Salt water big game reel

[cb3fish]

Hey guys,

If you could change one thing on your salt water big game reel, what would it be?

My own personal favorite is the Tibor Signatures and i wish they would triple anodize them, other wise for my type of fishing they work the best.

CB

 

[camelbrass]

That Abel Supers were only available in black.

Regards,


Trevor

Sent from my HTC U11 using Tapatalk

 

[cb3fish]

Hey Trevor,

When I was an Abel reel guy, I bought them in Red.

I only switched to Tibor after too many issues with the out going drag systems in my Abel's. Soon as I saw the Tibor "Signatures" I immediately purchased 7 new ones and what I got was a giant "sealed CORK" drag and a quick release reel spool a bullet proof out going and in coming drag clicker with NO springs clicker or pawls...best I deal I have ever seen. CB

 

[bob3700]

Ok, here is my salt water reel delima.

My 9 wt rod will be a Scott Meridian For a reel I have narrowed it down to three. Nautalis ccfx2 8/10, Orvis Hydros SL , Tibor Everglades 8/10. Dont know how many salt trips I will be taking as I live in the midwest. So do I purchase an expensive reel (Tibor) that is really more than I want to spend, or buy the Orvis with a spare spool ( at half the cost of a Tibor). Could do the Nautilus ( good reviews n afordable) 8/10 and keep the overall expense within budget and performance.
This will all be taking place next year as I plan my first salt trip.
Bob

 

[ryc72]

The orvis hydros sl is a pretty sweet reel. Probably the best value out there. I personally would opt for that reel and extra spool over the others but that’s just me.

 

[duker]

CB, I don't have anywhere near the saltwater experience you and some others on this forum have (especially from the look of the pic in your profile), but I too swear by a Tibor (tho' a Riptide) for my saltwater fishing. You will pry that reel from my cold dead hands. Bombproof, well made, beautiful piece of "man jewellry". I never thought about a Type III finish, as I guess I just haven't banged my reel around enough. Do you think the current finish on the Tibors isn't up to par?

Bob, as you can tell I like my Tibor for saltwater fishing (I've got my Riptide on a 9 weight Loomis Crosscurrent GLX) and don't think you could go wrong with one. It'll last you forever and never let you down. But as other more experienced salt water fishers will chime in, I don't think you could go wrong with any of the reels you're considering.

Scott

 

[driftless22]

Ok, here is my salt water reel delima.

My 9 wt rod will be a Scott Meridian For a reel I have narrowed it down to three. Nautalis ccfx2 8/10, Orvis Hydros SL , Tibor Everglades 8/10. Dont know how many salt trips I will be taking as I live in the midwest. So do I purchase an expensive reel (Tibor) that is really more than I want to spend, or buy the Orvis with a spare spool ( at half the cost of a Tibor). Could do the Nautilus ( good reviews n afordable) 8/10 and keep the overall expense within budget and performance.
This will all be taking place next year as I plan my first salt trip.
Bob

I have two Nautilus ccf-x2 8/10 reels, and one Hydros SL4. I don't own a Tibor reel, but I have used them. As others have stated, the Tibor reels are bulletproof. The guide who I fish with here in FL swears by them. I really like the Nautilus reels; the drag system is excellent, and the quality of construction is equally good. However, I can't vouch for their reliability, since I've only been using them for two years, and I fish about 20 days per year in the salt. However, no problems so far.

Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the Hydros. The drag system malfunctioned after a few years of use. Orvis is very good about repairs, but this isn't helpful if you are a long way from home. I also dislike the drag adjustment knob....it is relatively smalll, and it has this weird indent where your thumb or finger is supposed to go. It may be that my experience with the Hydros is atypical; many people like the Hydros, and the price is certainly right.

 

[cb3fish]

Duker

Just to verify, The Tibor reels are OK however the signature series is the Cat's meow.

