Ok, I bought a 7 foot 3 weight back in December and research as I might, I was having a difficult time finding a reel that A) wasnt way too heavy to balance with the rod and B)didn't cost a prohibitive amount of money. An attractive line holder never hurts either. I found lots of variations of one or the other. The Sage Click for example is light but also $300.

Anyway, I found my reel today and it came home. The Cortland Retro is a little sweetheart. Fully machined, well built and has a lovely anodized finish. The tolerances rival that of any reel I have found at even twice the $130 asking price. The 2 7/8" model weighs in at 3.1 oz. Perfect! It looks great on my new rod as well, just in time for the blizzard to hit tomorrow.

If anyone is looking for a nice, light trout reel, be sure to give these little guys a look!

http://www.cortlandline.com/products/default.asp?id=582