# Best saltwater reel for wade fishing



## citadelmarineservices (Jan 22, 2021)

Flyfish40 said:


> I do a ton of wading for redfish and snook. Looking for a 6wt reel for a sector. Have fished nautilus the past few years and looking to go another direction. Want a reel that’s going to last with saltwater getting in and light sand.what’s your thoughts? Sealed drag vs cleaning out a cork drag reel


If you're really doing that much wading I'd recommend giving hatch reels a try. I've tried cork drag reels for wading and it just gets really annoying cleaning sand and stuff out. Nearly useless for any surf wading.

I've beat the absolute shit out of my hatches and lay them in the surf/sand/mud all the time and never had any issues with Gen 2 finatics over 4 years. 
I love my iconic so far also, but only had it about 6 months. Assuming it's gonna out last my finatics.


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## Flyfish40 (Sep 23, 2019)

Awesome I will look into a hatch!


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## TheAdamsProject (Oct 29, 2007)

Tibor Backcountry would be good for that size. With the grease on the Tibor drag surface you really shouldn't have anything get in unless your drag is backed off. There have been reels recovered from the ocean floor for long enough to have growth on them and after cleaning it still worked. Remember "sealed" reels are sealed until they are not and they are not serviceable. Get saltwater and sand in and your day or trip is over. Get sand or saltwater in a reel you can disassemble and clean... you are back to fishing.


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## Flyfish40 (Sep 23, 2019)

Very true. I do have an Everglades and it’s my favorite reel! Was looking at a tibor 5/6 signature but looks kinda small arbor


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## richarde206 (Sep 9, 2021)

Flyfish40 said:


> Very true. I do have an Everglades and it’s my favorite reel! Was looking at a tibor 5/6 signature but looks kinda small arbor


Remember, the arbor has nothing to do with the retrieve rate. The arbor hole is just a...hole. The diameter of the spool is the important component of retrieve rate. Check out your Everglades; relative to more modern reel designs, it's arbor is very small, and I'm guessing that 'small arbor' doesn't bother you.


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## Brandon Alexander (Jun 6, 2017)

Would throw in an Abel SDS or SDF, Super light in the ported version with plenty of backing capacity and sealed drag. 

Couldn't go wrong with an Abel or Hatch.


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## Flyfish40 (Sep 23, 2019)

richarde206 said:


> Remember, the arbor has nothing to do with the retrieve rate. The arbor hole is just a...hole. The diameter of the spool is the important component of retrieve rate. Check out your Everglades; relative to more modern reel designs, it's arbor is very small, and I'm guessing that 'small arbor' doesn't bother you.


Good point


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

My Redington Behemoth is a great reel. I have a 12 wt but they come all the way down to 5 wt. The first fish I caught on it was that beast of a Jack Crevalle. You talk about multiple smoking runs. That fish did what it wanted to do. During the fight the reel was easy to Palm and adjust the drag. When I got home I opened the reel to make sure it was clean and it looked sealed. I don't know how it would do duncking it in sand or saltwater but it looks easy to wash off.


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## OrFish (5 mo ago)

Been using mainly nautilus, but have hatch as my backups. Both companies understand salt water.


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## Whatthechuck72 (Sep 24, 2018)

Fish both Tibor Everglades and Hatches 5+ and 7+, have never had an issue with either brand


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## mfdevin (Jun 18, 2020)

permitchaser said:


> My Redington Behemoth is a great reel. I have a 12 wt but they come all the way down to 5 wt. The first fish I caught on it was that beast of a Jack Crevalle. You talk about multiple smoking runs.  That fish did what it wanted to do. During the fight the reel was easy to Palm and adjust the drag. When I got home I opened the reel to make sure it was clean and it looked sealed. I don't know how it would do duncking it in sand or saltwater but it looks easy to wash off.


