So my girlfriend has peaked interest in fly fishing so i picked her up a TFO pro2 and set my Adventure 7 with 8wt line on it.

So currently im looking for a new 8-9wt reel.. My gosh there are WAY too many options out there!

I would appreciate some input about what you guys use. It will be a salt/fresh water fisher for a Gary Loomis Cross Current 8wt.

I have looked at Lamson, Abel, Ross, Orvis, some Hardys... Hatch... all of them.. I obviously need sealed drags but dang trying to find a new reel is overwhelming!

Any input on what you guys love/hate would be amazing!

thanks and god bless.

j

How is she liking the over lined pro2?

How much are you wanting to spend?

She hasn't used it much but I can shoot some old worn out line real good with just 2-3 false casts. We mainly target trout and reds so hopefully the 7wt will be good.

I don't want to spend more than 450 or so. I will need new backing and likely some Rio redfish line. However the cheaper the better.

Hard to justify a lot of money for some machines aluminum. Thanks and god bless.

J

i have the orvis hydros iv and love it. Got it for 250 and is a large arbor reel that has a sealed drag system. I love the drag system in this reel, it is strong and smooth. Overall i feel its one of the best reels for the price. You cant beat Orvis customer service either. They are top notch. I fish mainly for redfish and the reel has handled them nicely. It all comes to personal preference. hope this helps

I like Galvan Torques, but Lamson, Ross, Orvis, Nautilus all make great saltwater reels. When you do decide on one, consider ordering from http://www.stillwaterflyshop.com/. I've used them numerous times. Depending on the reel, it should come with a $75-$100 line credit and free shipping. You can pick your line.

I have to agree with the orvis hydros, i like mine a lot.

Tgansk for the stillwater link, I called them and spoke with them for a while. I was looking at the fwx from nautilus but they suggested I go with a lamson litespeed 3 or 3.5 for my price point. I did find an Abel super 7 for a similar price. Its an older 2007 model but in fantastic shape. Anyone have experience with these reels?

Thanks

J

I have the Nautilus FWX 7/8 and have been pleased with it.
D.

I'm doing the same thing you are right now... shopping for a good 8 wt reel for saltwater. I'm ALMOST ready to pull the trigger on the Allen Fly Fishing's Kraken reel. I've looked at all of the brands you mentioned, but Allen Fly Fishing seems to have a great product at a price ($199) that beats most of the rest of the field, and there are several fly fishing forums where guys rave about their products and customer service. They'll also put backing and their own line on it for a price, but, like you, I want to put Rio Redfish line on mine.

My other motivator for the Kraken is that I want looks just as much as I want performance (yeah, I know, "boo, who cares about looks, you're not a purist angler", whatever)... the Kraken is def an eye-catcher, as is their Alpha III reel.

Anyhow, that's the result of my search for a reel... haven't bought it yet, but it's in the #1 spot right now.

This guy knows what's up. FWX 7/8 is a great reel for the money. Sealed drag and super light.

Fly Geek knows what he is talking about.

Hey guys. I thought about the fwx due to price and looks... Because, well simply it looks killer. However the lack of availability and parts steered me away. Also the smaller drag.

I have never heard of the kraken reel.

I ended up just buying an Abel. It should be here tomorrow.

I did almost pick up a Galvan though. I still believe there are way toooo many options.



Haha. Luckily while searching for reels my gf decided she wanted to start tying flies so I spent a pretty penny on fly tying stuff.

Thanks and god bless guys!

Johnathan

Galvan Torque 8 best quality reel for the money - simple,light,smooth,strong and holds lots of line.
Cosmo 13

Anything Lamson Waterworks

I have a new TFO HRS II reel for sale loaded with new floating line backing and leader for 150$. It was mounted to a rod then taken off. Its in the box now in the case it comes in.