No, Im not just bringing a 7 wt to the Bahamas.....I'm bringing a 5wt set-up as well as a 9 wt set-up....both have bullet proof drags. I'm also bringing a back up for everything. This is not important .....what i need is a bullet proof 7wt reel.
I get how you don't want to spend the dough to go all the way to the Bahamas to have your equipment fail, but sometimes i think that the Chinese or Korean knock-offs just might be awesome....and not fail.
Anything on the Allen Kraken?
Keep those responses coming! I'm loving it.
Dan
Allen Kraken is not a knock-off, it is designed here and built there, not an imitation. We have two of them serving primarily as back-up, alternate line reels and they are fine. My only knock on them is I find their spool width wider than I like. For a little extra dough though I like the Atlas much better.
You do not need a 20+# drag for almost anything...OK, GTs. I've never measured but I presume my bonefishing drag is set around 4 or 5 pounds, just guessing. An exposed rim, now nearly universal, is crucial for added pressure during events like the fish bolting toward mangroves. And while true, fly fishing is a manual endeavor, a smooth drag saves fish's lives by bringing them to hand more quickly than simply palming, skills being equal. Releasing a too tired bonefish is simply feeding a shark.
It is true that back in the 1960-70's when flats fishing started to gain popularity that many fish, big fish, where caught using salmon size freshwater reels with no drags. Salt and boats took a big toll on these reels inspiring a few Florida types to get serious and built us the first cork disc, draw-bar reels, wedding cake Fin-Nors and Seamasters. My first bonefish reel was a Frank Catino, Florida built, Bonefish, a new style of draw-bar being the first to employ a fully machined frame. These reels were the progenitors of today's Abel Supers, Tibors and Islanders.
I continue to fish cork drag Abel's, Islanders and South African Magla draw-bars but have primarily gone over to the stacked, sealed drag reels with no failures to date. When I head to Florida in a few weeks my primary outfit will be a Stickman T8 mounted with a Ross Evo R/S and a no-stretch RIO line with hand built Fluoro leader. Totally modernized me.
