Im not sure if I can ask but I know we've got some serious fly rod guys here so I'm reaching out for some guidance. I have a 9' 8wt I just completed. The blank and components were traded to me. I am going to be learning on this rod so I really don't want to drop a fortune on a reel. But.... I dont want something that will cause me to not enjoy my fly rod either. What is out there that is reasonably priced ?

A 9' 8 wt is a heavy fresh water and light salt water stick, so it depends on where you'll be fishing and for what. For black bass you don't need a top of the line reel as the fight, while sometimes intense, is relatively short and rarely if ever will you be into the backing. On the other end of the scale there are salt flats fish and others that will get into the backing during a longer, extended fight.

You tell us. For what and where will you be fishing the 8 weight?

Depends on what you will use your rod for. If you use it for trout, bass - freshwater fish - a click pawl drag will do fine and shouldn't cost you more than $125. If you go after salt-water fish, anadromous spawning fish, big carp or muskies you might want to get a large-spool disk-drag reel capable of holding a full #9 floating line and 75 yards or so of #30 backing.

Thanks. I will be fishing bass, pike and maybe musky

Lamson Guru II will handle anything fishable with this rod and costs about $250. For fresh water you can go with less, but if you want also to be able to go salt, the Lamson is a very capable reel at a reasonable price.

Look at one of the Pfleuger reels. It's the same reel as sold by many others at about 1/2 to 1/3rd the price.

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I am an avid fly fisherman and fish everything from Trout to Tarpon. On my 8 wts I use a Galvan, a very nice reel with a good drag system.

a reel for general use you can't go wrong for Okuma fly reels, all big big box stores sporting goods have them, even wall- mart, less than $100.00 most of the time [ sales ]

William Sidney
AK

The Pfleugers are indeed nice reels, but I got to use a Orvis Hydros SL reel last month and it's the best I've used for under $400-500. Has a really great drag, attached to a less perfect, small, kinda wierd drag knob. Other than that, I think it's top shelf. $ 250 range.

X2 Galvan Torque 8 great drag, nice size spool, American made and I have killed a lot of fish with mine (I do practice catch and release but man has to eat). For the budget minded and the most bang for the buck Lamson Liquid 3 pack. You get a complete reel and two extra spools so you can have a floating line and a sinking line and a one over or one under size for whatever you need it for. The only difference between it and the other Lamson reel is that they are cast aluminum and not CNC Machined but you still get the Lamson drag (that is really all a good fly reel needs) that they use on all their reels from the cheapest to the most expensive. For between $170 and $190 you get basically 3 reels for one and a carry bag.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/07/2018 11:52AM by Lance Schreckenbach.

Mark,
My first choice would be a Ross.
Good value, very reliable.
Several models available under $200.
Go with a disc drag with a spool dia approx. 3-1/2"
Gene

Honestly, the Pfeuger reels are ok but long term junk throwaways. Okuma are also OK. Both work ok for a time. So if you are not sure that fly fishing an 8wt is your future, these will work.

If your 8wt fly fishing is a longer term thing, you'll want a better reel. The Galvan Torque is a GREAT reel. Backed up with GREAT service. Upper end Lamsons are good, Bauers are really good, Lots of good reels out there. I'm partial to Galvans, which are uniformly excellent. I have no experience with Ross reels but the Made in USA ones have a good rep. So hard to go wrong.

For the original posters needs, I might look at the "Piscifun" on Amazon which gets you a machined Aluminum reel with (supposedly) decent drag for $50. It's full on China stuff, but by reputation not too bad.

I have fished the Pfleugers hard, fresh and saltwater, for years on end. Not a single problem to report. Of course, I'm talking about the models in the $100 range, not the $35 stuff.

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While fishing tackle manufacturers in the U.S.A. are close to extinction fishing tackle importers are flourishing. You may have noticed how few fishing products have "Made in America" labels [vs. assembled in America labels]. Importers profit most by selling you the product name, not the product. Identical or nearly identical imported products vary wildly in price according to name/label, advertising, and packaging. I'm looking at a fly fishing catalog offering "nippers" - simplified fingernail clippers - for $165.00! Little wonder fly-fishers are satirized as poseurs.

Thank you all for the input. You sure helped narrow it down.

I agree with Tom, I know people in Alaska that guide that have used the higher end Pfleugers exclusively. You think about it, compared to spinning and casting reels what is so hard to engineer about a fly reel? Centerpin and salmon mooching reels are just heavier framed fly reels to protect the frames from mono damage.

As you can see the Fly reels run the spectrum from moderate to $$$$ , the $$$$ end are great reels it all depends on what you are going to fish, & can spend, $ or $$$$ it is up to you
the $ will last a long time with just about no drag to the $$$$ the drag that will stop the biggest fish , [ if you can hold on ] , go cheep an try it out, if it don't work for you then get the better reel with the best drag , what ever you do, do it fast as summer is here, an the fish are biting , [ I think, good luck ]

William Sidney
AK

I fish for speckled sea trout, redfish and flounder with my 8 weights. I agree the Lamson Guru is a great freshwater reel for the money, and the Piscifun saltwater models (which I use on a 7 weight) have held up remarkably well. But for an all-around great reel, I wouldn't look beyond the Allen Kraken. At $239, with a sealed drag, this is the reel to beat. And the customer service you get from Allen is unparalleled. I have two Krakens, with 4 spools, and that covers my 7, 8 and 9 weight floating lines plus an 8 weight intermediate sinking. One of the things that has frustrated me with Lamsons is that they push multiple generations of a reel with minor changes, but changes enough that you can't find a spare spool for the model you have. Allen's Kraken has stayed in production for years, and when I need a new spool, I can find it. I have pulled in some seriously big and unwilling fish with the Kraken and it has never failed me. After a couple of hundred saltwater fishing days, when I started having trouble with the drag, I sent it back to Allen and they replaced the drag at no cost.

Cheeky boost or Qualifly Maverick