Redington Ace Fly Reel

The Redington Ace fly reel is tough, well designed and built at an attractive price point.

Kirk Deeter

October 20, 2024

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Redington | Ace Fly Reel

product description

“With no limits on what our reel design should be or look like, the Ace features an ultra-durable, first-of-its-kind lattice patterned spool design meaning increased strength, durability, and line breathability.” – Redington

company ethos

“We are anglers and adventurers with a shared mission to deliver outstanding products and extraordinary experiences to our vibrant fly-fishing community through our brands, education and conservation initiatives.” – Redington

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With the Ace Fly Reel, Redington set out to create a more durable, machined-aluminum reel with clean looks and an attractive price point. Out of the box, it’s pretty easy to see if someone forgets the puck for a pond hockey game, you could probably use this reel, then end up fishing it in the spring without any long-term effects. It’s that beefy.

But it’s also clean and airy (the frame and spool are heavily ported, which helps the line dry)–the 3/4 model we tested isn’t overly heavy at 4.3 ounces.

The carbon fiber disc-drag is also purportedly tougher too, and while it doesn’t blow your mind in terms of smoothness and startup inertia, it’s perfectly adequate. Most anglers won’t ever notice any of the ultra-slight hiccups, and neither will a trout unless you’re fishing extremely small tippets, which doesn’t make a ton of sense anyhow (heavier tippets are better and healthier for fish).

Another nice touch is the new line guard on the drag knob, helping to minimize line snag. A larger spool and rim were also created to provide more surface area for anglers to palm the reel during fish-fighting.

For $250, the Ace Fly Reel from Redington is machined (that matters), sealed, seemingly drop/smash resistant, built with a decent disc-drag and even has some fairly sporty aesthetics.

What’s not to like?

Pros

Well constructed frame, spool and components.

Open air design leads to quicker drying fly lines and lighter overall weight.

Affordable for a machined, disc-drag reel.

Consumer-friendly price.

Cons

The open design is vulnerable to dirt and grit.

Imported, if that matters to you.

Not the cleanest startup inertia.

It’s the age-old consumer issue: save an extra hundred bucks by buying an import over a domestic reel or not?

But speaking specifically in the context of the Ace’s performance and durability, there’s a lot of value and design horsepower for $239.99.

End of the day, it’s a great option for value-conscious consumers.

Price: $239.99
Sizes: Tested 3/4 (5/6, 7/8, 9/10 line weights)
Weight: 4.3 ounces (4.8 ounces, 6.1 ounces, 7.2 ounces)
Colors: Night Rider, Silver Dollar, Tobacco Brown
Drag: Carbon fiber disc-drag
Drag knob: Line guard to prevent snags
Arbor: Large (3.3-inch diameter, fast retrieval, reduced line memory)
Warranty information: Redington warranty

From Redington: “With our learnings from previous reel generations we’ve doubled down with innovations and improvements across the board…”

Redington warranty.

“Lifetime warranty. Redington reserves the right to determine whether to replace any Redington product covered by this warranty and the right to replace any discontinued models with newer ones when necessary. Colors and components may vary between original and replacement parts.”

If you want a solid aluminum reel, with a decent, serviceable drag system, that looks pretty cool and is hard to beat up…

If you don’t care that your fly-fishing products are made overseas, and you prefer to save a hundred bucks over a domestic reel with basically the same features…

The Redington Ace is a good choice.

Guides and lodges will make good use of them as loaners. Anglers who are just breaking into the sport and have a lot of stuff to buy will appreciate not having to bust the bank on an entry-level reel.

The frame and spool are obviously tough, and it’s fair to assume they’ll be durable. The drag is the hidden element that we’ll need another hundred days or so on the water to decide if it lives up to the marketing claims.

But overall, the Redington Ace is a thoughtfully conceived entrant to an increasingly overpriced hard goods market, providing design, durability and a solid consumer value.

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