# Another Behemoth bites the dust, need recommendation



## mfdevin (Jun 18, 2020)

If you’re feeling budget conscious, I’ve been fishing an orvis hydros for a good while now between my 7/8(two spools), great drag system, it’s light, and it has a warranty. Nautilus x series look pretty bangin too, and everyone I’ve talked to with one really likes them.


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## Paul Mills (Mar 26, 2018)

You get what you pay for. The Behemoth is good for a season, by the next season it'll be corroding. They're good for beginners but you'll want to be getting into something real saltwater rated before too long.


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## Flyboy (Aug 26, 2019)

My 6wt has an Abel no1 on it… didn’t cost much more than a new behemoth and the quality is a 10-1 difference


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## KnotHome (Jul 21, 2009)

I’ve loved my Allen Alpha and Kraken series.


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## sjestok (Sep 17, 2019)

Currently on my 6wt, I'm rocking a Lamson Guru S 7+, very good budget friendly reel with plenty of drag and looks pretty, too. Same drag used on that as their higher dollar reels, IIRC. Also quite partial to the Nautilus XL.


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## FlyBy (Jul 12, 2013)

I like the new Back Country but before that I used a BVK with no problems.


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## Flyfish40 (Sep 23, 2019)

I have a nautilus CCFX2 and 6/8 on a sector ive had for 3 years and has been great!!! Also can’t go wrong with Abel or tibor


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## HunterOnFly (Apr 15, 2020)

Finding the right reel can be a rabbit hole. As a college student, I didn’t have the funds to spend $600 on an American made, quality, billet reel, but I did have $180 to spend on a Colton CRGII that meets all those criteria. I haven’t fished it for too long but it’s seen hard use from a SUP for 6 months. Specs are very similar to the Backcountry. Cork disk drag, 6 oz, 3.5” diameter. They’re $162.50 on sale at the moment. You could own three of them for the price of a Backcountry. If you somehow managed to break it, send it back and fish your other two while they take care of it.

Colton doesn’t market like the bigger companies do, but they do have a following. Their customer gallery is pretty sick if you ask me.


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## mavdog32 (Apr 5, 2019)

Have had really good luck with my ross animas so far. Been on about 40 trips over 2 years.


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## goose_ (Jun 3, 2021)

I had a behemoth. It was finished very poorly and seemed like the drag was either on or off. I bought a used Galvan rush here on the forum and have been way happier with it. Same drag as the torque as far as I know.


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## mwolaver (Feb 6, 2014)

The Tibor will work, I use one on my 7. It is NOT the same as buying an Everglades or one of their other reels. It is super simple, minimal drag adjustment, fine for normal 6 wt fish. I did bonefish with it in Abaco and it did fine on those smaller fish. To me, most high end reels are overkill for a 6. But it will last a long time with normal care.


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## papo (Jun 24, 2011)

Have an Allen kraken I purchased a couple of years ago still going strong. Not bad for the price


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## RJTaylor (Oct 4, 2017)

mavdog32 said:


> Have had really good luck with my ross animas so far. Been on about 40 trips over 2 years.


This. 

Machined, and anodized, at a great price point.


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## ERK (Mar 6, 2019)

Okee Fly Reels

I just got one of these. Pretty slick. Can't speak to it's longevity, but it handled a six pound jack no problem. Only $129


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## HunterOnFly (Apr 15, 2020)

ERK said:


> Okee Fly Reels
> 
> I just got one of these. Pretty slick. Can't speak to it's longevity, but it handled a six pound jack no problem. Only $129


Nice to see more (American?) options, I don't think you have to buy overseas to save money anymore


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## crboggs (Mar 30, 2015)

I like the Lamson Speedster in the mid price range.

Admittedly...I have a Tibor Freestone on my Sage ONE 6wt. It just doesn't get any better than that...


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## goose_ (Jun 3, 2021)

Is the Okee made in the US or in the company just "based in the US"? Surely it's the latter for that price.