I definitely locked one up in about a year(maybe less) by abusing the crap out of it and not cleaning it, but it worked for a year 😂


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## FLopes (May 27, 2021)

Flyfish40 said:


> I do a ton of wading for redfish and snook. Looking for a 6wt reel for a sector. Have fished nautilus the past few years and looking to go another direction. Want a reel that’s going to last with saltwater getting in and light sand.what’s your thoughts? Sealed drag vs cleaning out a cork drag reel


Check out Lamson’s Cobalt; sealed, bombproof drag, and light. I’ve got the 8 paired on an 8wt Meridian, couldn’t be happier.


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## beabra (5 mo ago)

Cant go wrong with the Hatch or Nautilus. They both feel different when reeling, the Hatch has very small clicks as you are reeling and the Nautilus is buttery smooth. Comes down to what feels best to you. I like the Hatch retrieve but most of my friends like the Nautilus......


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## Snakesurf (Jun 18, 2019)

Galvan Torque, doesn't have a cork drag and uses a thermoplastic and carbon fiber disc drag instead. No bearings so no problems and no seal to go out. If it does get sand in it, simply take apart and rinse with clean fresh or saltwater. Have been in a situation were there was fine grit suspended in the water and it took out my friend's sealed reel. My Torque started feeling a little gritty and so I popped the spool off and found a clean pocket of water and rinsed it by dunking a few times and it was back in business. My buddy was out of it, with his spare back in the truck a few miles away. I was still catching.


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## richarde206 (Sep 9, 2021)

Whatthechuck72 said:


> Fish both Tibor Everglades and Hatches 5+ and 7+, have never had an issue with either brand


Your Hatch 7+ and your Everglades, both nice reels! If you could have only one, which would it be?


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## richarde206 (Sep 9, 2021)

Snakesurf said:


> No bearings so no problems and no seal to go out. If it does get sand in it, simply take apart and rinse with clean fresh or saltwater.


That is SOOO something folks overlook. Bearings can be finicky and subject to corrosion, where bushings are much more durable and simpler and just...work.


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## JBH (Jul 17, 2019)

Snakesurf said:


> Galvan Torque, doesn't have a cork drag and uses a thermoplastic and carbon fiber disc drag instead. No bearings so no problems and no seal to go out. If it does get sand in it, simply take apart and rinse with clean fresh or saltwater. Have been in a situation were there was fine grit suspended in the water and it took out my friend's sealed reel. My Torque started feeling a little gritty and so I popped the spool off and found a clean pocket of water and rinsed it by dunking a few times and it was back in business. My buddy was out of it, with his spare back in the truck a few miles away. I was still catching.


This is good advice. That’s all I’m gonna say


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## Joe52 (10 mo ago)

I really like the Ross animus reels for a light option


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## Backcountry 16 (Mar 15, 2016)

Tibor buy once cry once.


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## david.riina (10 mo ago)

I'll add another vote for ANY brand you can easily service / clean / fix yourself.... you can pry my old school cork abel from my cold dead hands.

my abel #2 is 22 years old. Caught my first albie on it, and will catch another albie on it tomorrow. i keep telling myself i'll upgrade to a large arbor version one year...

I cant say that for ANY sealed reel Ive ever had. either fly or spin. i currently have both a van staal and small stella that are locked up and useless, ready to be sent out to get fixed after a long season of hard use....


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## Geno28 (Oct 6, 2020)

I’ll throw another vote in for Hatch. I use both hatch and nautilus but I have a Hatch Finatic on my 6 wt and it’s been great so far. Might be a bit on the heavier side but I haven’t had any issues with it whether wade fishing or off a boat.


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## Loogie (Jul 24, 2019)

Lots of salt and sand exposure is sure to affect any reel with heavy saltwater use. My beach, wading reel is a Orvis Hydros, it’s been in service for about 5 years and it’s taken a beating but works great. My Everglades is For the skiff and the occasional wade from the skiff.


