Abstract: In a fly reel, drag is provided by use a helically wound wire spring mounted coaxially over a fixed post attached to the reel frame. The turns at one end of the helically wound spring loosely contact the fixed post, while at the other end of the spring the turns are in intimate contact with the post. One end of the spring is free and the other end is fixed to a spool axially straddling the spring-post combination. The spool contains a drag adjustment knob whose initial setting determines the angular travel of the spool until a pin on the knob contacts the free end of the spring. As line is stripped from the spool, the spool rotates and the loose turns incrementally tighten about the fixed post.