Spey Reels for under $250?

[Keith Kaneko]

Hello Fellow Spey Casters!

I would like some guidance on Spey Reels you recommend for under $250. I prefer a large arbor and am curious to hear what you are using...

Thanks - Keith

[Grampa Dave]

What size rod (wt/length) do you have or are thinking about.

I have the Sage 7 wt 7136-4, and I matched its weight with the Orvis Large Arbor V. It is a great combo. You should try to match the weight of the reel to weight of the rod.

Nymphing on Putah Creek and some of your rivers will often result in a good strike with a lot of line hanging below your reel. The Orvis Large Arbor has great take up per reel turn. You can rapidly bring in 30 to 40' of line with this reel.

The one down side is a surprisingly low storage level of backing. I can get more backing on my Gunny 3 than the Orvis Large Arbor V. I just bought a spare spool to load with another fly line on order.

I have seen a lot of the newer Redington Large Arbors on Spey Rods. My son has two Redingtons, and he loves them.

[NrthFrk16]

If you are fishing a lighter two-handed rod like a 7 or an 8 and maybe even a 9 (with a shorter belly line), the Velocity would be an excellent choice as it is a true large arbor, with a very simple yet smooth conical compression drag and comes with a lifetime warranty.

You are looking at right around $200 for that reel. The Redington's arent bad either but do remember they are made overseas and thus it may be very hard to get spools or parts down the road...

[Per Stadigh]

Rumour has it that Loop are discontinuing some of their Traditional reels, among them the great number 4. The other models will be slightly re-designed.

Watch out for sales, they should be out soon and then will fall under your $250 limit. If you check Dana's reviews you will see why to consider them.

Per

PS. I have caught lots of big and hot fish on the unbraked Traditionals. Actually I prefer them to their fancier brethren - when you rely 100% on palming nothing is between you and the fish - nothing can scr-w up - and YOU, rather than the reel, is in full control. DS

[watersprite]

I went with the Teton Tioga series after several PNW steelhead guide recommendations. I found them to be quite solidly built, with a superb drag system and made in the USA. I now own three, two 8LA's for a pair of Orvis 10 ft. #7 wts. and a single 12LA for my Sage 9140-4. EACH under $150. I put the savings into the purchase of the rods...

[fredaevans]

Lots of fish on mine, and not a peep of complaint (up to 25'ish pound kings in the river) from this reel. Very smooth drag, etc. However, buy the BIGGEST ones as even with a 6-7-8 WC you won't have room for a hell of a lot of backing.
fe

[spey_bubba]

for the money, i think the teton/tigoa reels are hard to beat. i own many of them in different sizes. the teton is available in a large size (12) which is big enough to handle most of the current commercially available lines.

the compression drag on the spindle is simple and requires little maintenance (aside form the occasional drop of 3 in 1 oil), and unlike cork disc drags, is not as vulnerable to particulate contamination.

i have caught steelhead, chums, kings, tarpon, and bonefish on tetons... not as nice as my tibors, but very, very serviceable reels

the 9-11 works well for deschutes sized rods (7-8 weight lines)

[andre]

I you are interested in the non Gucci approach, look for a good Hardy Marquis Salmon I, II, or III. You might find a Salmon Perfect. Simple Classic and a great sound with a running fish.

[NrthFrk16]

Visit Micheal and Young's Website and take a look at the Hardy Viscount Click 10/11. I own a couple of them and have been pretty impressed....simple and durable. They run around $150-160 or so Canadian I believe.

I grabbed pretty much the last two avaliable in the states. :)

BTW Andre-
I'll get that book out to you in the next couple of days.

[watersprite]

For a great series of articles on steelheading, including reel selection, try this site: http://www.flyfishsteelhead.com/

Check out Dennis Dickson's articles and stories, in particular the one on reels - good ones and bad ones. Aroung here, Dennis is considered THE guru on this fishery.

Steven R

[andre]

Ryan,

Thanks for the note. Don't hurry as I'm leaving town for week of work in Miami on Friday. I am completely pumped. I will get a play day and booked a bone/tarpon/permit/shark....anything that is big, pulls hard, and swims fast trip. To quote "unless the weather changes that Permit are thick"! Now if I can remember how to cast with one hand.