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## spc7669 (Apr 15, 2015)

I have the old Tibor Tailwater on my 6wt and the new Backcountry on my 7. Very happy with both. If I was on a budget, the Coltons would merit a look based on what I’ve read about them.


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## Scrob (Aug 26, 2015)

mavdog32 said:


> Have had really good luck with my ross animas so far. Been on about 40 trips over 2 years.


Nice. My 8wt is a Ross Momentum and its been a beast for 8+ years.


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## Scrob (Aug 26, 2015)

spc7669 said:


> I have the old Tibor Tailwater on my 6wt and the new Backcountry on my 7. Very happy with both. If I was on a budget, the Coltons would merit a look based on what I’ve read about them.


Tibor Tailwater?? post a pic please, never heard of that


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## spc7669 (Apr 15, 2015)

I will when I get home. Looks like the old Back Country but smaller.


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## Str8-Six (Jul 6, 2015)

My behemoth lasted 3 big tarpon then it seized up as well. Learned the hard way. I’ve had no issues with my Lamson though, great reels


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## goose_ (Jun 3, 2021)

Str8-Six said:


> My behemoth lasted 3 big tarpon then it seized up as well. Learned the hard way. I’ve had no issues with my Lamson though, great reels


Which Lam do you use? I had a liquid and the finish wore off where the line made contact when I stripped it off the wheel. Im sure the machined reels are finished much better.


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## Str8-Six (Jul 6, 2015)

goose_ said:


> Which Lam do you use? I had a liquid and the finish wore off where the line made contact when I stripped it off the wheel. Im sure the machined reels are finished much better.


I have two litespeed series 4s and a speedster, I believe series 4 as well. Haven’t had those issues and the reels have held up very well even after dunking in salt.


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## skinnydip (Mar 27, 2016)

Galvan makes good quality reel, cant go wrong with tibor and nautilus as well


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## Mnigro (Apr 24, 2018)

What’s your budget and do you have any other requirements? So far, this list = any reel available.


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## Plantation (Nov 24, 2015)

Find a used Ross Cimarron or Gunnison in the appropriate size. I've caught thousands of fish on those reels in over 20 years of hard work. All saltwater use. Only serviced once and was my fault because I greased the drag. They still look good. USA made too.


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## richarde206 (Sep 9, 2021)

mavdog32 said:


> Have had really good luck with my ross animas so far. Been on about 40 trips over 2 years.


The Ross Animas 7/8 is a great match on a modern lightweight salty 6 weight rod.


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## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

Buy once cry once.

Abel Super 6N is what I have on my saltwater 6wts. For freshwater (still use a saltwater 6wt rod) I have several Abel Super 5Ns.


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## HunterOnFly (Apr 15, 2020)

buy several times cry several times hahaha


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## citadelmarineservices (Jan 22, 2021)

Highly recommend hatch reels. Spend the money now on a nice reel, you get what you pay for.


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## Mnigro (Apr 24, 2018)

Since you don’t specify budget, have/have used the following and can recommend them all:
Lamson Litespeed (Speedster and Guru are basically the same)
Bauer SST, smoothest reel I ever owned
Tibor light
Galvan Torque
Nautilus X
Ross Evo LTX (although the Animas has the same drag as Abel Vaya for less money)


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## ryc72 (Oct 18, 2020)

You don’t see the bauer sst reels mentioned often. I have the sst7 and sst8. Couple of my favorite reels. The bauer rx reels are great too. Both series are great.


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## richarde206 (Sep 9, 2021)

Mnigro said:


> Since you don’t specify budget, have/have used the following and can recommend them all:
> Lamson Litespeed (Speedster and Guru are basically the same)
> Bauer SST, smoothest reel I ever owned
> Tibor light
> ...


These are all solid suggestions. For a 6 weight, it's awful difficult to beat a Galvan Torque 6. In my opinion it has the right weight to balance out a salty 6, the ideal spool proportions (diameter to width), the drag has crazy range of adjustment and is super smooth with no startup, and the reel is super reliable.

