I paired the Hardy Averon Cassette Reel with my Winston Air 2 Reach (10’ 6wt), and this setup has turned out to be exactly what I was looking for.

My goal was simple: I wanted to fish multiple 6wt lines for different techniques without owning multiple expensive reels or constantly stripping and re-spooling lines. Anyone who fishes a variety of techniques knows how frustrating and time-consuming that can be — not to mention how hard it is on your fly lines. For dry fly fishing and light presentations, I use:

RIO Outbound Short, Airflo Superflo Max Ridge 2.0 Ultra Supple Universal Taper and for touch-and-go Scandi-style presentations, I also run: Scientific Anglers Integrated Scandi 180gr. At the moment, I have three fly lines spooled and ready to go, and I’ll likely add another set of three spools in the near future. The beauty of the Averon Cassette system is exactly this flexibility — one reel, multiple spools, instant changeover.

On the Winston Air 2 Reach 10’ 6wt, the balance feels right. The reel has a clean, modern look but still carries that classic Hardy feel. The drag is smooth and consistent — more than enough for trout and light steelhead work. The cassette spools are lightweight yet surprisingly durable. They snap in securely, and changing lines on the river takes seconds. No more backing knots coming loose, no more wasted time, and no more stress about damaging expensive fly lines by repeatedly swapping them.

Owning multiple premium reels is very expensive. If…