[sinktip]

Watersprite,

This is not intended as a knock on Dennis. He knows his stuff and has an informative and interesting web site. But by labeling him "THE guru for this fishery" you are ignoring a number of equally knowledgeable and well respected masters of the sport. We just lost one of them in Walt Johnson but there are many more out there.

Respectfully,
sinktip

[watersprite]

Guru: A personal spiritual teacher. An acknowledged advocate, as of a movement or idea.

"American Heritage Dictionary, Second College Edition"; c1982, 1985; Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, MA, USA.


Sorry, sinktip, for the windknot in your line...

As you well know, Dennis brings a formal fisheries background to the guiding business, unlike the majority of his contemporaries. His formal education and field experience has instilled an inquisitive mind and scientific methodology which enhances his understanding of this fishery.

Dennis is often found at the vanguard of progressive thought and practices regarding issues impacting wild steelhead and our rivers. His character is true and unempeachable. ...a strong advocate and spiritual teacher.

Further, Dennis is an active and effective communicator who offers up a great deal of knowledge "pro bono" to an international audience. Unquestionably, I have learned more from him on flyfishing for steelhead and stewardship of this fishery than from any other source.

Sinktip, I'm sorry my OPINION invoked such a rebuke from you. I'm sure that such intolerance is not in character and is but a sign of your anguish at the loss of your friend.

My regards,

Stevn

[sinktip]

Stevn,

I knew Dennis was good but wow, that is impressive. Actually, I never met Walt Johnson so I will never know if we could have been friends. Dennis on the other hand I know well and I would hope he would agree that we are friends. In fact, water levels willing, I will be fishing with him later in April.

My reason for posting earlier certainly was not to badmouth Dennis. Nor was it to attack you. I was simply stating that by anointing him THE guru of this fishery you were overlooking numerous others who have given of themselves just as generously as Dennis so that those that followed could learn and come to love the sport.

I guess I get a little nervous when anyone, be they author, guide, fisheries biologist or just a damn good fisher is elevated to the status of "THE guru". Maybe that's just my problem. If so then so be it.

Duggan

[chromer]

If I didn't know Dennis from first-hand expeirences, I sure wouldnt hire him based on that article! Heavy on the verticle pronoun "I" and the reel advice was old news.

Since I do know him though hes a great guide and I would hire him in a minute

[watersprite]

Sinktip,

Rather than argue the semantics of this informal conversation, as you are so keen to do, I've attempted to enumerate some of the criteria upon which my opinion is based. I am quite comfortable with my opinion. Yet having said that, I would like to point out that as a progressive individual my opinions are subject to change, so by all means speak up when you have something more substantive to bring to this conversation than your petty intolerance of differing opinion. An intolerance, I might add, that wears the veil of bigotry.

Sinktip, you seem intent on escalating this to a pissing contest; well I'll pass. Cautionary Note: Please avoid strong headwinds.

Steven

[NrthFrk16]

watersprite-
My New Year's Resolution was to avoid pissing matches on the web because they always get me into trouble i.e. threats of bodily harm, restraining orders etc. etc. but I have to step in on this one.

I must say that in no way is sinktip be arguementive nor is he berating your opinion. He is stating his opinion, with which I agree and in actuality, is giving very valid reasons for it.

You ask him to speak up when he brings something more substantive to the arguement...well he did that in his first post and in his second post. You are the one not taking the differing of each other's opinion too well and you are the one that is showing a great intolerance...

You and Coot should become buds... :devil:

...and now back to the topic at hand-How 'bout them Redingtons? :D

[watersprite]

Ryan,

Sorry but I do not see it as you do. Aside from the one individual named, Sinktip has failed to quantify and/or qualify anyone in particular. Such vagueness is far from being substantive.

In as much as a guru is a PERSONAL spiritual teacher, among other things, any arguement seeking to invalidate such an individualized point of view is moot.

So Sinktip has an opinion, great. I can support that, even when it differs from mine. He should remember, though, that if he wishes for me to respect his opinion AND his right to form one, then he should be so inclined.

