wader is right in fresh water the fly reel has a different purpose its to hold your line (most of the time) compared to salt when the reel is used to bring in the fish and do its best to slow down the fish....

I have a ORVIS mid arbor & got the drag tested the other day by a few Hybrid Striper, it worked pretty well and I believe I paid 125 bucks at BPS.

I've used an Orvis Battenkill for inshore work for nigh on 17 years. Takes a licking and keeps on ticking. Just keep it clean and lubed and it should last you a very long time. My only knock on it is the drag could be beefier. then again, I've only6 used it for Reds and Specks down there. I don't know how it would hold up to a big bonefish run.

Freshwater, Invest in the rod more then the reel. The reel is just holding the line for the most part and you will be doing a lot more casting.

Inshore saltwaters, invest in both equally. You need enough drag to stop a mch stronger fish per pound. You will be dealing with wind constantly and you will need to be able to load the rod and get an accurate cast off at a momments notice.

Offshore saltwaters, Consult your broker or a shrink. JK, Invest more on the reel then the rod. You need all the drag you can get and it needs to be smooth. You won't be making a cast more then 30 or 40 feet most of the time so a 700 rod is just overkill. (Many of those fish could break it anyway if your boat gets out of position on you.)

Get a Model 3 Cabelas Watershed. Perfect for what your looking for.

Thanks George. I did not realize that that reel from Temple Fork was that inexpensive. Now I know what my next fly reel will be. I don't think any company in the world does better customer service than Temple Fork.

Big Dale

Dale, you right on on about TFO beng the very best in the business for customer sevice.

Their new Prism reels will impact the high end reel market as they did to the up-scale fly rod market.
They are the very best and I own Abel3N and Orvis Odyssey+III's.

Thanks George. Guess I need to try one of the new Prism reels. I need to set up another TS 250 Teeny/Axiom 6 wt. rod. Think I'll round out the combo with a Prism reel. I was looking for a good excuse to purchase another rod. Now I can write it off to R&D.

Excellent choice. I've got one on my 10 wt and it is a great reel. As far as the 8 wt goes I've got and Abel Super 8 and an Orvis Vortex, expensive but worth it.

You might check out the Ross Flyrise. It is a pretty amazing value.

You can get a Lamson Velocity on ebay right now for $150 as they are on clearance for updated models.

There are tons of Lamson Radius reels on clearance on ebay as well.

These are all quality reels from companies that are actually in the fly reel business...

I think spiny norman sumation is pretty acurat, I use the TFO 8 wgt for all of my flats fishing with an Okuma airframe 8/9 and Teeny 8wgt bonefish taper,take evey thing in the shower as soon as I get home, 2 years trouble free, TFO didnt have a saltwater reel available before I left Texas or I would have one.
My TFO midge 4 wgt and Pearow built batson 4 wgt have beaten quite a few baby tarpon and still going strong

Just get a Nautilus, Mako, Islander, or Hardy.

Seriously, if I had to do it over again, I would probably have saved a little more and invested in higher end gear instead of buying less expensive gear over and over.

A Hatch or Tibor reel can run you up to $700 which sounds rediculous to many people, but if you really enjoy fly fishing, you do it often, and you see yourself doing it for years to come, then why not? It is a life long investment that you can give your grandchildren. People spend much more on rifles that they only shoot a few times a year or golf clubs that gather dust in the garage half the year, etc.

Did you ever think about a redington, I have fished all over the world with it and never fails to work, drag is awesome and customer service is great.

Amen, somebody who thinks the same way as me. As long as you take good care of your equipment, it will last forever! Spend now or spend later, its your choice.

my vote is the tfo 375 large arbor reel...a serious big game reel for a very reasonable price. i've been using them since they first came out. great reels. another brand mentioned already is the okuma, but i'd take a step up from the airframe for saltwater action. i own a few airframes. they're fine reels for lighter duty than a bonefish or tarpon, but i would jump up to their beefier big game reels if i was serious about bones and silver kings. yet another great reel in the value category is the elkhorn t-3. this is a way serious big game reel! and it costs less than $200.

Man, I can't wait to hear which reel you got! The TFO Prism seems like a bargain. The large arbor TFO is heavy'ish. Lamson - 'nuff said. The question left, one of the questions, how much backing do you want / need on this reel?