# 12 wt tarpon reel



## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

Add the cheeky thrash 4.75 and dozer 5.25 to the list.

Does anyone have any experience with the reels listed?


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## bjtripp83 (Aug 10, 2015)

low country fly shop in charleston has a demo or slightly used tibor gulfstream for 450


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## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

Thaks for the info. I was looking at the mirage and the cheeky dozer because of their retrieval rate.


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## paint it black (Nov 3, 2007)

If you're looking for retrieval rate, have you considered the Nautilus Silver King?

As for the reels you've mentioned, the Mirage is a decent reel. I can't speak for the others.


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## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

The nautilus nv monster is the one I really want but its over my budget. I hadn't looked or considered the silver king. Thanks for the suggestion I will check it out. Was hoping to stay right around $500


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## Jay Brimberry (Sep 1, 2015)

The Nautilus Silver King is the way to go, it is well worth the money.


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## coconutgroves (Sep 23, 2013)

@el9surf - over your budget? Those two HBs have you tapped out?  Just jokes man, I have a good report (and seen pics) that Ross is about to launch the next gen F1 reel, so sit tight if you really love Ross. You could get an F1 on closeout, or check out the brand new model.

For larger poon, I suggest picking up a Tibor if you've never fished one before. If you consider the pick up rate between a 4" and 4.5" reel per revolution, is it really that much? A Gulfstream is 4-3/8", compared to most other 12 wt reels at 4.5". The Silver King is 5" and for that size is awesome, but that is icing on top of an already tasty piece of cake. Most large poon run so fast that you'll be lucky to clear the line by reeling to take advantage of the retrieve rate. Most of us are placed into a suspended state of orchestrated chaos to get the line onto the reel.

Tibors are bullet proof and just don't fail when it comes down to it. I recently researched Hatch and Nautilus reels for HOURS to try out some new tech - held each one and inspected it, talked to guide buddies, talked to shop owners. Know what they said? Go Tibor for the bigger game - you know what you get without question. For big poon, that's the reel. I have a Gulfstream on my 12 and it's one of my favorites. Now granted, I ain't Mills or Mangum, but I've had my ass handed to me enough times to gravitate towards what works.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

The Tibors are very well made but suffer from not being easy to remove/change a spool (particularly out on the water where you'll need tools and great care not to lose that little screw) -another of those "ask me how I know" moments. The old Billy Pate Tarpon reel had the same difficulty. The Nautilus, by comparison, is very simple to work with -changing a spool, or taking the spool out to clear a tangle or line trapped under other line…. take but a moment - and no tools needed at all… 

Yes, I know many are concerned about reel diameter (and how fast you can recover line….) but once you've stuck and fought a bunch of fish -that will seem a minor point -one way or the other. I've had one angler with a Nautilus Silver King on my skiff and it was very nice - but the larger the diameter of any fly reel the more you tend to torque the rod when you're reeling under heavy pressure. Check out the Nautilus reel meant for a 12wt -I've got two of them and they're pretty much bullet proof...


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## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

Thanks for all of the suggestions, I'm sure others will benefit from the info here with tarpon season coming up. 

I just picked up a new proaxis 12 wt and was looking for a reel to put on it. I got an awesome deal on a brand new Hatch 11 plus.


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## coconutgroves (Sep 23, 2013)

@lemaymiami - I carry an extra 12 wt rod rigged up in case it is needed, or at least bring an extra reel. I've rarely had to change spools unless I was going from floating to full sink, but even then, I usually carry that on an extra reel. The spool on a Tibor is actually simple to take off and put back on. It isn't like trying to put biscuits back into the can.

Very good point on torque on the larger diameter reels. That is something you have to dial in as you learn to fish it.


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## mtgreenheads (May 20, 2014)

Tibor. Buy the best, cry once. I work awful hard for my money, so when its my time, I want a reel that will NOT let me down.


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## coconutgroves (Sep 23, 2013)

mtgreenheads said:


> Tibor. Buy the best, cry once.


Great line and words to live by.


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## texasag07 (Nov 11, 2014)

el9surf said:


> Thaks for the info. I was looking at the mirage and the cheeky dozer because of their retrieval rate.


I would stay away from these reels for tarpon or anything that's a staunch competitor. I thought about getting one for the same reason you are, so I went and handled some in person. The drag is very very weak compared to my tibor and my nautilus.


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## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

texasag07 said:


> I would stay away from these reels for tarpon or anything that's a staunch competitor. I thought about getting one for the same reason you are, so I went and handled some in person. The drag is very very weak compared to my tibor and my nautilus.


Thanks, the hatch 11 plus I got has an impressive drag.


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## Capt. Eli Whidden (Jun 7, 2012)

Besides Tibor, I'd have to say the Galvan reels are pretty impressive. I have a 11wt pro 1 mounted with and T10. Absolutely love it. Beet the heck out of it mid Dec through early Jan on the Everglades poons.


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## Finn Maccumhail (Apr 9, 2010)

mtgreenheads said:


> Tibor. Buy the best, cry once. I work awful hard for my money, so when its my time, I want a reel that will NOT let me down.





coconutgroves said:


> Great line and words to live by.


Agree with both of these.

IMHO Tibor is the gold standard and I'm confident that when my boys (5.5-years & 18-months) are old enough to chase tarpon on the fly my Gulfstream will still be up to the task.


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## bw510 (Sep 1, 2011)

el9surf said:


> Anyone using the orvis mirage VII-s or the ross f1 for tarpon? The mirage has a 5 inch diameter which I like for retrieval rate.
> 
> I didn't have a great experience with the orvis hydros in the past so I'm a little reluctant to buy anything else from them. Their saving grace is that they are good about standing behind their products with their money back guarantee.


I have a mirage and a tibor gulfstream on both my 12 wt rods and I wouldn't say one is better than the other. 
Neither have ever let me down and get used a lot half of the year


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## backbone (Jan 4, 2016)

I have used the mirage reel in the past for tarpon and it was very good.


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## Jveiguela (Jun 27, 2015)

What do you guys think about the hardy ultra lite sds series of reels


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