Redington AL reels

To make a long story short. It was part of Reddington's freeing itself from partial ownership by Orvis. Good reels at the price they are going for now. We recently discussed there warranty status, and based on offline communications it will be honored. It will be interesting to see what Reddington does to replace the AL & AS reels.

I've heard they are good all-around reels and a steal at today's clearance prices. I have heard some components may be less corrosion resistant than hoped. For freshwater (Spey) use I'll bet they work out great, but I do have some friends using them in saltwater have experienced some issues w/ corrosion.

I do not own any I am just throwing in what I've heard on the topic.

I heard that they don't fit much line on them. Only 100 yards of 20 ld backing, wow! they look nice though...

If you go to Redington's web site, there are some reels that they will charge you to repair. Apparently some sold at a very large discount are not repaired free. You might want to see if this reel is in that category, Their site is www.redington.com

I have had no problems with the 11/12 LA I own. It holds 150-200 yds of 30# plus an 8/9 Accelerator. As I have said before, my only complaint is that the clicker on them is verrry soft. I prefer to hear my fish run. If that is not an issue to you, they are a very good spey reel.

As usual, there's a lot of worried chat about purchasing a Redington saltwater reel. I've purchased two Redington 9/10AL saltwater reels, one for me, one for my wife. We fish 200 days a year in all locations of salt. Our reels have had three years worth of albie (and other) fishing on them and the drags have held out just fine. We had two instances of customer service needed and we had our reels returned in less than a week serviced to our satisfaction. We feel you wouldn't go wrong purchasing one of their reels. The service rep we've spoken with on the phone is pleasant and knowledgeable and very willing to help out. (and, yes, the clicker is almost silent....we like it that way!)

I have an AS 13/14 I use on my 16 foot T&T. Never had a problem with it. It holds not quite 300 yards of 30# backing and a 10/11 Accelerator. I like it so much, I'm looking for another one. The nearly silent 'clicker' is a plus to me because I don't like a loud drag.

my .02

I've been using an AL9/10 in the salt for 2 years now - zero complaints. I don't usually clean it after every use, only about once a month or so. Halfway through the season I cleaned & oiled it - like new again.

as for the backing issue: Guedebrod makes a small dia. braided backing - check out their website for more info. It might be a possible solution for you.

Also, check some local shops - I know lots of units are still out there.

Good luck