Just bought the Sage VT2. Need some advice on a reel. I have a Lamson Konic for my 5wt. Buy a new spool for the 6 or try an Okuma SLV? Reviews are great on the Okuma, and I love the Konic. Anyone own or use the Okuma???

i got a couple SLV's, I like them fine, they look pretty good for cast alum. (not a lot of machining on them) great drag if you ever need it.

I don't have an SLV, but I love my Okuma Integrities and Magnitude. And I have several $25-30 Sierras that work like a champ.

I'd go with the entire reel (as opposed to another spool for the existing Lamson which I'm reading as your other option?), and choose the Okuma you like that fits your budget.

Have you ever heard of Allen reels? http://www.allenflyfishing.com/. Peole on the North American fly fisherman forum are raving about how well made they are...

one more thing about SLV's.. they dont hold a lot of backing

Amazon has some pretty good($16.79-$34.99) prices on the Integrity "A" series spare spools. I'm don't think they work with the closeout models(pre 2009) academy had, but I don't really know. Anyone have any first hand experience with this?

http://www.amazon.com/Okuma-Integrity-Sp...974&sr=1-10

Sizes are marked as capacity/test which can be found here:
http://www.okumafishingteam.com/family/61833/Integrity

Also, as a budget fisherman, I have ended up with my share of okuma reels. I have sierra 4/5, slv 4/5, and a integrity 8/9. They all seem to be holding up great. The slv doesn't hold much backing though. The integrity seems heavy, but seems like a tank. The sierra is light and holds more than the slv, but feels a little bit cheap.

I don't have a lot of experience with other manufactures though. Maybe I don't know what I'm missing with a $100+ reel? If it's something big, I hope I never figure it out

Btw, I'm in Richardson if you want to try any of these out.

Thanks for all the input. I'll check out those allen reels. Guess I will keep on shopping!!!!

It is rare in freshwater fishing that you NEED a lot(if any) of backing. The one and only freshwater fish that has ever peeled into my backing was a Hybrid-striper. My Okuma Integrity disk drag stopped him long before I ran out of backing. I have the smallest Okuma SLV on my 2# and it holds fly line great.Good luck on your search.