# Orvis vs Hatch reel recommendations



## The Salty Texan (Sep 13, 2012)

Hey everyone,

I got the fly fishing bug while in New Brunswick last month fishing for Atlantic Salmon with my girlfriends family and just picked up a Scott 9'6 8wt and looking for a good reel to match. I would like your opinions on the following for being able to fish the gulf coast but also take it back up to Canada for Salmon or steelhead.

*Orvis Hydros IV*- priced at around $270 after discount, recommended by a few but not sure about durability in salt.

*Orvis Mirage IV*- good durability but a little more expensive.

*Hatch 7 plus*- good durability most expensive of the 3.

I'm leaning Hatch just because I buy something to last a very long time but would like everyone's opinion.

Tight Lines!
Johnny


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## rugger (Jul 17, 2009)

Hatch 7+ is basically the standard for any 8 wt reel. The orvis's are good, but if I were you I would buy the Hatch 7 and not ever look back. I've caught more bonefish on a Hatch 7 than I can count, and have yet to have one fail me yet.


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## Worm Drowner (Sep 9, 2010)

Check them both out and go with the smoother drag, especially for salmonids.


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## bugchunker (Dec 23, 2013)

I have both the Mirage and the Hatch. Both are really good reels. If it's in the budget get the Hatch. if not, the Mirage will do 99% of the time. The Hydro would do well along the coast but I won't want to put it up against a big Salmon. My $.02


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## skinnywaterfishin (Jul 1, 2015)

rugger said:


> Hatch 7+ is basically the standard for any 8 wt reel. The orvis's are good, but if I were you I would buy the Hatch 7 and not ever look back. I've caught more bonefish on a Hatch 7 than I can count, and have yet to have one fail me yet.


Between Hatch and Orvis id choose Hatch.

However Hatch is FAR from the standard. That's pretty funny. The standard is the Tibor Everglades. More IGFA records (230+) than any other reel by far. And in use for 20+ years...for a reason. Don't get caught up in cork vs sealed drag, it's marketing. Look how many guides use Tibor vs Hatch. 

Personally I'd go Tibor or Nautilas before Hatch. That's just my opinion.


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## noise.boy (Mar 7, 2012)

I've gone to nautilus for all my saltwater rods. Most of my Spey rods have Hatch or Hardys. Orvis was never a choice. Consider the balance of your rod/reel too


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## skinnywaterfishin (Jul 1, 2015)

noise.boy said:


> I've gone to nautilus for all my saltwater rods. Most of my Spey rods have Hatch or Hardys. Orvis was never a choice. Consider the balance of your rod/reel too


Nautilus makes incredible reels and just won iCAST for best product with their new X reels.


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## The Salty Texan (Sep 13, 2012)

Thanks for all the recommendations. I decided to go with the Hatch 7+ Large Arbor. I was able to find it on Ebay for 474.99 with $15 dollar shipping. So now just need some line recommendations for it. I was told to look at Orvis Hydros HD Ignitor line for saltwater setup. I know SA and Rio are also very good. Any suggestions?


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## Worm Drowner (Sep 9, 2010)

Think about "how" you will be fishing and how you cast. Do you carry a lot of line or do you made mostly short shots? Redfish taper is generally more effective for those short, quick shots, but Bonefish taper is generally better for longer casting where you are carrying more line. Andy at FTU Katy Fwy explained that to me. If I'm blind casting (often, especially in the Galveston Bay complex), I use the Bonefish. If there is more likelihood of short shots and sight casting (P.O.C. or Rockport areas), I swap spools to Redfish.


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## skinnywaterfishin (Jul 1, 2015)

First, congrats on your Hatch purchase...you've made a great decision and you will love that reel!

Worm Drowner nailed it with great advice. Whatever line you select, I'd go with Rio. Then as WD said, it depends on the majority of the type of fishing you do. If the majority of fishing you do is for reds/trout, I'd go with the Rio Redfish line. 

The heading North for salmon, etc creates a new scenario. That will require a different line. I know you won't like this (but hey, you've already caught the addiction and are heading down the rabbit hole already lol) but most fisherman have extra spools for that exact reason. They have different type lines on different spool so they can easily swap them out. You could of course, remove your Gulf coast line and put the Salmon line on but that is a huge PIA. Looks like spare Hatch 7+ reel spools run $225. If you only make 1 trip a year north it might not be worth buying a $225 spool and $75 on a line.

The main point is put the initial line on the reel for the majority of the type of fishing you'll be doing.


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## jerkyourcroaker (Aug 21, 2011)

Congrats on the Hatch purchase. For redfish and trout, I use and endorse the Teeny fly lines from Jim Teeny.


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## Coconut Groves (Nov 2, 2011)

+1 on Teeny fly lines. Jim is the man.

Also check out Wulff Triangle Taper. Great line.

And for another reel recommendation, look at Lamson Velocity or Litespeeds. Great light reel for the cost. I use them up to 9 wt rods.


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