CB

 

[fishordie]

Yo Bob,

I am a huge Nautilus Fan.. I believe in them so much they are the only fly reel I sell at the shop. One of the questions you might ask on your 9 weight usage will be are you fishing Class tippet or are you going to ever go with heavier tippet or even straight leaders of heavier line... The CCF-X2 is an amazing series of reels and an incredible Value play in the world of higher end, higher cost and heavier usage reels when large amounts of smooth drag is required..Another question might be are you going to put your reels thru heck, albeit un-intentionally as the CCF-X2 is up to the normal rough usage when fishing from or just traveling on flats type boats. No doubt there will be times you accidentally drop the reel on the deck or it pounds out of the holder.. And of course the sealed drag system is a blessing when the rig finds it's way to the bottom of the ocean, on a flat, as the angler attempts to balance the rod on their shoulder to take a picture. And of course, rigs are sometimes dropped in the ocean or river, to quickly grab another rod from your backpack, as the targeted species on the flats and or fly type/size needed, happens to change in the blink of an eye.

Though the CCF-X2 is super smooth and simple to use when fishing 20 pound or less class tippet or leader, the performance is staggeringly great when the angler goes to heavier gauge, straight leader to fly situations in order to stop fish who want to dive into structure, scrape your line on coral or get caught up in other pesky natural or even un-natural obstacles. Yet, when fishing Class leaders and tippet, the robust build yet light weight of the reel, the silky feel of the drag system and the minimum maintenance required on all Nautilus reels is exceptional and greatly appreciated.. But Maaaan, when you need to put the wood to the fish the CCF-X2 will blow your mind...20 pounds plus of drag in a beautiful, light weight package that balances amazingly well on today's lighter weight rods.

I have owned a ton of Nautilus reels now for many years, with hundreds of tough use days on most of them and admittedly, perhaps ashamedly, I have yet to service them....Not something I would recommend by any means but certainly a testament to the quality of the designs, advanced components and builds of these amazing reels. The CCF-X2, at a lower price point, has much greater Drag capabilities than even the amazing NVG series. In my opinion, For 9 Wt. Flats, river or lake work, that 8/10 CCF-X2 is going to be tough to beat. Oh, and yes, buy an extra spool to make fly line changes a snap.

Best of luck with your decision and have a great season.

Jamie

 

[bob3700]

Jamie,
Thank you for ur informative post.
Question- the local fly shop mentioned that the Nautilius 8/10 would accept the 10/12 spool. They recomended purchasing the reel with that spool asit will hold more 9wt line/backing and increase the retrieval rate. There is a slight weight penalty with the larger spool but nothing significant.
Ur thoughts on the larger spool?

 

[bonefish41]

Nautilus specs backing with dacron. Diameter of the two spools are equal 4.5 in. The 10/12 is just deeper than the 8/10. Use 50-65 lb braid with 10 wt line you will get 300 yds plus on the reel ... Nautilus FAQ states "Yes. Braided and gel spun lines have become a very popular alternative for fly line backing. All Nautilus reels can be loaded with gel spun and braided lines. We recommend 50 lb. gel spun or braid to replace 20 lb. backing, and 65 lb. gel spun or braid to replace 30 lb. backing. This should enable you to double the backing capacity of your fly fishing reel."

 

[rockriver]

I'd go with a large Tibor reel.

 

[WNCtroutstalker]

For a reel I have narrowed it down to three. Nautalis ccfx2 8/10, Orvis Hydros SL , Tibor Everglades 8/10. Dont know how many salt trips I will be taking as I live in the midwest. So do I purchase an expensive reel (Tibor) that is really more than I want to spend, or buy the Orvis with a spare spool ( at half the cost of a Tibor). Could do the Nautilus ( good reviews n afordable) 8/10 and keep the overall expense within budget and performance.

First off, I'm a saltwater novice so you may want to rely more on what some others have to say, but last year I did spend a lot of time researching and as much as possible handling 9 wt rods and reels for a trip. FWIW here's some thoughts....

1. I didn't purchase any of the 3 reels you mentioned, but I did look at the Nautilus and the Orvis; I didn't really consider a Tibor simply because of the price and also that I wasn't able to see one in person. The Hydros SL has a really strong drag, but I just didn't care for the drag adjustment knob. The price point is attractive, but there are a couple of other reels that are about the same price or even cheaper that I like better and so I passed on the Orvis. I only looked at the CCF-X2 briefly at a show, but thought it was very nice. Anyway, of the 3 you mentioned I'd go with either the Nautilus or the Tibor, and for budgetary reasons (more below) I'd personally go with the Nautilus. Even if the Tibor is "better", it sounds like this is a reel you won't be using a whole lot and the Nautilus should be more than good enough (probably a lot more). I guess you could use the same rationalization to get the Hydros SL, but as I said I personally prefer other reels in that same price point and so that's not a direction I'd go.

