Contents
- 1 Choosing The Best Automatic Reel | Buyer’s Guide & Tips
- 1.1 TOP 8 Automatic Fly Fishing Reels Reviews | Pros & Cons
- 1.1.1 #1 Mechanical Fisher Automatic Fly Fishing Reel – Best Reel Overall
- 1.1.2 #2 White’s Auto Fisher Yoyo Fishing Reels 6-Pack – Best Budget Reel
- 1.1.3 #3 Pflueger Automatic Fishing Reel – Best Versatile Reel
- 1.1.4 #4 Peerless Bam Semi-Automatic Fly Fishing Reel – Best Semi-Automatic Reel
- 1.1.5 #5 H&H Automatic Fishing Reel 12-Pack – Best Profitable Reel
- 1.1.6 #6 Mechanical Fisher’s Yoyo Reels 6-Pack
- 1.1.7 #7 Ellen Archery Inline Automatic Fishing Reel
- 1.1.8 #8 BFJZ Inline Automatic Fishing Reel
- 1.2 How Yoyo Fishing Reel Works?
- 1.3 How To Use Automatic Fishing Reels?
- 1.4 In Conclusion
- 1.1 TOP 8 Automatic Fly Fishing Reels Reviews | Pros & Cons
Choosing The Best Automatic Reel | Buyer’s Guide & Tips
Perhaps you guys know about a fly, baitcasting, or spinning reels quite a lot. But today we will talk about a completely different type of reels. These reels themselves fish while you go about your other business! They are called automatic fishing reels or yoyo fishing reels.
The principle of operation of these reels is quite simple. They set the hook and return the fishing line as soon as the fish takes the bait. This is due to the trigger mounted on the reel, which you can adjust depending on the size of the fish you are catching. So, let’s look at the 8 best automatic coils that are available today!
TOP 8 Automatic Fly Fishing Reels Reviews | Pros & Cons
First, we will analyze all 8 of the best yoyo automatic fishing reels available on the market today, consider all their best qualities, advantages, and disadvantages. Then we’ll find out exactly how automatic reels work and why they’re so good. Let’s begin!
#1 Mechanical Fisher Automatic Fly Fishing Reel – Best Reel Overall
An excellent automatic reel that will help you catch both light trout and heavy cat. 10 reels are included right away, so your fishing will be very effective. The reel has a sturdy metal case with an already wound nylon cord inside, the tension of which is adjustable. A durable trigger and pre-installed hook will allow you to fine-tune the reel to your fish. Any catfish weighing more than 6-8 pounds can hardly cope with this reel. The spring provides constant tension, easily wearing out small and large fish. But note that heavy fish can exhaust the fishing line, it is also badly affected by weather conditions.
#2 White’s Auto Fisher Yoyo Fishing Reels 6-Pack – Best Budget Reel
The reel has a ring on the top for easy hanging and a robust galvanized metal structure. The kit includes 6 high-quality reels for just $25. These reels are one of the oldest and most popular on the market. The excellent tempered spring allows you to hunt both large fish, and trout or perch. All reels come with a reeled nylon cord inside that copes well with heavy loads. Installation and tuning of the reel are also very simple and convenient. An accurate trigger will allow you to pull the fish as soon as it appears from the water.
#3 Pflueger Automatic Fishing Reel – Best Versatile Reel
The Pflueger reel is one of the first automatic reels. Since its first appearance, quite a lot of time has passed and the reel has undergone significant changes. Now Pflueger is one of the best quality yoyo reels. This model is made using high-quality materials. 7/8 “wide stainless steel frame. The mainspring is very strong, can easily carry loads of more than 10 pounds, and it’s also resistant to corrosion. Most of all I like that this reel makes it easy to control the line. This reel is great for fishing both in freshwater and in salt.
#4 Peerless Bam Semi-Automatic Fly Fishing Reel – Best Semi-Automatic Reel
The difference between semi-automatic reels and automatic reels is that these reels are much better for fly fishing. However, they themselves can return the line and fish while you are busy with your affairs. This semi-automatic MRT reel has excellent properties. It has an accurate adjustable brake inside, a drum with an accelerating drive, and a large diameter housing. The reel can be used for fly fishing in lakes, rivers, and streams, but it’s not very resistant to saltwater. However, this is a very good reel for the money.
#5 H&H Automatic Fishing Reel 12-Pack – Best Profitable Reel
If you like to set automatic traps in a pond at night and remove them the next morning, then the reels from H&H will provide you with the greatest catch. The kit consists of 12 yoyo reels, which are very easy to place and customize to your needs. Coils have wide and large rings for convenient installation. With them, you can hang the reel almost anywhere. Besides, the reels have excellent quality casing and an internal nylon fishing line. It may not wear out for a very long time with proper care.
#6 Mechanical Fisher’s Yoyo Reels 6-Pack
Great American-made yoyo reels with a ton of positive reviews from users around the world. The reels are made of high-quality material and will provide you with several trout dinners while you do other things. These yoyo reels have an excellent sensitive trigger and quick spring that can exhaust almost any fish weighing 6-8 pounds. Also, the excellent metal construction allows you to fish even near saltwater. But be careful, these reels have problems with quality control, so after a few months, you may need to purchase new reels. On the other hand, for the price of $ 20, they show themselves just nice.
