one job most of the time — hold line — and one job occasionally, which is to apply smooth pressure to a fish that will not stop. The Clearwater II does both: 3.4 inches across, rated 3-5 weight, 5.6 oz, with a sealed carbon-to-stainless disc drag.
Sealed is the word that matters. An unsealed drag lets in the fine grit that comes with wading gravel, and gritty drags become jerky drags, which is how light tippet breaks. Sealing it is normally something you pay a lot more for.
It is die-cast rather than machined from bar stock, so it is a reel that dents rather than scratches. For a first reel that is the right compromise to accept.
What we like
- A sealed drag at this price is the headline — grit and water stay out
- Large arbor picks line up faster, which matters when a fish runs at you
- Converts hands without tools or a trip to a shop
What you give up
- Die-cast rather than machined, so it will dent where a machined reel would scratch
- No spare spool in the box
| Criterion | Score / 10 |
|---|---|
| Drag | 9 |
| Build | 8 |
| Line capacity | 8 |
| Weight | 8 |
| Value | 9 |
| Overall | 8.6 |
How we chose
Construction (machined beats die-cast beats composite for tolerance, though composite beats both for impact), size-range clarity, arbor, and honest acknowledgement of what is not published. Availability re-verified 6 October 2026; no first-hand testing claims. How We Choose.
Machined, die-cast and composite
| Method | How it is made | Fails by | At this price |
|---|---|---|---|
| CNC machined | Cut from solid aluminum bar stock | Scratching | Unusual — the Piscifun Sword |
| Die-cast | Molten aluminum pressed into a mold | Denting, which can bind the spool | The norm |
| Composite resin | Molded impact-resistant plastic | Cosmetic wear; rarely catastrophic | Common on kit reels |
The thing worth understanding: a dent in a die-cast frame can bind the spool, while a scratch on a machined frame is cosmetic. That is why machined construction is worth noticing even at this price — and why a composite frame, which looks the cheapest, is arguably the most robust choice for a reel that will get dropped on rocks.
What you give up under $100
- Drag sealing. This is the main one. Fine grit from wading gravel reaches the drag stack, and over a season or two the drag becomes stepped rather than smooth.
- Published drag detail. Budget brands publish construction and finish but rarely drag specification, so we cannot tell you what the drag will actually do and we are not going to guess.
- Arbor size, sometimes. The Piscifun Sword is mid-arbor rather than large arbor, which means slower line pick-up and tighter coils.
- Weight. Cheaper reels are often heavier, and on a 5-weight you feel the balance.
What you do not give up: the ability to hold line and apply enough pressure to land any trout you are realiztically going to hook on 5X tippet. That is worth stating plainly.
How to look after a cheap reel
- Rinse it in fresh water after a sandy day and let it dry out of the sun. That one habit does more for an unsealed drag than any purchase.
- Do not back the drag fully off and leave it. Store it with the drag light but not slack, so the washers are not permanently compressed.
- Keep it out of a hot car. Heat degrades the line on it faster than it degrades the reel.
- If the drag starts to feel stepped, replace the reel rather than fighting it. A jerky drag breaks tippet.
When to spend more instead
Three situations where the extra money for a sealed drag is genuinely worth it: you wade a lot of gravel and silt; you fish still water, where a fish can run unobstructed and the drag actually does work; or you expect to fish for something heavier than trout on heavier tippet. Best fly reels for beginners has the sealed-drag picks, and how to choose a fly reel walks the whole decision.
Questions people actually ask
What is the best fly reel under $100?
The Piscifun Sword, because it has a CNC-machined aluminum alloy body at a price where almost everything else is die-cast. A machined frame scratches where a die-cast frame dents, and a dent can bind the spool. The compromise is a mid arbor rather than a large arbor, so line pick-up is slower and coils sit tighter.
Are cheap fly reels worth buying?
For river trout, yes. The reel's only everyday job is holding line, and on a 5-weight with 5X tippet the tippet breaks long before drag power matters. What you give up at this price is drag sealing, so the drag gradually becomes stepped as wading grit reaches it — which a freshwater rinse after sandy days substantially slows.
What's the difference between a machined and a die-cast fly reel?
A machined reel is cut from solid aluminum bar stock, so tolerances are tighter and damage shows up as scratches. A die-cast reel is molded from molten aluminum, which is cheaper and means impacts show up as dents — and a dent in the frame can bind the spool. For the same money, machined is the better construction.
Do I need a sealed drag on a trout reel?
It is the feature most worth paying for, though not for the reason people assume. It is not about drag power, which trout fishing barely uses; it is about keeping the fine grit from wading gravel out of the drag stack. A gritty drag becomes a jerky drag, and a jerky drag is what breaks light tippet on a good fish.
Is the reel that came with my combo good enough?
Almost certainly for a first season. It holds line and applies smooth pressure, which is the whole job on a trout rod. Replace it when the drag starts to feel stepped rather than smooth, and in the meantime put the money into a better fly line, which changes how the setup casts far more than a reel ever will.
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