2. If you do go the Tibor route, I wonder if you should get the Riptide (for 9-11 wts) rather than the Everglades (7-9 wts). The specs on the Everglades are 8+200 of 20 pound backing. With a 9 wt line and 30 pound dacron, that translates to maybe 100-125 yards? Now if you're going to use a premium/thinner backing then the Everglades may be fine, but I would just make sure that the reel has the proper capacity for your intended line setup.

3. What's that old saying, "don't go on a saltwater trip with just one of anything"? If you're going on a guided trip and the guide service will have acceptable gear available, then you probably can get by with your Meridian and one reel. But if this is a DIY trip and/or the guide gear will be junk, then I think you need to look into getting a backup rod and reel. It might be better to get two lower priced reels (possibly two of the Hydros SLs if you like that reel) rather than one more expensive reel. An extra spool does no good if the reel itself has conked out.

4. It's tough to spend money on backup gear as it's something that hopefully will never be used, but personally I'd avoid the temptation to completely cheap out and spend the most you can afford--within reason, I'm not saying you should get a second Meridian or even a rod that costs half that much. When I was researching rods I came across a model or two that many say offer a "great bang for the buck" but seem to have a propensity for breaking. But yet because of the price and the manufacturer's warranty people view them as good backup rods. I don't follow this line of thinking. What good is the manufacturer's replacement warranty when you're in a remote location? For me, for a backup rod durability is more important than how much the rod weighs or even how it casts (to a point, I wouldn't want something I hate). Now I'm sure a lot of the breaks that I read about with those bargain specials were due to user error and I would think the chances of one breaking after 1-3 days of fishing is low, but if I was in your shoes and something happened to the Meridian I wouldn't want to be reaching for a backup that I was worried might break easily (though obviously even high end rods break sometimes) where I'd be spending the rest of my trip sitting on the beach. One thing you might consider is buying a used rod that looks to be in good condition and then resell it after the trip, hopefully for about the same amount--in essence, treat it like a modest rental. But perhaps you're doing a guided trip with acceptable loaner gear and so you can avoid the backup gear concerns.

Good luck to you.

 

[sweetandsalt]

When I write something to the effect, "Don't travel with just one rod", I'm not thinking "back-up". Rather rods with differing qualities applicable to the habitat I'm visiting. Flats fishing in say the Bahamas, I'll have a #7, 2 8-weights and a #9...all different all good. Reel wise, there are a fair number of good, reliable modest priced reels; Allen Atlas, Taylor Revolution Z, Cheeky Limitless, TFO Atoll and more.

Regarding the OP's question of what I want to see in a high end reel that is sometimes lacking is, in addition to smooth, incremental and stout drag, good rigidity, ample capacity and narrow spool width, is refined anti-spool counter rotation tension...just enough to prevent it and not enough to preclude spanking the reel for rapid slack line pick-up.

 

[bob3700]

CWN,
My first rod ( not necessarily a backup) is my 7 wt Sage Method. The 9 wt will be for windy days or larger fish.
I think that I am slowly eliminating the Orvis reel from the running due to the negative issues people have pointed out.
The Nautilus is probably going to be my choice due to positive reviews on several fronts as well as price point. Will go the reel with the 10/12 spool for extra backing storage.
Like S&S pointed out, not so much a backup rig as a conditions/fish alternate.
Thanks for ur input.

 

[fishordie]

Jamie,
Thank you for ur informative post.
Question- the local fly shop mentioned that the Nautilius 8/10 would accept the 10/12 spool. They recommended purchasing the reel with that spool asit will hold more 9wt line/backing and increase the retrieval rate. There is a slight weight penalty with the larger spool but nothing significant.
Ur thoughts on the larger spool?

