A couple of weeks ago we asked you about your favorite steelhead flies, and we got a bunch of great input.
Steelheaders are an opinionated bunch, and there might be no wider range of opinions than those about reels.
“It’s just a line holder.”
“They’re super powerful so I need to most modern drag I can afford.”
“It makes the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard in my life.”
Today we want to hear your opinion about steelhead reels. What’s your favorite reel for steelhead fishing? Really importantly this time – why?
Leave us comment and let us know! If you’re viewing this in a newsletter or a reader, click here to weigh in on our web site.
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Greetings,
Hatch Plus 7 for my 8 WT, and a Hatch Plus 9 for my Spey. I also use the Hatch Plus 7 on my 8 WT L2h Switch Rod. Why? They are bullet proof, and the “DRAG”, is super smooth and indestructible as well as enclosed.
I can use them in the mud/grim/gravel/rocks/ Saltwater/ Freshwater. Anywhere and everywhere, and I have. The Hatch for me is the go to Reel of choice and preference. I am hard on gear, and these reels stand up to the worst of punishment and sometimes abuse.
Maintaining a Hatch is a breeze, as they require so little. I wash mine off each time after using it with fresh water, I have never had a problem with gravel or small rocks getting into the space between the reel frame and spool. Close tolerances, not a problem.
Orvis Mirage is my reel of choice on my Orvis Helios 2 711-4 switch rod.
Hatch 7+; of all the reels I have used over the years, the only one which if you happen to catch two significant fish in a row, you can pop off the spool and the inside of the drag isn’t hot or even warm.
Saracione MK IV Salmon 4 1/2″ I use this with my 13 1/2′ Pieroway metal detector spey rod and the whole outfit just is smooth and powerful. I love it!
Abel spey. Soulful growl made in the good ol’ USA
Loop G4 8/10! Smooth, large arbor. Like it better than my Charlton, which I have now retired!
I wish I could but I cannot afford most of the reels noted above. For those on a budget I found the Echo Ion reels to be a great option. Great price point, just have to pay attention to keeping clean. Over the past 10 years I found it made more sense to have multiple reels same model versus extra spools. Good insurance, if one gets damaged on a trip I can still fish without a lot of drama.
Vosseler S2 & S3. Solid Reel for a really good price. S2 for my Switch Rods and the S3 for my Spey Rods.
I enjoy the click and paw sound of my marques#2 and the lack of drag makes fighting fish all the more exciting. We don’t spend near as much time fighting fish as we want so any little “Bonus” is just that, a bonus sounds cool, looks cool, I feel cool holding it. If you’re a NinJa and like to keep your spot stealthy like some of my OP buddies and want a great drag system the Ross CLA is likely the best reel for steelheading. It’s cheap’ish, reliable and sexy!
P.S. Dude with the ECHO Ion, EFF it man that’s more money for feathers to tie and gas to get to the river! My buddy has one, and has had no issues with it. If anyone sticks their nose up at you then their chin is exposed… clean their clock.
The Charlton 3550-Spey. It’s got a smooth drag with virtually no inertial lag, it’s a sealed drag (mud and grit aren’t an issue) and it’s as close to indestructible as a reel can be.
The Hardy Perfect. The “Perfect” is a timeless reel with beauty steeped in tradition. The solid face and the sound resonance it creates when a bright wild chrome streak has just taken your last offering and is heading down steam reminds you of the work and effort it has taken to get to this point. When your damp and your fingers ache with the same chill that is freezing your rod guides the feel and sound of the reel is warming. Hell, some even think it may be “Perfect”.
Cheers
Mc
Hardy Bougle’.
I have Bougle’s in 4″, 3 3/4″ and 3 1/2″, and use them with 9wt thru 6wt rods. They are light weight, reliable, handsome, I have complete control over the amount of drag I apply with my fingertips, and I love that sound! The Hardy Perfect runs a close second.
Olson click and gear….finest reel sound and build I have owned..
behind that are my perfects…
Hatch have to have the nicest drag system. If you want a little more sport in your fishing the Hardy marquis#2 is fool proof. The spool is machined to fit over the rim so that the backing can’t escape like it can, and does, on some reels such as Abel. But all the top end reels are nice and it mostly comes down to personal taste and maybe finding a good deal.
1910 CIRCA Army & Navy 4″.
This reel looks it’s age, but performs the job it was built to do well. And the sound, well the sound, is just plain awesome. I prefer simple reels with click drags. If I am not using the Army & Navy, I am using my Hardy Marquis. I have 3 of them.
Dingley 3 3/4
Bo Mohlin 3 1/2
8wt Montana Fly Company in River Camo. Awesome drag!
I agree with the Hardy Perfect. A design that has been fighting fish for over 100 years.
Marquis #7 for my single hander and Marquis Salmon 2 for my spey rods. There is simply no sound in the world like the Hardy Symphony that plays when a hot chromer does the Grab and Go.
I admit that on several occasions my thumb has been doubled in size by the whup-ass administered by a Dean steelhead, so I now use a Loop Classic there. Real disc drag, and almost-but-not-quite-the-same sound.
Bauer CFX, or Rogue Classic, smoothest drags out there.
7 wt 10 ft Orvis Hydros with a Hydros reel. Works for swinging flies, dead drifting nymph and tight line or czech nymphing!
