Hey Hermann,

Good question. The absence of Ross, other noteworthy manufacturers or our own leading brands is because we have limited amount of “best of” categories; we recommend only 1 model and our criteria consists of multiple variables which mean that we factor in things like cost, warranties, other user reviews etc in addition to the quality of reel itself.

I am sure if we would recommend more products per category, Ross reels would be included somewhere.

Todd,

Mirage 3 is my best overall pick as trout reel, but you can do well with cheaper reels too:
Ross Flystart
Around $100- Lamson Liquid
The Piscifun Sword

Actually, I would need to know what weight reel are you looking for and on what waters you fish in to give better recommendations, but the above will at least get you started.

I definitely agree that you do not necessarily need expensive fly reel especially if you are fishing on smaller streams and freshwater lakes which most of people do. However, this does not mean that higher-end reels have no place at all.

For example when catching larger saltwater fish like tarpon you need more line capacity, better drag system and corrosion resistance. Low-end stuff usually will not get you any of it.

Aside for saltwater fishing, other benefits higher-end reels offer are better, smoother drag; they weigh less relative to size and they usually last much longer than your average cheaper reel.

When you spread those seemingly small benefits over a long time-period then it becomes quite clear why paying little extra for the reel might not be as pointless at all.