When using a fly reel, there isn't always a brake, or drag to help you. To prevent big fish from running you can exert varying degrees of thumb pressure inside the spool. Without such pressure there is a real risk that your line will overrun and backlash, with the sometimes "interesting" feature of the "bird's nest," however, watch out for your knuckles when the reel handle starts spinning.

With an automatic fly reel, you retrieve the line by pressing a lever, and the reel does the work. Having said that, never play a fish on the spring of an automatic reel. Use the hand retrieve method to take the line in. When you want to wind the retrieved line onto the reel, then use the lever. The automatic reel was never intended to be a mechanical fish player.

Another point with automatics, always run the line between the fingers of your free hand. Pressing the lever without controlling the line this way will mean that there's a good chance you will run ALL the line onto the reel before you have a chance to release the lever. Resulting into the hook slamming into the tip of your rod, with the almost inevitable result of breaking something.

Line reeled onto the spool of a single action fly reel can form ridges high enough to jam against the cross braces of the reel frame. You can avoid these ridges by using your little finger on your non-winding hand as a level wind device. As the line comes in, simply push it to the right side of the spool, then hook it back to the left side. This will give you a smooth, level spool of line that won't jam your reel at the critical moment when playing a large fish.

So, we can see that an item that many of us take for granted is actually an integral part of the fishing process. As a final thought, always keep your reel(s) well maintained. This is especially important when fishing salt water, given it's highly corrosive properties. It doesn't take but a few minutes at the end of the day to clean, dry, and lightly oil your reel, and you will be repaid with many years of trouble free service. When using fixed spool spinning reels, give a thought to having a couple of spare spools in your tackle box, loaded with different breaking strain lines. This will give you more flexibility when you actually get to your fishing spot and see what type of conditions you are having to fish.