Steven

[sinktip]

Watersprite,

I give up. Regardless of my intentions this has turned into a pissing match. I can tell you feel quite strongly that Dennis is your personal guru and I support you in spreading that news.

Should you be truly intersted in learning more of the basis for my opinions or the people I feel should be included in a listing of giants in the field, I will be happy to continue this via private message. I for one would be interested in hearing your reasoning behind your bigotry comment for that truely confuses me. Either way, peace and may the fish gods smile upon you.

Sincerely,
Duggan

[doublespey]

Where virtual pissing contests are the rule of the day! :devil:

Dennis is a great guy and fine steelheader/guide. I can speak from experience because I've fished with him and run into him many times on the river and in the political/advocacy arena.

I have the utmost respect for the man and appreciate that he (along with several other guides I know) is willing to take the time to support the causes he advocates on his website.

As for a Guru?? Guess that's a personal decision. All the steelhead flyfishers I know are equally as individualistic and opinionated (and in a few cases as knowledgable) as Dennis! ;)

Don't know if that makes them Gurus or not, but it sure makes for some interesting discussions.

Peace,

DS

[pescaphile]

Keith,
You can get a great deal on the Hardy JLH Salmon from John Norris in the UK. You can find them at:

www.johnnorris.co.uk (http://www.johnnorris.co.uk)

I think they're selling these reels for about $140 US which is a pretty darn good buy. The prices shown on the site reflect a 17.5% tax not applicable to sales to the US.

Norris has good deals on all Hardy reels as far as I've looked but the JLH seems to be priced especially good.

pescaphile

[juro]

For the 7136-4, I would go with a Lamson velocity large arbor with the new conical sealed drag, etc. It's a steal in that price point and a good size match for the 7136-4. Anything above that and you're going to need a larger capacity reel.

Keith -

What weight Spey rod or more importantly line are you using with this reel?

Juro

[watersprite]

Yes, Peace.

All this crap over someone's opinion - a stupid exercise, indeed!

Steven

[doublespey]

Just want to second Juro's vote. I loved the LP series and was a bit disappointed when I saw their Lightspeed LA after all the hype that had been generated about it.

Looks IMNSHO more like an alien spacecraft than a flyfishing reel. And, while I do like technology (work as a Network Admin by day), that design was too much for me. In all fairness - I'm told it performs well so my only problem with it is one of esthetics.

Then I saw the Velocity and fell in love. What a great reel, with a very classic look and a bulletproof drag (a definite improvement on the LP). And a steal at the price I saw listed!

Somebody's listening at Lamson!

my .02,

DS

[juro]

The 4 is the biggest they make - equivalent in capacity to the LP 4, which is damn good.

What I wish (ya' listening out there?) is that they would make a #5 or even a Spey in Velocity design - wouldn't that be the cat's ass? All for ~$250ish too.

I've had several great conversations with the technical staff at Waterworks. The shop I used to work with had a technical contact phone # for distributors so I used to take advantage of it. Of course I had nothing to do with it but you can bet I asked them if they'd put the Force drag into the Lamson LP often. The Velocity is pretty close to that.

Anyway, if they made a Velocity Spey I'd be all over that. Where'd I put that number again?

[NrthFrk16]

Originally posted by Doublespey
...when I saw their Lightspeed LA after all the hype that had been generated about it.

Looks IMNSHO more like an alien spacecraft than a flyfishing reel. And, while I do like technology (work as a Network Admin by day), that design was too much for me.

You sure did not put it that nicely to me when you pissed on my Litespeed. I think you refered to it as the ugliest *expletive* *expletive* reel you had ever seen! :(

In regards to the Litespeed vs. the Velocity, do remember that the Litespeed will hold more backing with the same line the Velocity as it has a larger arbor...which also equates to a faster pickup.

With a 9/10/10 WC, I have managed to get 175 yds of 30# white dacron (hi-vis dacron takes up more space).

I have sold the Litespeed to customers who were very skeptical about buying the reel as it is not pretty but because it is so smooth and has such a fast pickup, they could not resisit. One customer came back to me and said "It is the ugliest f*cking reel I have ever seen but it also the smoothest I have ever fished!" :D