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## AlbieFly (5 mo ago)

I've always dunked my Nautilus reels (usually when landing/releasing fish in the surf) and have never had an issue. I wore down the drag clickers, before I ever pulled the drag washers...and even then the drag was still producing a ton of resistance, but wanted to see how bad it might have been. A little bit gunky and old grease, but I could have kept abusing it no problem. Hatch is a nice real too, but just doesn't feel as sturdy to me.


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## coconutgroves (Sep 23, 2013)

Flyfish40 said:


> I do a ton of wading for redfish and snook. Looking for a 6wt reel for a sector. Have fished nautilus the past few years and looking to go another direction. Want a reel that’s going to last with saltwater getting in and light sand.what’s your thoughts? Sealed drag vs cleaning out a cork drag reel


What’s the reason in moving away from Nautilus? 

Not knocking Hatch, but I’ve met a few people that had them fail on trips. Drag wouldn’t tighten down. They use stacked parts and the theory is they get misaligned. I believe the new Iconic series has a new drag design.

No matter what you get, store the reel with the drag all the way open. Many store tightened down and that is the cause of a lot of failures.

But on a 6 wt, you don’t need to break the bank, unless you want to. Check out Allen, for the price, they offer a great product and drag. Also, 3 Tand.


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## Wiggles (Dec 25, 2020)

I use my shiltons everywhere on earth I go. Never had a problem yet and submerged those mother fuckers in sandbars daily, it’s cork. I disassemble and clean everyday though so….


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## realfly32 (Apr 12, 2020)

We use Hatch and Orvis , really like the Mirage reels and have really never had any issues with them, also for a budget friendly imported sealed reel the Orvis Hydros is a great value……..


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## Flyfish40 (Sep 23, 2019)

coconutgroves said:


> What’s the reason in moving away from Nautilus?
> 
> Not knocking Hatch, but I’ve met a few people that had them fail on trips. Drag wouldn’t tighten down. They use stacked parts and the theory is they get misaligned. I believe the new Iconic series has a new drag design.
> 
> ...





AlbieFly said:


> I've always dunked my Nautilus reels (usually when landing/releasing fish in the surf) and have never had an issue. I wore down the drag clickers, before I ever pulled the drag washers...and even then the drag was still producing a ton of resistance, but wanted to see how bad it might have been. A little bit gunky and old grease, but I could have kept abusing it no problem. Hatch is a nice real too, but just doesn't feel as sturdy to me.


Also have nautilus mainly and for my wading reel I have a ccfx2 6/8 and




coconutgroves said:


> What’s the reason in moving away from Nautilus?
> 
> Not knocking Hatch, but I’ve met a few people that had them fail on trips. Drag wouldn’t tighten down. They use stacked parts and the theory is they get misaligned. I believe the new Iconic series has a new drag design.
> 
> ...


Well I have had my CCFX2 freeze up a little on me (hard to pull off fly line but after a few pulls the drag functions as normal) and it’s hard to tighten the drag knob. Also not a huge fan of the little 3 plastic drag clickers that get rounded off and decrease the sound of the reel (nautilus has sent me 2 sets of those for free and simple to swap out)


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## Charles J. Foschini (Nov 28, 2019)

Joe52 said:


> I really like the Ross animus reels for a light option


I don't believe that Nautilus has a peer in the price/value/weight/performance analysis. Particularly in the salt. That said, I have an Animus (and a few other Ross reels) and feel the same way about them. Particularly the Animus is almost as light as the Nautilus and has been a strong performer when I've fished with it.


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## TXFrenchman (Jul 16, 2018)

Plus one for the Tibor Backcountry


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## OldGuy (May 28, 2020)

Another vote for Galvan reels. I have several and never have had any issue (I use a Tibor Backcountry 6wt and a Galvan 6wt depending upon line and rod set-up). Easy to clean, and great drag system. Another bonus is they are not as expensive as some of the other reels being discussed - great value for your $$.


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## Flyfish40 (Sep 23, 2019)

OldGuy said:


> Another vote for Galvan reels. I have several and never have had any issue (I use a Tibor Backcountry 6wt and a Galvan 6wt depending upon line and rod set-up). Easy to clean, and great drag system. Another bonus is they are not as expensive as some of the other reels being discussed - great value for your $$.


