This year the International Fly Tackle Dealer show happened in October and for the past five or six years, it's been in July and we weren't able to go this year because it coincided with our annual redfish trip down to New Orleans at the Woodland Plantation. This year was unique in the fact that our sales reps came through in July and August to reveal all the new products to be released at the show in October, so we had an early scoop of what was going to be debuted at the dealer show.
This was a great opportunity because this new VAYA Series of fly reels from Abel won the Best New Saltwater Fly Reel award at the show and it was also chosen by Fly Fisherman Magazines Gear Guide as the best new fly reel of 2020. That is exactly what we felt about it here at Mad River Outfitters.
The word "vaya" is Spanish for "Go" and it's Abel's slogan to go along with this reel telling you to go, get out there and fish! First off, looking at this reel technically, it is backed up with outstanding performance. The first thing that jumps out about the VAYA is it's half-ported backside. It gives the reel a unique look, a distinctive weight and a beautiful sound.
The reel has one of the most smooth drag systems we've seen in a saltwater fly reel, which is what we should expect from Abel. The drag is essentially silent, though you can feel it working which is a must. The half-ported backside is the perfect platform for adding some color or one of Abel's many hand painted designs that they're so known for. It has an engagement O-Ring for the spool, which we initially had difficulty removing. But with a simple following of the provided instructions, wiggling the spool back and forth with a gentle pull, we had it off easily. However, it took a little getting used to.
The spool itself features a precision balance dual-pawl drag engagement system that eliminates the need for a counterweight. We've never seen this on a fly reel before, making it totally unique. Though we're not technical guys, we can tell you that the reel is amazingly smooth. The drag system is encased and features a five disc alternating carbon fiber and stainless steel drag system. We just can't get over how smooth it really is.
Another feature we liked was the engraved images on the inside of the reels. Each reel features a different engraving. On the VAYA 4/5 you see a hopper dropper engraving, in the VAYA 5/6 you have a grasshopper and streamer and in the VAYA 7/8 you have a bonefish gotcha and a streamer. Re-attaching the spool to the reel is easy as it simply slides over the reel and clicks, locking it into place. No need to worry about it coming off when you're on the water. All of these reels feature a very large-abor, which we like. The large-arbor in these reels is going to eliminate coils in your line and allow you the highest pickup available in most modern large-arbor saltwater fly reels. The drag knob in the back is large, has a great positive click and since the rear of the reel is concave, it is easy to get your fingers around it.
When we first saw these reels back in July / August everyone in the shop said it's a real winner for Abel. Especially if you're familiar with the quality of Abel reels. We will say, that Abel is not known for being inexpensive. They are traditionally some of the finest machined reels in the world and are made in Colorado. The Abel VAYA comes in three sizes total:
There aren't many cons that come with this incredible reel. The only negative we'd have to say is that the spools can be a bit expensive, we suspect it could be because of the attached pawls. So if you're an angler that likes to have two or three extra spools for additional applications, it might be a little hard on the wallet. The engravings are certainly cool, but we're not sure that they're necessary as you don't see them often and it could've been worth skipping them to save on the $40 or so dollars it cost to have them etched into the reel. We've got the VAYA in stock now, with more colors coming in November and December 2019. Each reel comes in an amazingly handsome black box with a reel case that can fit over the handle, a product registration card with a lifetime warranty, and a vinyl sticker.
These reels are setting the bar and needless to say we are very impressed to see them in action for many years to come.