#7 Ellen Archery Inline Automatic Fishing Reel
Perhaps at first glance, this reel seems like a simple inline or ice reel. But it’s not so. Firstly, it’s equipped with automatic cable tackles so that your line doesn’t tangle during fishing. Also, this reel automatically discharges the line, without loading you with unnecessary actions. so yes, it can be called partly automatic.
Secondly, the reel has a completely free smooth spool and level wind. The model works very smoothly thanks to a large number of bearings inside and the small gear ratio, which allows you to completely control the fish. The design of the spool and gears inside allows the reel to practically do the job for you, you make very little effort to pull the fish out. Handles are made of EVA rubber that facilitates their rotation.
Don’t worry if you’re left-handed, the reel has a configuration for both hands. Overall, this is an excellent corrosion-resistant reel with a discharge system configuration. The disadvantages include instructions in Chinese, so to service the reel you need a Google translator or a Chinese dictionary, as well as typos in the text on the parts of the coil. But I don’t think this is a big deal.
#8 BFJZ Inline Automatic Fishing Reel
And our list is completed by another inline fishing reel with automatic line discharging, which has good characteristics. In addition to automatic unloading, the reel automatically protects the line from tangling and distributes it evenly over the spool. You can fish with this even in salt water, the reel is completely resistant to corrosion and rust. The excellent handle design with EVA knobs fits perfectly in your hands. Options are available for both left and right hands. The small gear ratio and smooth spool allow you to feel the line and the fish well while fishing. The reel is equipped with excellent brakes, a drain system, and wide adjustment.
How Yoyo Fishing Reel Works?
Automatic reels have a large application area. They are used not only in fishing, but also in camping, for pranks, or improvised traps. But we are talking specifically about fishing. The device of automatic reels is quite simple. Yo-yo reels consist of a frame, an axis, a nylon cord, a loop at the end of the cord, a suspension ring, and a spring. The principle of operation of automatic reels is as follows: when you lower the hook with the bait into the water, the reel is “locked” thanks to a trigger that prevents the spring from returning the cord. The trigger is a conventional metal latch that locks the spring.
As soon as the fish takes the bait, the reel cord is pulled down a bit, because of which the trigger is deactivated, the spring is released and starts to wind the cord back, thereby pulling out the fish. This is the principle of operation of classic automatic fishing reels. There are also more complex automatic reels. They have an integrated brake system, a handle, and even a gear ratio. Besides, such reels can have several triggers for a little hooking and pulling fish out of the water.
How To Use Automatic Fishing Reels?
Automatic reels are actually very easy to use, but there is very little information on the Internet on how to do this. Therefore, most users will learn about this either from the instructions, which are written very ornately or right away in practice.
So now I’ll tell you how to use the yoyo coil correctly:
- First look at the amount of cord inside. Manufacturers usually don’t put inside more than 7-8 feet of cord. If you’re fishing deep in the pond, then I advise you to replace the cord with a longer one.
- Now the reel needs to be suspended. To do this, you need a rope or string. There are various designs for hanging automatic reels. You can take a pipe, drill holes in it and drive it into the ground at an angle, and hang an automatic reel on this pipe. You can also do this from a bridge, or the most obvious from a tree branch. Locate the loop or ring on the reel frame, thread the string through the loop. Then firmly tie the reel to the support, check the fixation, it must be very strong, otherwise, the reel will fall into the water under a gust of wind and you’ll lose it.
- Then set the hook on the reel. To do this, find the metal loop or hook at the end of the cord. Wind a little fishing monoline (you can also use a braid) on the hook, and tie the fishing line to the iron loop on the reel.
- Bait the hook
- Pull all the line out (as far as you need) and set the trigger, then lightly toss the bait out (try to land bait so the line doesn’t have much slack). Be careful on this step, if you toss too hard, you’ll trigger the switch and a hook will come flying at you with some nasty dough bait
Useful Videos
Here are some useful videos to help you better understand how to use automatic reels and how they work.
In Conclusion
Automatic reels are a little-known but useful type of fishing reel. They cost not so much but bring great benefits. As we found out, they are very easy to manage – you just set and forget. By doing almost nothing, you can catch yourself a great dinner of trout or catfish. Purchasing a yoyo reel won’t cost you so much, unlike other reels. In addition, they can last quite a while. In this article, we analyzed the 8 best models of automatic yoyo reels, which are now available to the user, examined their advantages and disadvantages. I hope you enjoyed this article. Have good fishing!
Tags: #automatic fishing reel / #automatic fly fishing reel / #yoyo automatic fishing reel / #martin automatic fishing reel / #automatic mohawk martin fishing reel

I live in Tenerife (Canary Islands) for the last 10+ years and share my daily fishing experiences on my website. Many years of personal experience as a fisherman and the vast experience of my friends allow me to write professionally on any fishing topics (from choosing a flashlight and equipment to deep-sea fishing).
All of my advice is based on practical real-world experience and will be useful to both novice anglers and professionals. Read more about the author.
Affiliate Disclosure: FishReeler.com sometimes gets paid for listings, through sponsors or affiliate programs like Amazon, Ebay, Cabelas, Bass Pro Shop, Shimano, Daiwa, Rapala, Renn, Okuma, KastKing, etс. Clicking a link helps keep FishReeler.com free, at no extra cost to you!
About the author: Each article is verified by the fishing expert Sergio Smirnoff. The articles are written by professional and amateur fishermen with 20+ years of fishing experience.
Note: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency. The articles are for informational purposes only, share your opinions in the comments and join the fishing discussions, let's share our fishing experiences together!