I'm not totally new to fly fishing. I have a redington 5/6 that I bought 20 years ago. I bought it as a rod/reel/case package. I still hit ponds with it from time to time. I have a good time with that, but I would like to get better and hit some trout streams up. Many of the streams in my area are small an semi-remote.
    For Father's Day, the clan had a rod built for me by a local guy. It's an Orvis 4 piece 3wt 8'6" blank. He finished it last week and dropped it off. The rod turned out quite nice, and now I need to buy a reel and outfit it. Any suggestions as to a suitable reel for this setup? Should I look for an older auto reel? Who makes a decent quality reel?

I'm one of those that thinks the reel isn't a big deal (unless saltwater or big freshwater). For a 3wt, you won't be using drag at all. It will all just be manually pulling in line. I would suggest just getting a bass pro (hobbs creek) reel and throwing some lefty kreh line on it. I have the same on a 5wt and its worked perfectly for me. I'll still pull line in on bass.

Thinking about it that way does make sense I guess. I hadn't really though about it, but I guess all the reel does with a lightweight setup is hold the line. I have to get out of the spinning reel mentality. Thank you for your thoughts!

While a 3 wt reel usually doesn't require a huge drag, I, like many fly fishermen, like my gear to be nice. A smooth drag is just a bonus that comes with nice reels. FWIW, in NZ and Argentina my 2 wt Ross #1 saved the day due to its drag.

My $.02: Buy a nice looking reel with a smooth operating system. I have owned many including Orvis, Ross, Sage, Loop, Hardy and ATH. The only two I have held on to are my original Ross #1 and my F1 ATH. The only reel I am sorry is sold was a really nice Orvis CFO.

If you can find an Orvis CFO get it. It will complete your set up and give you something you want to keep to pass on to the next generation.

I like the classic click-pawl designs.  I'd look at an Orvis Battenkill (better still, CFO or Hardy Flyweight $$$).



 

I'm with spey rod on this. I too like nice equipment and have had a small reel with a good drag come in handy on many occasions. My current lineup on my small stuff is an ath f1, Galvan ob-1 and an orvis labk. I've had others, some I've been more than happy to get rid of. Some I've kicked myself in the ass for selling. Since you're asking about smaller stuff, I won't mention my heavier single hand stuff or my spey stuff.

Hatch, size 1

For a 3wt, a reel is just a place to store your line. You won't be using the drag 99.9% of the time. That said, I went fishing with my father on a tributary of the Columbia, assuming cutts and bows. I had a little Sage 4wt and wooly buggers. It turned out we were right in the middle of a steelhead run, and I hooked one. I spent 45 minutes with that fish and the reason I didn't land it was because it ran at me and I couldn't pick up enough line to keep it on. That's an extreme case, though.  I just picked up a Lamson Konic II on sale to replace old Redington I had on it.

Lamson is also USA-made, too.

 
I agree with the second post, majority of the time, as in almost always, a cheaper reel to store the line will be sufficient enough for a 3wt. I went with the cheaper route my first go around because of this logic. After fishing with my father one day I finally asked if I could use his lamson reel on a  loomis glx 4 wt rod he was using.. Wow what a difference in feel, fit and finish. After using it for a little bit I could just feel the quality. When I got home that day I ordered the lamson liquid 3 pack, but wf3 on one spool, and wf4 on another and still have an extra spool and it comes in a nice little case.. Is it as nice as my dads 20ish year old lamson? I don't think so.. He likes mine more I like his more, but for a 149 and having it come with the reel and two spare spools and a case.. Can't beat it and I'd highly recommend it to anyone looking for a more quality reel without spending a bunch of money.

Although no longer being made, J.Ryall reels are very nice.  Check for them on ebay.  There is a guy who bought up the remaining inventory and parts after the owner closed the business (and the original owner/founder just recently died).  He is selling new reels on ebay.  They are really good reels, with good drag.  So much that his design was copied by a few  other makers.
I used to like Abel, but if the reel gets wet, the drag needs to be reset (on my old .5).
Old Hardy's  are nice too.  The ones made in England were nice.  Now most of their reels are made in Korea or maybe China, and still just as expensive.  They are plentiful on ebay but can sometimes sell for a l ot.

OP, let me let you in on a little secret.....

Check your local craigslist ads for reels, rods, etc. I have found some screaming deals doing this. You would be surprised at those that go out, buy a complete rig/outfit and only go once or twice and decide it's not for them. Plus, fly fishing is such a small niche market, there is a very limited audience for their stuff.

I just picked up a few weeks ago an Orvis superfine 3 wt with a CFO reel. It was in mint condition, no wear marks at all. The best I could tell, the guy had paid around $950 or so for it all, line, case, reel, etc. I got it for a 1/4th of that.

Picked up another rig last week with an original Battenkill reel. No name rod, but fishes well.

I also picked up one of the newer Battenkill reels with brand new line for about 1/3 of the original price and the reel and line are as new.

Deals are out there, just look often and be patient. There is a lot of crap gear out there, but that's to be expected.

I got a Nautilus FW 3, on my 3wt that is awesome but not normally necessary but im retarded and like to catch 3-10# carp on it.

on a rod like that, where u are not going to be catching a beast on, a classic click and pawl is the way to go. The reel is only a line holder at that point. All my small stream rods have Orvis Battenkills or similar reels on them. Cheap, durable and easy to clean/fix if needed, plus they balance the shorter, lighter weight rods well.

If you "need" a reel with an actual drag go with something like a Ross CLA 1.

I save my reel money for my spey and saltwater rods which all run Hatches on them.

J-

I also use Battenkill click and pawl reels on some of my lighter weight rods. They work well for the purpose.

I have several older Battenkills with disc drags. I don't think they are available anymore. I prefer the newer click and pawl.

Orvis has replaced a couple Battenkills that I managed to damage slipping on rocks. And they did it without a question.

JPK

I have two Battenkill reels. Both click pawl, one made in England and one of the current ones. Both are great for light rods, both of mine are for 3 weight line. I had to send my CFO back to Orvis as the screw holding the handle on stripped out. They replaced it and shipped,it back at no charge and I am not the original owner. Great service!

I have 2 of the newer Battenkills I had one on a Orvis Clearwater rod in 5wt until the rod broke but Orvis has a great warranty and I decided to up grade rather than have my rod fixed or replaced. Now it is sitting on a new Recon rod which I like a lot. The other Battenkill I just bought a few weeks ago for a 3wt rod I am building. I went through a lot of searches online and even went to a couple stores to feel different reels and I came back to the Battenkill. I hope to be able to use my new 3wt in a couple more weeks when I get it done. Good luck with your search.