I am looking for a large arbor salt water reel to fit on an 11 wt rod. My budget is around $250. Any advice as to best makes and models to shop for?
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I am looking for a large arbor salt water reel to fit on an 11 wt rod. My budget is around $250. Any advice as to best makes and models to shop for?
The Orvis Battenkill Large Arbor Big Game fits your requirements to a tee. The B-Kill LA VI is for line weights 10-12 and costs $249. With an 11 weight line, using 50 pound Gel-Spun, you can hold 375 yards of backing or 550 yards using 35 pound Gel-Spun.
http://www.orvis.com/store/product_c...576&pf_id=65HE
Or you can get an Orvis Mach Large Arbor in the Mach V for the same price or for $269 you can get the Mach VI.
http://www.orvis.com/store/home_page...8&cat_id=7910&
Or go to www.orvis.com and go into Fly Fishing then Reels.
You really can?t go wrong with Orvis.
Larry :D
bariutt.......
The old advice of you pay for what you get still applies.
My fishing partner in NY state went through 3 Orvis SW reels twice.
After one season he noticed corrosion on the main shafts and brought the reels back to his Orvis dealer. They were replaced, no questions asked. (He had not dunked the reels and they were washed with fresh water after every use.)
He tried the new reels the next season and the same thing happened. This time he got his money back instead of replacement reels and went on to purchase Abel reels. He never had any trouble after that.
Your best bet is to look for quality reels on eBay, like Abel, Tibor or Loop\Danielsson.
There is a Danielsson HD 11Fourteen on eBay right now. See eBay item # : 170176836079
I have several Abel reels and one Loop\Danielsson. Of them all, I think that the Loop\Danielsson has the smoothest drag with the least drag startup enershia. It is a sealed carbon fiber drag so maintenance is minimal.
Good Luck on your quest,
DickM.
I?m sure you?ll get a lot of different opinions. Whichever reels you consider, check the warranties to compare apples to apples, and look for reels with smooth drags with consistent tension from startup through a range of settings. Some reels have a jerky initial start up, especially on tighter settings, even though they seem smooth once they get moving. Depending on where you fish, I would also look at the construction of the reel frame. If you are going to be crawling around rocks, I would be looking for a sturdy construction as opposed to an open type of frame.
Personally I would go for the Teton 9-11 LA.(MSRP $250). Very well designed, made in USA, a rock solid lifetime warranty and by all accounts an excellent company to deal with. They have really become popular reels here in the NE salt (blues, stripers, false albacore), along with the less expensive Teton Tiogas that shares the same drag for about $150. These are fished in pretty tough conditions by a lot of guys, including high surf and from jetties and rocks along the coast. The LA spools about 125 yds #30 dacron with a wf 11 (compared to the MA which holds 175 yds). It?s a great reel compared to other reels under $450 and a great value for the money.
I?ve also heard some good things about the Lamson Velocity 4 and Galvins, for the same general $?s but haven?t used one. The Danielsson reels Dick mentioned are also worth a look, and Colton has a new reel coming out in 08 that has been getting some buzz.
Other reels in the same general price range maybe made in China (Orvis? Albright?). Despite how well they may or may not be designed, mfg specs and the reputation of the companies, I would be concerned about parts substitution, which has been making the news in other products from vitamins to toys to airplane parts---Even things like screws etc can make a big difference if they sneak into the manufacturing process because of some sleazeball 3rd party.
Obviously Sagefisher?s experience has been a good one, so this may totally be a non-issue especially if you plan on fishing in FW for salmon etc. But Dick?s observations are right on for salt. Orvis reels should be thoroughly rinsed and soaked with the spool off in FW after every trip in SW, otherwise you are sure to run into problems with the spool seizing to the shaft in very short order, in days not weeks after purchase, as well as leading to corrosion problems in the drag, and you may still have problems if you do. This would knock them out in my book for serious SW use. A spritz of FW on gear after every trip is a good idea of course, but any reel that susceptible to corrosion is a deal breaker for me, and I wouldn?t pick it even for FW based on these problems which appear to be pretty common..
