Pflueger Fly Reels, Medalist and President Combos

Who Pflueger is

Pflueger is an American tackle name with a long history, and the date depends on who you ask. Wikipedia says Ernest A. Pflueger started the Enterprise Manufacturing Company in Akron, Ohio, in 1880, and that the company was later renamed E.A. Pflueger Company. Other sources I came across give 1881 or an incorporation date in 1886, so I'll leave the year as "around 1880" and not pick between them.

Today the brand belongs to Pure Fishing. Pflueger's own site says "Pflueger Fishing is a brand of Pure Fishing, Inc." Wikipedia calls it a subsidiary. I did not find a primary source for how or when the brand changed hands, so I won't give a date.

For fly anglers, the name means the Medalist. Bill Kiene's page on the reel says the first Medalist models, in the 1930s, used a click drag only, and that an adjustable disc drag came in the 1940s. The reels sold on Amazon today are modern products under the same name. I can't tell you how much they share with the 1930s reels, and I won't pretend they are the same reel.

What Pflueger sells on Amazon US now

At our last check (October 2026) we track seven Pflueger products on Amazon US: four reels (the Medalist 5/6, Medalist 7/8, Monarch 7/8 and Automatic 44385) and three outfits (the Fly Kit PFYKIT2, the President combo and the President XT combo). Because that is a short list, the table below those items also shows eight alternatives, which are complete outfits from other brands. They are labeled "Alternatives" and are there so that you can compare a Pflueger outfit with what else is in the box at a similar size. They are not Pflueger products.

Under each value in the table is a small mark. Maker means the maker states it on its own page. Claimed is a maker claim with no named lab or standard. Listing means the Amazon listing says so and nobody has confirmed it. A dash means not confirmed. For the Medalist reels almost every value is "listing", because I could not find a maker page for them. The maker's fly reel collection page lists an Automatic and a Monarch only, and I did not find the Medalist there, so I can't tell you whether it is still in the current range.

The reels

Medalist. The 5/6 and 7/8 are listed as machined aluminum, click-and-pawl, with a standard arbor and a convertible retrieve. The 5/6 weighs 5.4 oz and holds a WF5 line plus 125 yards of 20 lb Dacron backing. The 7/8 weighs 7.6 oz and holds a WF7 plus 250 yards of 20 lb Dacron. The maximum drag on both is 0.5 lb. Those are Amazon listing values.

Reading that, you can see what the Medalist is: a light, simple reel for rods where the fish doesn't strip line off fast. A standard arbor is the older, narrower spool core. Line comes off in tighter coils, and each turn of the handle picks up less line than on a large-arbor reel. That is fine for trout. It is a poor fit for a fish that runs.

Monarch. The Monarch 7/8 is a cast aluminum reel with a disc drag, a standard arbor and a convertible retrieve. The data lists a maximum drag of 3.1 lb. A disc drag has pressure plates you can tighten or loosen, and that gives more control over a running fish than a click. This is the Pflueger to look at if you want a heavier line weight and some stopping power. See our fly reels page for the market and trout fly reels for light line weights.

Automatic 44385. An automatic reel retrieves line with a spring. In our data it is listed for 5 to 6 line weights, with an aluminum body and a weight of 11.2 oz from the listing. Compare that with the Medalist 5/6 at 5.4 oz. The spring and housing add weight. The upside is that you can recover slack in a hurry without cranking a handle. The downside is weight on the rod and a design with no adjustable drag in our data. We have a page on automatic fly reels with other brands.

The outfits

Fly Kit PFYKIT2. A 5/6-weight, 8-foot, three-piece rod with a cork handle. The reel is listed as a "1094 graphite fly reel, size 5/6". The kit includes backing, a leader, flies and a 25-yard level line. The blank material is a listing value, and the kit line is a level line, which has the same diameter along its length. A level line is the simplest line to cast poorly and the easiest to buy cheap. If you want to learn to cast properly, a weight-forward floating line is a better start. See types of fly line.

President combo, 8 feet, 8-weight. A four-piece, medium-action rod with a composite blank and an EVA grip (a foam handle), a large-arbor reel with a disc drag, and WF8 weight-forward floating line, backing and leader. The maker states a 1-year warranty. An 8-foot rod is short for an 8-weight. It will do bass and similar fish at moderate range, and it will not give you the reach of a 9-foot rod.

President XT combo, 9 feet, 5-weight. A four-piece, medium-fast rod with a cork grip, a lightweight carbon fiber reel seat and a soft case. The reel is large arbor, cast aluminum, with a disc drag. The line is WF5 weight-forward floating, listed as twin-colored with welded loops. The blank material is a listing value. This is the one I'd look at first for a general-purpose trout outfit. See 5-weight fly rods and trout fly rods.

These President outfits are the only Pflueger fly rods in our data. There is no standalone Pflueger rod, and I would not buy a Pflueger rod expecting a choice of lengths. For the rod market, see fly rods.

The alternatives in the table

The eight other products in the table are complete fly outfits from Wild Water, Aventik and 8 Fans. I picked them because they are the same type as the Pflueger outfits: a rod, reel and line in one box, from 0/1-weight to 9/10-weight. They differ from the Pflueger outfits in some ways worth reading. Several Wild Water kits list a lifetime warranty, the Aventik Whisperer lists 25 years for the original owner on rods, and the 8 Fans outfit lists a slow-action rod. Check the "In the box" and "Warranty" columns. You will find our full pages for these makers under Wild Water and 8 Fans.

How to choose a Pflueger reel

Start with the rod. The reel's line-weight range should include your rod's line weight. A 5/6 reel suits a 5-weight or 6-weight, and a 7/8 suits a 7- or 8-weight. Gary bought a 7/8 for his 3-weight "so it's ready for anything" and now casts a rod that points at the ground. Weight matters in balance, and I'd match the reel to the rod before I consider anything else. Our fly reel size guide and parts of a fly reel explain the terms.

Next, pick the drag. A click-and-pawl drag suits trout, panfish and small streams. A disc drag is better if the fish can run, such as bass, salmon, steelhead or saltwater species. The Medalist is the first; the Monarch is the second.

Then check the arbor. A large arbor picks up line faster and reduces coil memory. The President outfits list a large arbor; the Medalist and Monarch list a standard arbor in our data.

Finally, check what you need to buy with it. A reel alone needs line and backing. The Medalist data lists the backing capacity, which tells you how much to buy. Our how much backing guide explains how to work it out. If you want a complete outfit, the table's "In the box" column tells you what is included.

Warranty

Pflueger's warranty policy says its products are free from defects in materials or workmanship for one year from the date of purchase, for the original purchaser. It excludes normal wear and tear, commercial use, and failures caused by accidents, abuse, alteration, modification, misuse or improper care. The policy also describes an out-of-warranty service that you pay for, and the product registration site is separate. Both President combos list a 1-year warranty in our data, which matches the policy.

One year is shorter than the multi-year or lifetime wording some other makers use. It is also clear. If you want a longer warranty on a reel, read our fly reels pages for brands that list one.

What this page cannot tell you

We have no test results for any Pflueger product, and I have no opinion from use of how any of them casts or fishes. I did not read buyer reviews for these listings, so I can't tell you about the common complaints. The Medalist values come from Amazon listings only. If a spec matters to you, such as weight or drag, check the listing for that day. The table is a snapshot from October 2026.