Frequently Asked Questions

Why buy from JUST REELS?

There are several advantages to buying through JUST REELS. First of all, many of these reel makers either will not, or prefer not to sell directly to retail customers. It is time consuming, costly, and requires them to be a salesperson, which many of them find disconcerting. JUST REELS sells all reels at the same retail price established by the reel maker. I also have used all of these reels (except a couple that are still in development) on fish appropriate for their design, including both saltwater flats and bluewater fishing. I will not sell a reel that I would not choose to use myself. This also means that I can help you choose the correct reel maker and model for your intended use. I also ship all orders over $300.00 postpaid for normal shipping in the U.S. One last point is that I carry reels that generally are not available from fly fishing pro shops, though a couple are carried by a selected few shops. For the most part, production simply cannot provide the supply necessary to meet the shops' demands the way Abel, Ross, or Tibor can.

What is our AVAILABILITY?

Please understand that some of these reels will require a waiting period before delivery. This does not mean a multi-year wait like Bogdan, but it may be anywhere from three weeks to one year. Please determine your needs and willingness to wait before ordering, and I'll give you the best estimation I can on the wait anticipated. However, many of these reels are in stock, and can be shipped within a day or two. Any reel requiring a wait will be price-guaranteed when a 50% deposit is made. Many makers ship reels at the current retail price regardless of when the order was placed. The deposit means I'll absorb that price increase if it occurs. Final payment is not requested until I have the reel in my possession.

What are our TERMS?

Cashier's Check, Certified Check, Money Order, VISA, Discover, American Express, or MasterCard preferred. Unfortunately, all forms of payment EXCEPT credit cards will cause a delay in shipping. All reels have a warranty supplied by the manufacturer, but I guarantee satisfaction with the reel shipped. If within fifteen days of receipt of the reel it is deemed unsatisfactory for your needs, return it for a full refund, or at your option, replacement with another model. This guarantee applies only if the reel has not been damaged in use. You'll notice that there is no order form included on this site. There are so many options and decisions that need to be made for many of these reels that an order form would have to be diabolical for it to cover everything. Call or e-mail and we'll get it worked out. Leave a message and we'll do it on my nickel.

Do you really have all these reels in stock?

No. To do so would be impossible as well as financial suicide. I try to keep fast moving items in stock, but the truth is that many of these reels are essentially built to order. Several of the reels are stocked in quantity by the maker and these can usually be drop-shipped to you as quickly as if I had them in stock. These days I do keep an inventory of over one hundred reels in stock, though.

Why shouldn't I just try and order from the manufacturer?

First of all, I can make certain you're buying the correct reel for your purpose or intended use. I give honest assessments of each of the reels I carry and try very hard to make sure you get the right one. My prices are the same as if you had bought from the maker, and I do not charge for shipping if the order is for $300.00 or more. I'd also like to think that my "people skills" are better than many of the makers. I do return phone calls, faxes, and e-mails as quickly as I can. Also, several of these manufacturers do NOT sell directly to the public.

What is a dual-mode reel?

A dual-mode is in direct drive whenever there is forward pressure on the handle. The reel seamlessly goes into anti-reverse whenever you let go of the handle or back-off the pressure by backcranking a 1/4" or so. To reengage the direct drive just start cranking on the handle. It has all the positive features of an anti-reverse and most of the desirable features of the direct drive. They are usually slightly heavier and slightly more complicated than a similar direct drive. They will be the reel of the future, however, and will certainly replace anti-reverse reels once someone figures out how to sell them at a comparable price.

Are large-arbor reels really better?

That depends. The extra retrieve ratio comes in very handy when fighting a fish that takes a lot of line like a bonefish. In most freshwater applications, though, speed of cranking is usually not a serious issue. If the reel is the correct weight to balance your rod and will crank up line fast enough for the fish you intend to use it for, then it is serving its purpose. Actually, on smaller trout reels the biggest advantage of large-arbor may be that your line doesn't come off the reel in such small coils. As fly lines are continually improved, however, this coiling is less and less of an issue unless you use a line intended for tropical conditions in cold weather. In any case, the speed of retrieve is determined by the diameter of the spool, not the size of the arbor. The original large arbor reels increased the diameter of their reels (and in some cases the width of the spool) in order to allow for the capacity lost by increasing the size of the arbor. Within reason (mostly due to spool width) all four inch diameter reels will retrieve at the same rate regardless of the size of the arbor.

Don't I want the lightest reel I can find?

NO! A reel that is too light is actually a bigger disadvantage than a reel that is a little too heavy. You want a reel that when loaded with backing and fly line will balance about where you place your middle finger on the rod grip. Thread the line through the guides and hold the rod with just your middle finger surrounding the grip. The farther away from that point the balance point is the more it will cause you to fatigue. Tip heavy rods (from too light a reel) put a lot of strain on the wrist and lower forearm. You're constantly trying to keep the rod-tip from dragging in the water. In my experience, butt heavy rods are also uncomfortable, but I seem to fatigue much more slowly with them. My experience is that many people fish with a reel that is too light for the rod they're using. Rod length has a lot to do with this. A 7 1/2' four-weight will require a significantly lighter reel than a 9' four weight. Length seems to be more critical than rod weight here. With today's light graphite rods, it's almost impossible to have a reel that is too light in the lighter line weights. It is possible to have one that is too heavy. From seven weight up, though, it is possible to have a reel that is too light for the rod, especially a rod over nine feet in length. This is of particular concern when it comes to double-handed rods. Long rods that tend to be tip heavy, which applies to a lot of spey rods, can require some fairly heavy reels to balance properly. All this is subject to personal preference, however. I've found that some fishers don't find the lack of proper balance objectionable while others almost obsess over getting it exactly right.