An 11 is a big fish stick, so depending on what you are chasing, you could use a top shot of gel if you needed more yds, with your LA. But if going to gel seems like a requirement (as opposed to just insurance) for what you are chasing?say tarpon tuna etc- you may want to bite the bullet and spend more on a Tibor or Mako, or for less money, a bullet proof tank like the Pate. You would not have to worry about your reel holding up on these fish, or on a trip of a lifetime to some exotic destination, and still cover you for other species that are not as hard on gear. As Dick mentioned, to ?save? a few $?s on these reels you could consider a used Tibor or Pate (Charlton Makos are new, so you?re not likely to find used ones), and it may be worth shopping around to price them before you spring for a new mid priced reel.
Good luck!
peregrines
Albright used to sell a reel called the "Tempest" - large arbor cork drag draw bar design. These reels have had many favorable reviews from anglers who have put a lot of use into them. Albright discontinued the reel but a Northern California shop purchased the rest of the inventory and is now having them made under their own label for less than $200. Check out sealevelflyfish.com
I have a Teton 9-11 and been using it for about 10 years without a problem. The Tempest reel has a much more rugged cork disk drag with a much wider range of adjustment. The Tempest appears to be superior in almost every aspect to any sub $250 reel that I have examined and it has been proven against nasty creatures in places like Baja California, Australia, Florida, ...
What species are you targeting??
im a ross reel fan, i have a couple of bg-4's i use in saltwater. excelent reel. dont know much about the newer momentums, but if they are as good as the rest on the ross equipment you cant go wrong. i would watch ebay for a bg-5 , you might be able to get one around 250. also,orvis had there large arbors on sale recently, you might want to see if they are still running the sale. i got a LA-II for a spare 5 weight reel for about $100.
good luck
I have one of the Tempest's. I'm going to baptize it this weekend on some Louisiana redfish. The Tempest's got great reviews on Dan Blanton's board.Quote:
Originally Posted by tailingloop
I own Abels, an Islander, several Ross and aBilly Pate for heavy duty saltwater fishing. These are all great high quality reels. However, I also own two of the Albright Tempest IIs I bought from Sea Level. These are very well made and have many features the more expensive reels have. For the money, I don't think you can go wrong.
Another respected reel that is just over the $250 parameter is the TFO Large Arbor model 425 and just under is the Redington CDL 11/12
I have to "second" the vote/advice/suggestion, for any Teton Reel!
I own 5 Tetons, 2 for salt work, and 3 "Tiogas" for Trouting and Steelheading.
Made in USA, of bar stock aircraft grade aluminum and their infinite drag, make them a darn hard reel to beat for the money.
I've never experienced any type of "start up inertia problems" with their drags when using any of the models and the 2 salt drags I have, have worked flawlessly for bones, and "other assorted sea creatures" that I've encountered over the years!! VERY smooth and easily adjustable when they're needed.
Just my own, .02 worth anyway!
Paul :lol:
TFO 425 or Ross CLA cant go wrong with both.
KevinC
Another vote for either the TFO 425 or the Albright Tempest 4. Both are solid reels. The 425 has handled sailfish over 100 lb for me so it has the muster to handle big fish. The Tempest has a strong smooth drag as well and at under $200 is a great deal.
Guy
I have been running Hardy Husky reels, both multiplier and direct drive for saltwater salmon, lingcod and halibut on the big end and lots of rockfish on the lighter end. Have run them through many cork replacements and thousands of pounds of fish each. I am anything but anal about taking care of them and they simply do not fail.
I heat them occasionally and rub Johnson's paste wax into the heated metal and that has been enough. I usually rinse them in warm freshwater at the end of most days, but have skipped many rinses... Some have 15 years of hard charter use on them at this point.
On the downside, when the brake pads breakdown they turn into knucklebusters FAST!
art
PS My charter boat operation on Kodiak Island is the source of my experience.