Interestingly, on paper the Litespeed, Speedster, and Guru are pretty similar. The reel and spool proportions are different, obviously. They share a similar drag - a similar drag. For whatever reason, in my experience the drag performance between these reels is very different, with the Litespeed the best of the bunch. The Litespeed and Speedster are both on that cusp of being too light to balance out a rod which line weight equates to that of the reel. For a salty 6, and if I were to go Lamson, I'd think a 3.5 is the best bet for balance and ample backing.

I'm not that crazy, personally, about the extreme direction of "lighter is better" with reels. I love Ross and have been a supporter since my first Ross purchase in 1992, but the reels now are too light to balance out rods. I mean, an LTX 7/8 weighs what a 5 weight reel should weigh. Plus, all this porting has taken away much of the durability. I friend of mine bought one and sold it because it didn't balance his salty 7 properly. I bought it for my Sage salty 6, and have sold it because the reel was just too light. Great quality, visually stunning, solid drag, almost everything is great except Ross has machined just too much out of the reel.

That's my $0.02.


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## Mnigro (Apr 24, 2018)

richarde206 said:


> These are all solid suggestions. For a 6 weight, it's awful difficult to beat a Galvan Torque 6. In my opinion it has the right weight to balance out a salty 6, the ideal spool proportions (diameter to width), the drag has crazy range of adjustment and is super smooth with no startup, and the reel is super reliable.
> 
> Interestingly, on paper the Litespeed, Speedster, and Guru are pretty similar. The reel and spool proportions are different, obviously. They share a similar drag - a similar drag. For whatever reason, in my experience the drag performance between these reels is very different, with the Litespeed the best of the bunch. The Litespeed and Speedster are both on that cusp of being too light to balance out a rod which line weight equates to that of the reel. For a salty 6, and if I were to go Lamson, I'd think a 3.5 is the best bet for balance and ample backing.
> 
> ...


I agree 100% with everything you said. Lamson seems to increase the drag strength in the more expensive and bigger reels. They’re too light though for anything over a 6wt. Same with the Ross LTX but it’s f you go the 7/8 sizes on these brands, the extra 75 yards of backing helps add some weight. The super light weight is why I didn’t go with Speedster or LTX for my 7wt Meridian.

Galvan Torque is such an underrated reel. Had 2 in T8 and a T10. They are nearly as smooth as the Bauers… those SST for 6wt and lower are so sweet. I hesitate to use them on an 8wt due to the likelihood I’d need to adjust drag during a super hot fish. But on a 6, you can’t apply that much drag pressure so it’s a non issue.


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## goose_ (Jun 3, 2021)

I’d love a torque but I’m happy with my Rush LT 8. From what I understand the same drag I’m pretty sure. The difference is apparent between a USA made piece and something like a behemoth.


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## Mnigro (Apr 24, 2018)

goose_ said:


> I’d love a torque but I’m happy with my Rush LT 8. From what I understand the same drag I’m pretty sure. The difference is apparent between a USA made piece and something like a behemoth.


Yes. Identical reels minus the extra machining on the torque.


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## j_f (Dec 15, 2021)

I have a Behemoth 7/8 that was perfectly serviceable for inland bass fishing (because it was basically just a line holder). Now that I live on the coast, I'm interested to see how it holds up in the salt. My gut says to buy myself something nicer and demote the Behemoth to "the girlfriend rod," otherwise known as a beater/backup/truck rod.


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## EbMaps (11 mo ago)

Wish I could provide experience, but only hearsay - 4 people I've met on big fish saltwater trips have been carrying a reel I'd never seen - Qualifly - Qualifly Fly Fishing Reels - bought them from the maker at fly shows (covid causality this year) and they really like them. 

Carbon fiber is the "Wow!" and helps keep weight down. Price is incredible for domestic producer.

I have traded emails with the "factory," sounds like a smart guy who is trying to build a legit company. 

The guys carrying them were carrying top shelf gear, so they know/can afford good kit. 

Time will tell if they standup, but there you are. 

Before the haters start to pile on, recall everybody 'cept Hardy and Pflueger are newbies in the last 30 (?) years or so...and virtually all have produced some reels they (and we who bought them) regret.


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