Gear Roll-up: More 2025 Gear “Likes,” Three Trout Reels, Deeter on the Ross-Coors Light Collab

2025 provided a mix of newcomers, long-running workhorses and a little “fishing-adjacent” gear that quietly makes the day on the water better.

The Epic Trutta fly reel

Three Trout Reels

Epic Trutta Hubless Fly Reel ($500). There are fly reels built to do a job (hold backing and fly line, balance the rod, land fish) and that’s about it, and then there are fly reels built to meet functional as well as aesthetic benchmarks. “Designed in collaboration with renowned Ukrainian fly reel designer Vlad Rachenko of VR reels fame,” the Trutta Hubless fly reel is in the latter category. This is a smaller (3.2 inch diameter / 3.74 ounce) reel, intended for smaller fish and 3- to 5-weight lines. The modest, but incredibly smooth “clicker” drag provides the most novel aspect of the reel’s design–embedded beneath the reel handle, the clicker rotates over a pitted hub and provides a baseline “drag” and less grating audible feedback than most standard click-and-pawls. If you’re looking to fight and brake larger fish by “palming” the reel, the smooth and exposed spool frame was thoughtfully designed to apply hand pressure without getting nicked or caught in the spool / frame clearance gaps. The hubless design also provides for a mid-arbor spool, resulting in quicker line pickup and less fly line coiling. The only thing I’m getting used to is the inside positioning of the handle, which is “closer to the spool axis for rapid retrieval,” but after a few fishing sessions, you get the hang of it. The universal spool makes left-to-right conversions as simple as swapping the frame to the other side, and the exterior finish and anodization are first rate–you can purchase the reel in black, red, silver and blue. In terms of price, $500 is probably a bit on the high side for a “clicker” reel, though a Hardy LRH or Princess, the brand standards for click-and-pawl reels, also come in at $525–so, end of the day, the pricing is fair and in-line for a well-designed product offering. Final verdict: There’s a lot to like with this hubless fly reel–thoughtful, unique reel design, superior workmanship and made from durable materials to take the daily punishment. Add in Epic’s commitment to quality and timely customer service and you have a front-end product that is eye catching and functionally superior, and a best-in-class backend experience, should anything go wrong. Like most of what these guys do: well done. Check out the product video. – Andrew Steketee

Lamson Purist II fly reel ($400). The Lamson Purist II is a minimalist take on a large arbor (3.8-inch diameter), narrow frame (0.80-inch width) and uber lightweight (3.1 ounces) fly reel for the 4- to 6-weight fly line enthusiast–there’s also a scaled-down model of the reel (the -3+) that’s even smaller (3.5-inch diameter), narrower (0.75-inch width) and lighter (2.7 ounces) for 2- to 4-weight outfits. Composed of only 15 individual parts, including a molded plastic clicker (or pawl) with two “reeds” for tension and sound, the hyper-minimalist design of the reel is focused on weight reduction and simplicity. Unlike the first generation of the Lamson Purist (the ULA Purist), which had a more exposed spool, similar molded plastic pawl and was even lighter, the Purist II is supported by a more robust frame (for durability) and narrower width to provide a “30% increase in average line retrieval.” I’m not sure how relevant line retrieval is to the small trout or panfish angler, but there may be more applications in the 5- and 6-weight models. Having said that, I was only able to put ~30 yards of 20-pound gel spun backing and a 5-weight line on the -5+ model, but I suppose you could fit another 20-to-30 yards and max the spool capacity. End of the day, it’s really not a reel intended for larger fish that might consistently move line off the spool. And not unlike the Epic Trutta Hubless Fly Reel, the “drag” here is intended for slight tension and consistency, which it achieves, and hand palming to stop or control a larger fish. I’m not as sold on the “cleanliness” of the Purist II’s palming surface (there are some sharper surfaces) when compared to the Epic Trutta, but it’s still perfectly adequate and works well. I have a bunch of old ULA Purists that I’ve fished over the years and continue to love for their negligible weight, minimalist frames and consistent, dependable pawl design, but also have dinged or flat out broken a few on rocks, boat mishaps etc. because of their exposed nature. The Purist II probably solves some of this exposure with a bit more frame coverage, but it’s still not a reel you’re going to pound day-in and day-out and expect to survive like a heavier and more durable competitor. Understand that going in, and you can manage the appropriate fishing scenarios for this lighter-grade reel. From a price perspective, the Purist II is $100 cheaper than the Epic Trutta, which is a meaningful amount. The Idaho-based manufacturer also has a long history of high-end customer service (speed, responsiveness), and although I haven’t interacted with them in years, it always was my experience that the reps were thoughtful and proactive. If a fly reel’s weight is a big consideration for you, the Lamson is definitely worth considering. – Andrew Steketee