I picked up this reel to use for a bonefishing trip, and it is now my salmon/steelhead reel. The finish is very good, though the anodizing has the very slightest purplish look to it. It is machined from solid barstock aluminum and feels solid and very lightweight. It included a neoprene pouch that fits around the grip of your rod, so you can keep it protected.
I had the guy at the shop put 175 yards of 30lb dacron on it, and in addition to 8 weight, WF line, it barely fills the spool. It is certainly wider than a typical small arbor reel and holds a ton of line.
The reel clicks when line is being pulled off the reel, but is silent when retrieving. I don't actually prefer this, but whatever. No big deal. The drag dial also has solid clicks, but going from very light drag to pretty heavy is surprisingly short. I feel like one click should be a pretty subtle setting difference, rather than tightening so quickly. Finding the perfect setting where the reel won't over-run, but not so tight that you'd be worried a hot fish might bust your tippet, takes some getting used to. Once you find it though, the drag is solid and consistent.
I had the guy at the shop put 175 yards of 30lb dacron on it, and in addition to 8 weight, WF line, it barely fills the spool. It is certainly wider than a typical small arbor reel and holds a ton of line.
The reel clicks when line is being pulled off the reel, but is silent when retrieving. I don't actually prefer this, but whatever. No big deal. The drag dial also has solid clicks, but going from very light drag to pretty heavy is surprisingly short. I feel like one click should be a pretty subtle setting difference, rather than tightening so quickly. Finding the perfect setting where the reel won't over-run, but not so tight that you'd be worried a hot fish might bust your tippet, takes some getting used to. Once you find it though, the drag is solid and consistent.