$50 to $75 reel

[Yukon Jack]

Hello all,
Are there any decent reels in the $50 to $75 range? It will go on my 9' 5w 3.5 oz. St Croix Reign rod. I will be fishing for trout mostly in rivers and streams. I have looked at a few reels but wanted to get some feedback from some of you on what you would suggest.

Thanks,

Yukon Jack

 

[dorian.ducker]

Any of the Ross "Fly" series reels, Cortland Endurance, Albright Bugati, I also think Orvis makes a decent reel or two in that price range you might want to check out.

 

[hsmith1313]

Ditto what dorian said on the Ross Worldwide "Fly" series. Google Ross Worldwide and click on Fly Reels. The Flycast #2 is listed at $70.00. I have a #1 for a 2 wt. and it works great.

 

[aroostookbasser]

The cortland is a good reliable reel for the money.

 

[tie one on]

All of the reels mentioned are ideal recommendations.

From my vantage point if you do not plan on fighting the
fish on the reel, then why not go with a old time favorite.
Why spend more when you don't need to do so.

Pflugger makes some real nice simple reels. They do have a
"clicker" type drag, but work well for smaller fish, especially
if you do not wish to spend allot of $$$ (check cabelas website)

I learned from Dad to fly fish for bluegill on an old fiberglass
rod with a 1494 Pflugger reel. Never, ever had trouble with
the reels & I still have them. (and they still work great after
40+ years)

Just a thought,

Tie One On

 

[Jakeway]

I'm a BIG fan of the Okuma SLV...very light, good smooth drag, and you can get them on-line shipped to your door for less that $50.

I have one in size 4-5, one in size 8-9, and two (plus a third spare spool) in size 5-6.

Again, I'm not using them for Alaska Salmon or even 20" rainbows; most of my fishing is for bass, bluegills, skipjack, and small tailwater trout. Ninty percent of my fish are fought with hand-retreive, rather than "on the reel".

 

[Curtis]

Okuma Sierra.

$30 or under.

Best reel value out there. I would recommend this to anyone and it has a very nice smooth drag system too. There is NO need to spend more.

 

[Tippetgood]

Okuma Sierra.

$30 or under.

Best reel value out there. I would recommend this to anyone and it has a very nice smooth drag system too. There is NO need to spend more.

I second, very nice reel, doesn't look as fancy as those shiny aluminum reels but it has a great drag, and I beat the piss out mine and have never had a problem.

 

[trout champ]

Ross has come out with some low cost reels latley. The Flywater, Flystart, and Flycast are all under $100. They all come with Ross's lifetime warranty. I like the Flywater most.

I've heard good things about the Okuma SLV too. I might pick one up for my 4wt.

Randy

 

[shorthaul]

All of the reels mentioned are ideal recommendations.

From my vantage point if you do not plan on fighting the
fish on the reel, then why not go with a old time favorite.
Why spend more when you don't need to do so.

Pflugger makes some real nice simple reels. They do have a
"clicker" type drag, but work well for smaller fish, especially
if you do not wish to spend allot of $$$ (check cabelas website)

I learned from Dad to fly fish for bluegill on an old fiberglass
rod with a 1494 Pflugger reel. Never, ever had trouble with
the reels & I still have them. (and they still work great after
40+ years)
Just a thought,

Tie One On

Ill second that----these reels are bulltproof---you can find them all day long for under 20 bucks on ebay (51 reels right now many with no bids) and a new smaller one is 25 bucks new at cabelas---not exactly a low inertia spool ---but definitely something that will help balance out a long or heavy rod moreso than the super lightweight reels---i have a couple of them and they are the ones that i loan out to beginners and if it doesnt come back ive lost a used line and a reel that i can pick up for 20 bucks

 

[FrankB2]

I'll cast a vote for the Okuma SLV. I've owned/fished the Okuma Sierra, and
it's fine. I even had a Ross Gunnison that was fine. The benefit of the SLV
is it's a true large arbor (i.e., holds fly line and 100 yards(+)of backing), has a much more adjustable drag than the Sierra, and can be purchased on ebay for around $40. My first SLV was bought for $60 retail. the Reign and Triumph rods are a bit tip heavy, so the 5.3oz 5/6 SLV will balance that rod nicely.

I only have one standard arbor reel now, and it's a plastic Cahill that I keep
a 4wt line on. I paid $12 at Sports Authority, but it's a pretty smooth reel.
It's also very light. The Scientific Anglers System 1 reel is also very light, and
has a semi-adjustabel click pawl drag. I owned one (and 3 spools), but sold
the whole lot for some unknown reason. That reel weighed 3.6 oz, and made
a cool click pawl Zing sound.

 

[dgd]

Ditto what dorian said on the Ross Worldwide "Fly" series. Google Ross Worldwide and click on Fly Reels. The Flycast #2 is listed at $70.00. I have a #1 for a 2 wt. and it works great.

Stay the heck away from the ross worldwide. $100 for a die cast reel with a 1 year warranty? Email steve that runs this forum, he will set you up with a good reel. Half the price of the ross worldwide is for those 13 letters.

 

[dgd]

The cortland is a good reliable reel for the money.

Cortland's rock! So do Bitch Creeks

 

[jackmcmanus21]

Ross has come out with some low cost reels latley. The Flywater, Flystart, and Flycast are all under $100. They all come with Ross's lifetime warranty. I like the Flywater most.

Randy

The Ross Flywater is a good reel....I strongly recommend it for the fisherman on a budget :icon_cool

 

[hsmith1313]

Stay the heck away from the ross worldwide. $100 for a die cast reel with a 1 year warranty? Email steve that runs this forum, he will set you up with a good reel. Half the price of the ross worldwide is for those 13 letters.

From Ross Worldwide website... "Flystart, Flycast and Flywater series reels and spools purchased through an authorized dealer are covered by a lifetime warranty." (emphasis added)

I stand by my original recommendation. Ross Worldwide makes a great low cost reel.