I too have been using Hollow Spectra type backing since 2004 with zero failures on a variety of reels and applications.. For 9 Wt. Work, the 8/10 CCF-X2 reel and extra spool of the same size will be great.. I have not found a reason for more backing on a 9 wt. unless you plan on using the rig for finned critters outside the normal size for a 9 wt such as targeting giant Tarpon in open water without heavy leader/tippet. I personally do not use a 9 wt for this application but i suppose you could. For most 9 wt lines you will get closer to 600 yds of 50# backing on the 10/12 spool. Just remember, backing can get heavy in weight as you increase the amount of backing. The standard 8/10 averages around 400 yds of 50# Spectra/Gel Spun with a normal 9 wt line. You might get a bit less if you use a heavier version of a weight forward type line but 4 football fields of backing should be enough for most anything you might encounter with a 9 Wt. At least that is my opinion... Very best of luck on your decision.

Jamie

 

[cb3fish]

Jamie,

Sometimes it's not about how many yards of backing the reel holds. It's about making sure your taking full advantage of a large arbor reel and getting the maximum amount of line of retrieve per revolution of the spool, in other words fill the reel up
CB

 

[fishordie]

Jamie,

Sometimes it's not about how many yards of backing the reel holds. It's about making sure your taking full advantage of a large arbor reel and getting the maximum amount of line of retrieve per revolution of the spool, in other words fill the reel up
CB

No Doubt CB the part about filling the reel appropriately, However, in the case of the 8/10 Vs. the 10/12 Spool the only difference will be a smaller hub diameter and stouter hub section to allow for more line on the 10/12.. Both spools are 4.5 inch outside spool diameter and Yes, the 10/12 fits the 8/10 frame, so line retrieval when the spools are filled is exactly the same. However, for 9 wt. use, there will be more backing so in addition to the added weight of making the stouter hub section of the 10/12 there will be the added weight of the backing... This is why I recommended keeping the reel and spare spool an 8/10 for his 9 wt application. Just my opinion.

Have a great season..

Jamie

 

[bob3700]

Was by the fly shop today and looked over the Nautilus reel with both the 8/10 and 10/12 spools.

Man the drag adjustment is terrific. You can go from very low to heavy is a few quick turns and the drag knob is big and knurled just right.

The 10/12 size spool can be loaded with the same length of backing and line as the 8/10 so if you feel that weight of backing is an issue, just put the same amount of 8/10 backing on the 10/12 spool.

Installed the reel on the 9 wt. Meridian and it balanced (with no line) about 2/3 up the cork. With line it would probably be just in front of the reel.

The shop salesman did mention that I should cast that Meridian against the new Orvis H3 distance model in 9 wt. When they had the Rod and Line open house, I did not cast the Orvis H3 rod. So before I pull the trigger on the Meridian, will probably have a cast off against the Orvis rod.

As I already have been using a 5 wt Radian for several years, the Meridian really feels familiar in my hands. It will be hard to overcome that advantage.

We will see what happens.

 

[bonefish41]

B: If you follow his suggestion and put 250 to 300 on the deeper spool your starting, backing circumference will less then the same amount of backing on the 8/10...I have fished and fish pre-2017 Abel Super 9, Abel Super 11 and Abel 4N all on the 4.125 frame... same sized drag... spool hub diameter is the variable. When I switched backing to Spectra 50lb on the Super 9 with 10 wt line or 11 wt line I put 300 on it. As for other reels with deeper spools I use 65 and 80 Spectra that I take off my conventional reels after two seasons...I fish flats skiff( no CB Blue water Big Game) with guide 90% and 10 % wading Tarpon, Permit, Bonefish and never needed more than 200 yards backing because the guide cranks up and closes...you get 150 yards backing plus fly line and 12-20 lb tippet out the tip on the flat and you have no control they will find junk or they will find a deep channel and your done. Now I use the Super 9 reel with the shallow spool most of the time Tarpon and Permit...It's the lightest and it works...to get an idea what just 100 plus yards actually is and what it looks like(120) place football on the end line take a look from the other end line. IMHO get the 8/10 300 yds of 50 is enough with any flats fish and you want the longest backing circumference when the flyline is all out and you are starting to engage your backing and the thin spectra maintains the longer circumference as the braid plays out...Nautilus' price point on CCF-X2 is remarkable for a USA machined reel with a "track record."