Definitely looking into the galvan reels!


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## Ted Tsandes (Jan 23, 2020)

You’ll get a lot of great opinions as there are some great tried and true reels. Tibor probably being foremost among them. I do a lot of wade fishing myself and have fished Hatch reels a lot matched with Scott Sectors. Hatch reels are great, no doubt about it. But the drawback is that they are heavy. No doubt about that, either. I personally wanted something as light as possible. The reel I landed on is one that I think is pretty underrated: The Lamson Litespeed M. They have been flawless for me and, if you care about such things, the color match with the Sector is pretty damn sexy. My 2-cents, FWIW.


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## Snakesurf (Jun 18, 2019)

I use 8 wt reels on my 5 wt rods because of spool diameter. For what you are fishing for you should consider this. Galvan Torque 8, its light and works.


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## Connor Mcnichols (Feb 12, 2019)

Tibor is the only answer!


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## interested (Apr 11, 2021)

Bauer Reel


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## Flyfish40 (Sep 23, 2019)

Connor Mcnichols said:


> Tibor is the only answer!


Love tibor! I have an Everglades and it’s my favorite reel but have had to clean sand out of it multiple times when fishing the beach.


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## Connor Mcnichols (Feb 12, 2019)

Flyfish40 said:


> Love tibor! I have an Everglades and it’s my favorite reel but have had to clean sand out of it multiple times when fishing the beach.


The new back country series is more sealed, but my signature 5-6 is my fav for snook and pompano on the beach. All of em need extra fresh water after the sand.


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## Flyfish40 (Sep 23, 2019)

Connor Mcnichols said:


> The new back country series is more sealed, but my signature 5-6 is my fav for snook and pompano on the beach. All of em need extra fresh water after the sand.


Really looking at the signature but not real convinced on how sealed it is. I do lay my rod and reel down a lot wadding especially to revive and release big fish like black drum and reds.


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## Connor Mcnichols (Feb 12, 2019)

Flyfish40 said:


> Really looking at the signature but not real convinced on how sealed it is. I do lay my rod and reel down a lot wadding especially to revive and release big fish like black drum and reds.


Sand has not got any where that matters in my experience, good habit May be throwing it under arm, and if it’s a Tibor just dunk and shake after you’ve had in sand. rinse throughly later…


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## ikankecil (Jan 14, 2022)

I sold all of my Tibor, Charlton, and Hatch reels and have since switched over entirely to the Galvan _Gri_p and _Torque_ series. I don't miss the others at all.


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## Flyfish40 (Sep 23, 2019)

Connor Mcnichols said:


> Sand has not got any where that matters in my experience, good habit May be throwing it under arm, and if it’s a Tibor just dunk and shake after you’ve had in sand. rinse throughly later…


Good to hear!


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## Flyfish40 (Sep 23, 2019)

ikankecil said:


> I sold all of my Tibor, Charlton, and Hatch reels and have since switched over entirely to the Galvan _Gri_p and _Torque_ series. I don't miss the others at all.


Which Galvan do you prefer?


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## ikankecil (Jan 14, 2022)

Flyfish40 said:


> Which Galvan do you prefer?


Depends on weight/balance with rod. I've purposely caused many Torques to go swimming with no ill effects and I have some Grips on my trout rods so it's more about the weight of the reel for me and what rod it's going to be on.

From a purely wading/bonefish or redfish standpoint, I owned at least a half-dozen Tibor Everglades, an equal number of Charlton 8500 .8's (the original Charlton reels, not Mako), and probably five Hatch 7+ reels before going with a Galvan Grip 8. My first day in Abaco with the Grip 8 I told the other anglers with me that I'd finally found what for me was the best bonefish reel I'd ever fished. Giant handle just like the Tibor "Gorilla" handle on the Pacific, big drag knob I can easily adjust with slimy hands, about the right weight to balance well with multiple 7-9wt rods, etc.

