Pete Tyjas reviews the new Redington Zero Reel.
A reel can mean different things to different anglers. Some see them as nothing more than a reservoir for their fly line and as long as it has a drag of some sort then all is good. For others they are items that do the job described above but are also something they attach to their rod with pride. Often this comes with a price though.
So, what if there was a reel that did its job, looked cool and was within everyone's budget?
I think I have found one, it is the new Redington Zero.
Its primary role is as a river reel that comes in sizes for 2/3wt lines and 4/5wt lines.
The drag is a simple but efficient spring loaded clicker that will be strong enough to tackle river trout with ease.
One of the big selling points of the reel is the weight. The 4/5 I have is quoted as 3oz. It does feel incredibly light in the hand making it the lightest available in its class and price range. The 2/3 model is 2.7oz.
The reason for the lightness is the construction process that is an unmachined die cast design.
The large arbour design on this reel is something we expect these days and allows us to store our line in nice big coils when not fishing and also aids the retrieval of line when winding in at the end of the day or better still playing a fish. No worries with this model.
"one of the big selling points is the weight, it does feel incredibly light in the hand"
The look of the reel is contemporary and the matt paint means it looks good and isn’t going to spook fish if the sun catches it.
Often, with cheaper end reels there is a gap between the spool and the reel body. In the past I have found this incredibly annoying when either my leader, or has also happened, my fly line, has got trapped in the gap. No chance of this with the Zero everything fits snuggly. This makes me happy. Very happy.
Talking of happiness, I need to mention the price. In the UK it will retail at £79.99, comes with a original owner life time warranty and spools are £44.99 . To me, this makes the reel incredible value for money and should appeal to river anglers across the spectrum.
What Redington have done is take the sub £100 reel market by the scruff of the neck and brought a product to market that is well thought out, well designed and more than fit for purpose. The bar has been raised to the height that will be incredibly hard to beat.
Redington Reels are distributed in the UK by Guide Fly Fishing. Visit their website for more details of where you can buy one
Visit the Redington website