# Reel Dilemma



## Fishsurfer (Dec 14, 2014)

Alright I need another saltwater fly reel because of a good sand dunking in east Bay. It just don't reel in the same anymore and now the drag is jerky, which is a guaranteed way to lose fish. I am not going to spend much over $400 and that is it. So I want American made, sweet drag, modern lighter concept, ported or opened at the spool arbor to dry the line faster and can hold up to the abuse of saltwater with some travel. I have got it down to two reels, which seems to be a common dilemma on these pages. I like the Galvan Torque 8 and the Nautilus XL Max. I think the Torque is most likely the tougher of the two but I like the idea of the lightness and engineering of the XL Max. Maybe if I accidentally dropped one on a hard tile floor to see if it messed it up; that would work but it is a little dishonest and frankly I'm sure that there would be a high likely hood that just about any fly reel could get messed up if it hit the ground just right. Well in my search I found other American made fly reels that I had heard about but not really checked out and some I never knew existed. Below is a list of them, in case any of you are interested. There is also a link to youtube that has a few interesting watercraft. So what do you think about something in this price range?
:flag:
http://tightlineflyreels.com/about_us
http://www.taylorflyfishing.com/
http://www.coltonfly.com/fly-reels.php
http://www.innovativereeltechnologies.com/product-line/custom-fly-fishing-reels/
http://aspenreels.com/
http://solitudereels.com/
http://www.bauerflyreel.com/


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## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

https://www.yellowstoneangler.com/g...ander-abel-cheeky-loop-bauer-sage-lamsonreels

You have probably seen this. I think the Galvan is in this competition above. A lot of the reels are above $400. Lamson reels are USA made. Some of Ross reels are too. I think there is a Bauer in the shootout.


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## Worm Drowner (Sep 9, 2010)

I have a Bauer M4 Superlite that is about 10 years old and it's been great! I used it on steelhead in Ohio and brought it with me when I came home. The drag is great and Bauer's customer service is very good. I have it on my Xi3, which I use as my second/backup rod.


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## bong (May 1, 2012)

I have a Galvan T5 and Lamson 3.5HD. I like them both. Lamson was cheaper and I could barely tell the difference in quality. 

I bought the Galvan based on the reviews from various sources and because you can get them in different colors. I got a great deal on a 5wt rod and so was able to splurge a bit more on the reel. 

The Lamson was bought for a saltwater setup and I opted to spend more on the 8wt rod than on the reel at the time. 

Both are USA made. 

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk


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## salty_waders (Feb 13, 2006)

Check out the Colton reels. I just bought the Torrent model for my 10 wt and its really nice. www.coltonfly.com


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## RUFcaptain (Aug 12, 2011)

What weight line are you using? At your price point I like the Tibor Back Country at $400, for a little more a Hatch 5 plus ($500) works great on a 7 wt or 8 wt. I have a Colton too, it's a pretty good reel for the money. Also check out eBay , there are deals to be had on used or discontinued higher end reels.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

Fishsurfer said:


> Alright I need another saltwater fly reel because of a good sand dunking in east Bay. ....


Fishsurfer, give that reel a good cleaning...maybe take it to someone who can boil it out for you. If it was a quality reel to start with, a good sand dunking shouldn't be its demise. I've done the same many, many times....without any permanent damage.

I don't have any of them, but the link you provided to the Colton reels caught my interest. I like spending my money on start up companies who have a mission statement like theirs. The product(Torrent 1113) appears to be a good quality reel and I really like the drag strength at 18lbs plus. I think I'll try one myself....so thanks for posting that link.

By the way, Allen is another company similar that sells direct...and has an excellent product. I've spent some $ on their reels and really like them...but I'd like to give this Colton a try also.


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## RUFcaptain (Aug 12, 2011)

That's a Colton 11-13 in my avatar. Give Bob Filger a call, owner of Colton, he'll talk your ear off. Dude knows his stuff about saltwater fly fishing.


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## Fishsurfer (Dec 14, 2014)

I am looking for an 8-9 wt with at least a 4" diameter spool (large arbor). Yea I have ruled out the Nautilus it is just too light. I think the spool would hold up pretty good but the X frame has these really thin pieces that protrude out when taken apart. With it being aluminum, if those tabs get bent a little they will just break off. I did not want to say anything about the Colton Terrapin, but I am and have been leaning more toward it. I just wanted to see if anyone would pick up on it. They totally look bullet proof. The really only thing I don't like is the incoming clicker, I only want to hear the drag clicking out, not when I reel in. I may call Mr Filger and see if the incoming click can be disabled. Also has anyone looked at a Taylor?


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## karstopo (Jun 29, 2009)

That Colton Terrapin looks nice. From what I read, the sealed rulon drags offer great performance with zero maintenance. 

I'm not sure the incoming clicker sound would bother me or not. It might be fun to have a little extra sound when reeling in a big fish. Once my line is out and I'm ready to cast, I'm not doing any reeling unless I get a fish that is big enough to put on the reel. 

Seems like a good price on a reel with quality features. 14 pounds of drag. Don't think I've ever needed that much, but it would be nice to need that much. I'm not sure I want to blow up an 8wt. I've heard of this happening with strong drags, strong fish, and heavy tippet.


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## Finn Maccumhail (Feb 16, 2009)

I've had Lamson reels and they're not bad quality but they're just not really up to par in the salt. Even their higher end stuff. I had a jack smoke down the drag on a 10wt rig with a Lamson. You might not need much drag in an 8wt but there will be times you absolutely need it and the Lamson drag just isn't up to par. If all I ever did was fish freshwater though I'd still use Lamson reels.

Personally, I'm not a fan of sealed drags though. I simply don't trust them. I just think the old school, open cork drags on the Abel and Tibor reels can't be beat unless you're going with a $1500 reel like a Charlton.

It will be gone quick but this Abel Super 4 would be perfect for your needs: http://www.ebay.com/itm/ABEL-BIG-REEL-SUPER-4-FLY-REEL-LARGE-ARBOR-BLACK-LEFT-HAND-RETRIEVE-NEW-IN-BOX-/331940978121?hash=item4d49395dc9:g:blIAAOSwNuxXYqNN


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