Hey all,
I recently bought a Sage XP nine and a half foot 8 weight, and i was wondering what reel would match this. I’m going to be using this for salmon here in Newfoundland. I was thinking that I would get a Sage reel to match the rod and Sage line but I dont have 500+ dollars to buy one. Any suggestions would be greatly appreached.
Thanks
Elkhorn T-3, or even an MA-3 if you like the max arbor reels (like a Loop reel). These reels are 100% machined from milspec aircraft aluminum and anodized in an assortment of durable, attractive colors. The drag on the T-series reels is a cork-on-delrin disc drag with a straight shaft bar tensioner through the core of the reel. I think this is the best drag design for larger fish. And these reels are indestructible and exceptionally smooth. But the best part is that you get all this stuff…the same stuff you’d get in the most expensive big game reels on the market…for under $200 for the T-3 or $239 for the MA-3. All Elkhorn reels come with an unlimited lifetime warranty that says even in the worst case scenario you will never pay more than $50 total to have your reel repaired or replaced.
I’ve always liked my Lamson reels for big fish situations. I’ve also been field testing the XDP and TX2 reels from Scierra recently. Haven’t used them on salmon, but I’m liking what I’m seeing so far on wipers and carp. I’ve never used the Elkhorn reels mentioned above, but they sound good, too.
Nautilus Featherweight Plus #7
Tibor Backcountry Wide
Galvan Torque T-8
Abel Big Game #2
Take a look at the Orvis Battenkill Mid-Arbor. I have one on my 9’ 8wt Steelhead rod and I love it. The drag is smooth as can be and I’ve had some Steelies make real long runs. The other nice thing is that it’s only $129 for the sixe IV for 7-8 wts. If you need a large arbor, they also make the Mach ($249) and the Battenkill Large Arbor ($229). I have no personal experience with these.
I have to agree that the Elkhorns are great reels - I have their 3wt and it’s a beauty.
I am a lamason fan, And you can get either the Litespeed or Velocity for cheap if you look hard enough, because the older modeles went on closeout this year, both are about the same reel just the litespeed is lighter.
Get a ross reel in any model in a slate grey. Now that would go perfect with your xp
Hey all,
I was brousing a catalogue and noticed a pfluger supreme and the trion. would this be a good option for my reel.
thanks
The trion is the same reel as the Orvis mid arbor. I have both reels and can swap spools between the two. can’t beat the trion for the price… just my two cents
I have the Lamson Velocity on my 7 wt and a pflueger Trion on an 8 wt, The Lamson is beautiful and more precisely built, but the 9/10 Trion is a good deal for what I paid, about $70 US on ebay, It works!
Ross is my choice.
I used to have a 9 foot 9 weight Orvis Trident with a Lamson Litespeed I used in Florida for reds and snook until the orvis rod popped like a bomb in the second section. I wasn’t really abusing it either, just flicked the rod to get it off a snag (yeah, I know - pull on the line stupid) and boom. It really shouldn’t have broken. Now I know I’ll get a new on from Orvis but I wasn’t sure I really wanted to use it. Besides I needed something right away. I took the outfit into Mangrove outfitters here in Naples and they had a Sage 8 weight outfit (1880 reel and 890-4 SLi rod) on sale for $460 with a saltwater line and everything. I didn’t really need a reel but one of the guides in the shop said he had trouble with Lamson reels. Seems the screws that hold the body to the foot are quite small and he had a customer break one of the screws half an hour into a nice tarpon battle. The reel turned (only being held by one screw) and the leader popped. Now I don’t know what kind of care the reel had because if they are not washed off in fresh water they will corode from the salt and the small screw may have had corosion. I looked again at the little screws on my Lamson and bought the sage outfit. The nine weigth was a little heavy for me anyway since I had spinal fusion. So consider that in your purchase. I do like all my Ross’s and I like my Billy Pate for steelhead. There are many good reels out there and the comment on the Lamson was only for real big fish. I liked my Lamson otherwise.
Bobinmich
If budget is an issue, that Trion isn’t a bad idea at all. I’m not crazy about the drag knob on the Summit, though. They made it too smooth and its hard to adjust, especially is your hands are damp.