Loop Classic 7/9.
Bauer Rogue all the way.
Danielsson LW 8Twelve or H5D 11Fourteen. While I love the Hardy sound, I love the control you get with the Danielssons more.
I’m a big fan of the Galvan Rush. I use the R10 & R12’s for spey work. Love the big drag knob. They’ve never failed me and are easy to clean up. Price is right too.
Mine is a Loop Classic 8/9/10, and I love it. Yeah it cost money, but I’ll never need to worry about it breaking, the drag will stop a bull moose, and the sound is plain wonderful. I’ll economize somewhere else, like on bills or something.
Kinda sweet on my Solitude 5, looks good, quite, powerful drag, good bang for the buck. I’ve hooked and fought fish to the boat and never said anything until it was time for the net. Big Surprise for your buddies!
Galvan Torque 12…Great drag, slick design, easy push button spool removal…American Made…good price! I like the reels and was pleased to see that the pro agree with the Yellowstone 2013 reel shootout. Think the Galvans placed 3rd beating reels costing twice as much as well as the Hatch.
My model is the 8/11, sorry for the edit….
Lamson ARX 4+. Smooth/ sealed drag. Works great for hot fish, or the time a King grabs a Steelhead fly on the swing. Good balance with the Loop Yellow Rod. Works as well in 60 degree weather, as it does in 10 degree weather. Simple spool change too. Just a fantastic all around reel, from a reputable USA company. I also use a Hardy Marquis Salmon 2. The Lamson is the one I use most often. The Hardy usually hangs on my 7 wt Meiser Classic. Balances that rod perfectly. Both are good all around Steelhead set ups.
Nautilus NV-G, Einarsson , Bauer Rogue , Hardy Perfect .
After spending the money on the rod, and line, what ever reel that’s on sale at the time will be just fine.
Nautilus NVG7 big time!
Hardy Perfect. There is a lot of mojo in a hundred year old 4 inch Hardy Salmon Perfect–and the growl is–perfect!
Orvis Access (IV?) on an 8wt rod is a great reel. Good looks, more than addiquite drag and a very reasonable price!
Speyco 4″ Symmetry Skagit and 4″ Symmetry Skandi click and pawl reels. Great sound, bullet proof build, and very reasonably priced. Machined and assembled in good old Green Bay, WI.!
Close second, 4″ Hardy Bougle. Cheers, Mike
Nautilus NV-G 7/8 with Sage X 8 weight 10′ rod. Doesn’t get any better.
My old 4 inch Hardy Perfect is my choose,it,s from around 1927 or 1928,what a beauty.I use it on my Sage TCX 12ft,9 in.short Spey.I shoulden,t have to tell anybody what these old Hardy,s sound like when a bright Margaree 15 pounder takes off down river,cartwheeling at the end of it,s run.Better than you know what !
I have an Ebay Chinese Spey rod (13′, 8wt) with a Bass Pro reel (9-10wt) with an all-in price of about $150. The rest I spend on tying flies and gas/hotels for the fishing. Fish don’t know the difference and if/when I have a big issue with tackle, I buy new. I still don’t have $200 in the reels and the rod hasn’t failed me yet…and it’s been 12 yrs. Gotta love it.
I use a 3 3/4 and a 4 inch Perfect on my Spey rods,Nothing sounds like a Perfect when a bright salmon is headed for parts unknown,it,s like the sound of an old Harley, sound,s to warm you heart.
Over the years I have collected about 6 different kinds of reels for steelhead from a couple of made in England Orvis Battenkill 7/8’s to a Sage 508 a Hardy JLH Lightweight 8/9 to a newer Hardy Marquis LWT SAL#1 on various single-hand boat rods.
My go to reels on the most fished rods are a Hardy Perfect Taupo 3 7/8 on my 10’4″ 6wt Beulah Platinum Switch for double nymph indicator rigs on the Upper Rogue River.
And a Hardy Bougle 4″ on my 12’6″ 7wt Hardy Zenith for swinging flies farther down the Rogue the North Umpqua or the Deschutes.
I know I’m kind of a gear pig but I’m so lucky to live here and I’m happy.
Not a lot of Lamson vintage reel lovers out there got a whole bunch of them.Sage RPLX+rod 9 wt great fun
Sage 3400D – never has let me down
Nothing, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING sounds like a Hardy. For the past roughly 40 years I have use a Marquis Salmon # 1 (Saltwater version) for all species of Pacific salmon. A 47 lb Spring made it work the hardest but a 15 lb Dorado in Mexico made it sing the loudest. It has never failed me and if the fish are still here my great great grandchildren will be using it.
Loop Classic 8/11 purrs, with a drag that no one can ever complain about. If looks mean anything, this reel has it in spades.
Hey Robert, You are right about the Classic having the looks in spades! I love the sound they make when a King is ripping line off of them….
Take care
Hardy Perfect 4” and 4 1/4 “ I also like the Sage Spey reel 7/8/9
Redington Behemoth is one of my favorite steelhead reels. For most general river conditions a spinning reel in the size 30 will be perfect. It’s a good idea to use the appropriately sized reels for Trout, Steelhead, and Salmon as well as small to large rivers. It’s also best that you don’t put a giant reel on a small rod or vice versa.