Product Spotlight: Abel Vaya Series Fly Reel

Product Spotlight: Abel Vaya Series Fly Reel: The Abel Vaya, aptly named using the Spanish word for “GO,” the Vaya packs quite the punch in a small, high-performance frame. It is ready to “GO” at a moment’s notice, with a range from small creek fishing to light saltwater and everything in-between. I have been fishing this reel for a little bit over a year now and wanted to share my thoughts on this finely tuned piece of gear, made proudly in the USA.

The first thing to call out on the new Abel Vaya, is the half ported half solid design of the reel. This gives it a very lightweight but sturdy feel. I currently fish the 5/6 on either a Winston Air 2 or G Loomis IMX Pro 5 weight rod and the Abel Vaya balances out both those rods quite nicely, despite being a little bit heavier than comparable reels in its class. For example, the Vaya 5/6 weighs in at 5.5 ounces where the Ross Evolution LTX tips the scale at 4.6 ounces.

Next up on the Vaya features, the performance and feel of the carbon fiber multi disc drag that truly deserves a shout out. The 5/6 model is comprised of a 5 disc / stainless drag stack that is easily adjustable by utilizing the large rear drag knob. The tolerances on the reel are quite well rounded throughout the range. Going from no drag to maximum drag takes about two full turns of the knob and a little bit of extra muscle to squeeze out the last few clicks. Couple the drag performance of this reel with a large arbor design and you will notice that this reel is made to land fish quickly and effectively.

Maintenance and field repairs on the Vaya series is straight forward with an easy to use pull apart spool release. To top it all off, the Vaya features some beautiful aesthetic features that we’ve all come to admire and expect from the talented team at Abel. Simply Pull the reel apart to release the spool and you will unveil engraved artwork on the inside of the frame. On the 4/5 reel you will find a hopper dropper, the 5/6 features a stunning streamer & hopper combo, and the 7/8 displays an articulated streamer and bonefish fly pairing.

If you are looking for a new trout reel, or light saltwater reel within the Abel lineup and do not want to jump in with both feet into the SDS or SDF models, the Vaya should be your top consideration.

I grew up in the shadow of some of the most heralded ski slopes in the western United States. Instead of skiing or snowboarding I took up fly fishing at a young age. Through high school & my early college years I was fortunate enough to represent my country playing Sled Hockey. I started at Fishwest as a member of the web team and now I oversee and manage almost every aspect of the Fishwest e-commerce platform. I also act as the main point of contact for all of the Fishwest hosted travel trips.