I don't benefit in any way (monetarily or otherwise) from someone buying brand X vs brand Y, makes no difference to me whatsoever. I've had the opportunity to own far too many nice reels and what works well for me may not work well for someone else


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## Flyfish40 (Sep 23, 2019)

ikankecil said:


> Depends on weight/balance with rod. I've purposely caused many Torques to go swimming with no ill effects and I have some Grips on my trout rods so it's more about the weight of the reel for me and what rod it's going to be on.
> 
> From a purely wading/bonefish or redfish standpoint, I owned at least a half-dozen Tibor Everglades, an equal number of Charlton 8500 .8's (the original Charlton reels, not Mako), and probably five Hatch 7+ reels before going with a Galvan Grip 8. My first day in Abaco with the Grip 8 I told the other anglers with me that I'd finally found what for me was the best bonefish reel I'd ever fished. Giant handle just like the Tibor "Gorilla" handle on the Pacific, big drag knob I can easily adjust with slimy hands, about the right weight to balance well with multiple 7-9wt rods, etc.
> 
> I don't benefit in any way (monetarily or otherwise) from someone buying brand X vs brand Y, makes no difference to me whatsoever. I've had the opportunity to own far too many nice reels and what works well for me may not work well for someone else


Appreciate the write up, the grip would look killer on a sector too!


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## Flyfish40 (Sep 23, 2019)

You can see there has been some grinding for some reason which my other 2 nautilus did not happen with


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## Zaraspook (Aug 3, 2017)

Flyfish40 said:


> I do a ton of wading for redfish and snook. Looking for a 6wt reel for a sector. Have fished nautilus the past few years and looking to go another direction. Want a reel that’s going to last with saltwater getting in and light sand.what’s your thoughts? Sealed drag vs cleaning out a cork drag reel


Nautilus are as good as it gets for saltwater reels. Especially in light salt water, like sight fishing. There are others but if you destroyed a Nautilus reel, I’m thinking you would have destroyed any other reel. I got rid of my Hatch reels because they were just too heavy. They were excellent reels and you could literally jump on them without hurting them. I have been using Nautilus reels for about 5 years and never had a problem. My reels get dunked in saltwater regularly, especially if I’m wading. I also have a Tibor that is close to 20 years old that I used for bonefish, redfish and snook. Used it to catch this red yesterday.


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## citadelmarineservices (Jan 22, 2021)

I'll also add something, since a few people mention galvan. As I mentioned I dunk reels a lot due to fishing surf and wading marsh flats (it's unavoidable in the surf I promise you), and the galvan torque has completely failed on me TWICE. Went to zero drag and couldn't adjust it. Had to send it in and got a new one. Same thing happened. I'll never get another. 

Again dunked the hatch reels in sand mud and salt for years, never an issue.


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## Featherbrain (Nov 5, 2021)

ikankecil said:


> Depends on weight/balance with rod. I've purposely caused many Torques to go swimming with no ill effects and I have some Grips on my trout rods so it's more about the weight of the reel for me and what rod it's going to be on.
> 
> From a purely wading/bonefish or redfish standpoint, I owned at least a half-dozen Tibor Everglades, an equal number of Charlton 8500 .8's (the original Charlton reels, not Mako), and probably five Hatch 7+ reels before going with a Galvan Grip 8. My first day in Abaco with the Grip 8 I told the other anglers with me that I'd finally found what for me was the best bonefish reel I'd ever fished. Giant handle just like the Tibor "Gorilla" handle on the Pacific, big drag knob I can easily adjust with slimy hands, about the right weight to balance well with multiple 7-9wt rods, etc.
> 
> I don't benefit in any way (monetarily or otherwise) from someone buying brand X vs brand Y, makes no difference to me whatsoever. I've had the opportunity to own far too many nice reels and what works well for me may not work well for someone else


Well said sir


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