Fly Fishing In The UK and Europe

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Snowbee XS large arbor fly reel

Reviewed by Terry Lawton

The Snowbee XS large arbor fly reel is the first centre drag model made by British Fly reels. It must be the best value-for-money reel on the market and possibly one of the best reels in the world.

In a recent article on buying fishing tackle, aimed primarily at newcomers and the less experienced fly fishermen, I touched on the pleasures and benefits of owning and using quality tackle, tackle that need not be very expensive, but good nonetheless. Snowbee's latest XS large arbor fly reel falls nicely into this category. The first time that I saw one was at the Chatsworth Angling Fair and it was immediately obvious that it was a top quality reel based on looks and feel, and at a cost of £140 (for the 5# 6# line weight model) it is real value for money.

The reel

These reels are machined from bar stock, aerospace grade aluminium, with stainless steel internal parts, so that they are suitable for saltwater use. Backing capacity depends on the choice of backing and ranges from 100m of standard braided polyester to 600m of 25lb gel-spun polyethylene - should be enough! The handle is hard rubber - which feels nice - and the spool is easy to remove via the quick-release slider. Changing the reel from left-hand wind (all are supplied like this) to right hand involves removing a plastic cover over the drag and then removing and reversing the one-way centre gear and putting the cover back on. If you want the little clicker can be removed so that the reel is silent in operation. Snowbee recommends stripping the reel down, washing in freshwater and re-assembling with light grease (but not on the drag components) twice a year and more frequently if the reel is used in the salt regularly.

This reel is the first centre drag reel made by British Fly Reels. It has three drag discs, two of which are free floating and third fixed. There are Broflon washers between the discs. Broflon is a composite of bronze and Teflon which combines very low friction and excellent wear and heat-resistance characteristics. These free-moving drag washers produce four bearing surfaces and a combined drag surface area of 22.6cm2. The low friction, floating washers and the polished stainless steel drag discs have produce a powerful drag with virtually no start-up inertia. The large knurled drag adjuster on the back of the reel is very easy to adjust.

As nice as a reel looks and feels, the important thing is: how does it perform? I was able to test this reel in Swedish Lapland, well north of the Arctic circle, on some fairly angry Arctic Grayling. A 2lb Grayling in a heavy rapid is big enough and determined enough to demonstrate that the drag is excellent. Thanks to its very low start-up inertia and smooth operation, your rod will not "woodpecker" as Snowbee managing director Russell Weston puts it so eloquently. What this means is that the rod bends and stays bent, it doesn't bounce backwards and forwards as it would with a less smooth and efficient drag. Although the fish that I caught did not need full drag to be applied to stop them, I have no reason to doubt that the reel will be just as efficient when playing very much bigger fish.

The whole presentation of this British-made reel is very good: from the black and grey box with smart graphics, a similarly colour-co-ordinated, foam-lined reel case and the nicely understated graphics on the reel itself. The titanium finish certainly looks the business. This is a British reel that is a match for almost any other reel on the market, regardless of price. And all for £140!

The full range of XS reels includes the model tested, one for 7# and 8# lines at £145 and the biggest, for 9# to 11# lines at £150. Spare spools cost £50, £55 or £60 depending on the size of reel. The reel is finished in hard anodised black or titanium finish and is supplied with a reel case and five year guarantee.