# hatch 7 plus or nautilus nvg 7-8



## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

Just curious to hear any experiences with either reel, good or bad.
I am looking for a new reel for an 8wt and have narrowed it down to these two. I'm not interested in any other models.

I really like the look of the nautilus and it weighs 2 ounces less than the hatch. I have spoken to them in the past about an old florida reel I had and their customer service was great. 

The hatch also is a great looking reel with more backing capacity. One thing I read about was the little cap in the center of the spool being plastic and pressed on. Supposedly if this comes off the spool can fall off. I don't have any experience with the reel so I'm not sure if this is actually true. 

Any thoughts?


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## JappyFish (Mar 1, 2014)

I just picked up a Hatch 7+ about 2 months ago to pair with my Helios 2 and it is an awesome reel. I definitely drooled over the reel for 6 months before I had the nerve to buy it. A little more on the expensive side, but you get what you pay for.

Nautilus makes a great reel, but for salt (me personally), I wanted to pick up something that was bullet proof. The kicker for the Hatch was the design and sturdiness. The reel seat is machined one piece so you never have to worry about corrosion of screws. Also the "guts" of the reel are fully enclosed and the drag will stop 2 trains, not just one. 

In regards to the spool cap, Hatch has attached this portion so that when you separate the spool, the cap stays attached and you never have to worry about misplacing the cap.

I chose the mid-arbor for the amount of backing that I could spool.

Nautilus is an awesome reel as well and I will definitely be picking up a few for some of my smaller rods.


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## shiprock8 (Sep 23, 2013)

Hey el9surf, I was looking at the same two companies a year ago. I got a good deal on Hatches from one of our members and they are excellent, heavy duty, lifetime reels. After using the Hatch 7+ for a few months on my 8wt, I decided to look for a somewhat lighter weight reel. Nautilus was my first choice. I ended up trading my Hatch 7+ for a Nautilus CCF2 6/8. I love this reel. It is much lighter but still an excellent salt water reel. I have used it for about 7-8 months now and have only good things to say about it. I also was able to trade my larger hatch in for a CCF2 8/10 which I have on a Hardy one piece 9wt. I absolutely love this combination. If I decide to get an 11 wt I will definitely get a Nautilus NVG for that. The NV's are a little heavier than the CCF2's, but for larger tarpon, I think they will be the ticket.

The difference in weight makes my 8wt feel like a 7wt when I cast it. The 9wt is like casting a 8wt. After having my shoulder rebuilt I want the best/lightest equipment to prolong my fishing enjoyment.


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## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

I ended up going with a nautilus nvg 7-8 on a hardy proaxis x 8wt 1 pc rod. Trying to find the ultimate 8wt setup. I really like the look of the hatch but the arbor not being ported kind of bugged me, plus the nautilus is lighter.


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## Rediculous (May 5, 2012)

> I ended up going with a nautilus nvg 7-8 on a hardy proaxis x 8wt 1 pc rod. Trying to find the ultimate 8wt setup. I really like the look of the hatch but the arbor not being ported kind of bugged me, plus the nautilus is lighter.


Good choice... It's the one I'd have chosen.


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