I just had my first taste of saltwater flyfishing, and am comtemplating completing my arsenal to include a 12 wt rod. In looking at some reels, the Abel Super 12 seemed particularly large and "bulky" at a reported 4.45 inch spool diameter, as opposed to 4.25" on a Nautilus 12, which has similar backing capacity. Out of curiosity, I then measured the spool diameter on some of my reels, and was surprised to get 3.56" (3 9/16") on my Abel Super 8, which is listed by Abel as 3.9". Both my Nautilus 10 and Cimarron 4 came up a good 1/16 inch short of the manufacturer-reported spool diameters. The Abel discrepancy seems significant to me, unless I somehow ended up with a Super 5 or 7 that is mislabelled. So, before I call Abel and start asking questions, I was wondering if anybody with Abel Super 8's and 12's can verify the measurement I got for the 8, and tell me what is the actual spool diameter for the 12?

I don't know how these companies calculate backing capacity (i.e. do they actually fill some spools, or do they make a determination based on expected volume going by their spool diameter and width measurements), but if they use the latter technique and their measurements are off, they could really be overestimating backing capacity. I put the backing on some of these reels myself, and they didn't seem to be holding as much as I expected, but I didn't have a sophisticated way of measuring how much I was putting on.

I don't own one, so someone else will have to provide that measurement for you.

A lot going on here. First, good that you go by spool diameter and not arbor diameter. The arbor size has zero to do with retrieve ratio. Nobody goes fishing with an empty reel so arguments about "large arbors" and increased retrieve ratio are pretty silly. It is the spool, at whatever capacity at the moment, that determines how much line you pick up per turn of the reel handle.

Most companies consider a full spool spool to be one that has been filled to within 1/8th inch of the spool rim. But some may just measure the OD of the spool, rim to rim, and let it go at that. I doubt there is any standard for spool measurements from company to company. You'll just have to go look, and measure.

Also keep in mind that a wider spool will lose spool diameter more slowly as line pays out. This is important if you think you might be fishing for larger, hard running fish. As the line on the spool is reduced, drag pressure increases, so having a more constant diameter can be helpful as the drag pressure will be more consistent.

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I have maybe a half dozen Abel Super Eights and Abel 3's which are based on the same frame just the spools are different. The Super 8 has a larger arbor than does the model 3. The reason for the large arbor, after talking to Steve Abel, was the fact that most big game or saltwater anglers had begun to use Spectra or Spiderwire for backing to improve line capacity and to increase line retrieval rate. The space the that arbor takes up is the area where guys would load 30# test dacron on the reel before topping the reel off with Spectra. Since the diameter of 50# test is about 1/2 the diameter of 30# test dacron when a fish runs off say 100 yds. of spectra the diameter of the spool is nowhere reduced like it would be if you were using dacron backing thus the quicker line retrieval. The super 12 is probably the best tarpon/big game fly reel on the planet. I load 100 yds of 30 dacron and 500 yards of 50 spectra plus a 13 billfish line on mine or load 600yds of spectra and a 12wt tarpon line. I measured the diameter of a Super 8 spool and it's 3.9 the Super is 4.5 as measured with a dial caliper is 4.45. The best way to load backing on a fly reel is to load the flyline on the reel first then load the backing. Remove everything an just put the backing back on the reel that way you will know exactly how much backing the reel will hold without the guess work. The line capacity of the Abel reels are pretty close to factory specifications using Scietific Anglers fly lines and Scietific Anglers white dacron backing(the colored backing is bigger in diameter and will change capacity). A word of note the Abel 3 has a greater line capacity than the Billy Pate Tarpon reel. Go figure that one out.

Might I suggest that you take a look at the Van Staal series of reels. In my opinion, these are the very best drags (and "innards").

As to the original question, Michael's right.

Uncle Russ
Calico Creek Rods

As other people posting response have suggested, it all depends on what you are going to be doing with that big 12 wt. stick. If you read posts on popular saltwater forums like the flyfisherman.com and Dan Blanton bulletin boards, you get the feeling that people are buying reels that hold a lot more backing than they will ever spool off the reel (me included). Dont forgot though, that the line that goes with that big 12 wt. stick you want to cast is beefy. It eats up lots of space on your reel. If you want to be prepared with 300 or more yards of backing, you are going to need a reel intended for a 12 wt rod. I tried putting a Nautilus 8 on my 12 weight, and could not get enough backing to feel comfortable tarpon fishing on the ocean flats in the Keys. Why are you getting the 12 wt to begin with? Might as well get the whole set up. Like rods, there are a plethora of choices in suitable reels. So many, and so well made, you can find a dozen that are right for your application, and then let it fall to subjective things. The major names are doing a great job on service. All this is my opinion, by the way, you will see other ideas to the contrary, and there is no problem with that. For lots of information, try the Dan Blanton bulletin board, www.danblanton.com (have to use the annoying "www", by the way). For planning purposes, you can figure 180% more 50 pound GSP backing than 30 pound dacron. This is consistent with the tables posted by most reel manufacturers. It worked out exactly right for me earlier this month when I bought a new reel.

My apologies (and thanks) to those who responded to this thread. I initially measured the Abel reel at least 5 times, and never noticed that the diameter of the spool side is larger than the frame-side diameter. Therefore, Abel's measurements for reel spool diameter are dead-on. Its the other brands that come up 1/8 to 1/16 inch short.