# Saltwater Reel suggestions



## Goodtimes (11 mo ago)

Hey everyone, I'm looking to update/upgrade my reels. I've have some Lamson litepeeds, Orvis Hydros from various generations etc. I've been looking at Nautilus, Tibor and Galvan mostly. Running into an issue with availability so not sure what I'm going to do. May start looking at the secondary market. Leaning towards ccfx and the Torque but wanted to see if I'm missing anything or should be considering any other brands. Looking for a 8wt, 9 or 10wt and a 11wt. Standard flats species and hopefully some GTs later this year or next. Thanks!


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## bryan.w (Dec 15, 2020)

Hatch


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## goose_ (Jun 3, 2021)

I have a galvan rush lt (torque drag) and I like it. That being said, nautilus reels look great and tibor has a reputation second to none. I'd say that you can't really make a bad choice with any of the finer reel companies. Maybe you can find a local shop that has at least some of the options in stock? It's nice to hold something in your hand and see how it feels/sounds. I'll mention as well that I definitely wouldn't shy away from the used market. There's great deals to be had and I'd say most people that own a reel of that quality are people that do the required maintenance. This forum is a great place to shop, just get your 20 posts first.


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## Shadowcast (Feb 26, 2008)

You're familiar with, I'd just take a look at the new generation of the Litespeed. The Litespeed M is a great reel in all of the sizes you are looking for and is a very light option to keep weight down but has hard core sealed drag. There is a new on being sold by @Pierson in the fly classified section. To satisfy your need for GT's maybe see if you can pick up a Lamson Cobalt 12. I have one on my 11 wt. and the drag can stop a Mack truck.


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## Goodtimes (11 mo ago)

Shadowcast said:


> You're familiar with, I'd just take a look at the new generation of the Litespeed. The Litespeed M is a great reel in all of the sizes you are looking for and is a very light option to keep weight down but has hard core sealed drag. There is a new on being sold by @Pierson in the fly classified section. To satisfy your need for GT's maybe see if you can pick up a Lamson Cobalt 12. I have one on my 11 wt. and the drag can stop a Mack truck.


I really liked my old litespeed, the only reason I didn't consider it was due to a few reviews and shootouts that say the drag isn't the strongest but that was the prior generation of micra reels. I was concerned with the larger reel sizes stopping power as well since they used to use the same drag system and size across all weights. The new drag feels pretty solid?


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## Finn Maccumhail (Apr 9, 2010)

I don't know what your budget is like but I make no apologies for being a Tibor fanboy. My primary rigs in 6, 8, 10, and 12 are all Tibor reels from the Back Country CL Wide on the 6wt, Everglades on the 8, Riptide on the 10, and Gulfstream on the 12. And if I ever get a chance to go for GT or billfish I'm getting a Pacific too.

There are usually good deals to be had on used Tibor reels and they're pretty much bulletproof. Plus, you can send it off to Tibor and they'll refurbish it for like $100 if you ever do happen to do something like run over it with your truck.


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## Outwest (11 mo ago)

I’m a big fan of the Nautilus NV-G. I’ve used the 6/7 and the 9/10. Great drag and looks nice


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## TX_Brad (Jun 8, 2018)

I've been a big Hatch fan, however just picked up a few Ross Evolution R Salt and have been really impressed, though as everyone above has mentioned, a lot of good choices


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## TheAdamsProject (Oct 29, 2007)

Hard to beat anything with a big T on it.


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## Goodtimes (11 mo ago)

Thanks for all the feedback. Does anyone have experience with Colton? I ran across them on another forum while researching. Sounds like pretty good feedback overall, not sure how they compare with the Nautilus, Tibors, Galvan, hatches of the world.


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## Shadowcast (Feb 26, 2008)

Goodtimes said:


> The new drag feels pretty solid?


The drag is very solid. 2 or 3 clicks on the M8 and you are really slowing down most flats critters. On the Cobalt 12, you'll never get past 4 or 5 clicks on a big poon.


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## Nway93 (May 9, 2016)

There’s a reason Tibors are what everything else is compared to. I’ve never seen one fail, can’t say that about any other manufacturer personally.


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## CAEX (Oct 29, 2021)

I have a Colton Terrapin 789. I haven't used it much and it hasn't been heavily tested (largest fish was around 20 lbs and most weren't half that), but it's worked great and I have zero complaints. I haven't handled every reel out there, but at that price point I don't know that it can be beat (though Danielssons offer a great bang for the buck also).


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## Fishshoot (Oct 26, 2017)

Abel


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## The Fin (Sep 28, 2021)

Goodtimes said:


> Hey everyone, I'm looking to update/upgrade my reels. I've have some Lamson litepeeds, Orvis Hydros from various generations etc. I've been looking at Nautilus, Tibor and Galvan mostly. Running into an issue with availability so not sure what I'm going to do. May start looking at the secondary market. Leaning towards ccfx and the Torque but wanted to see if I'm missing anything or should be considering any other brands. Looking for a 8wt, 9 or 10wt and a 11wt. Standard flats species and hopefully some GTs later this year or next. Thanks!


You can’t go wrong with Hatch, Abel, Galvan, or Tibor! I personally have used Ross Momentum LT’s without any problems!


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## Goodtimes (11 mo ago)

I think I'm narrowing it down. 9/10 Nautilus ccfx and probably try the Galvan t8. Now I need to decide between the silver king or Gulfstream for the 11wt.


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## CAEX (Oct 29, 2021)

You may already be aware, but the CCF-X2 8/10 frame will fit the 10/12 spool also. So if you won't be fishing your 11 wt at the same time as your 9 or 10 wt (or whatever you'd be getting the 8/10 reel for) you might consider saving a bit of money by getting the CCF-X2 8/10 and an extra 10/12 spool. Just a thought. Though the 10/12 doesn't have as wide of a diameter as the Silver King if that's what attracts you to it.


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## Goodtimes (11 mo ago)

CAEX said:


> You may already be aware, but the CCF-X2 8/10 frame will fit the 10/12 spool also. So if you won't be fishing your 11 wt at the same time as your 9 or 10 wt (or whatever you'd be getting the 8/10 reel for) you might consider saving a bit of money by getting the CCF-X2 8/10 and an extra 10/12 spool. Just a thought. Though the 10/12 doesn't have as wide of a diameter as the Silver King if that's what attracts you to it.


I had read that, cool little feature adding some versatility. Interesting idea.


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## CAEX (Oct 29, 2021)

Of course, if the reel develops a problem (not that I have any reason to think that it would) then you're really screwed, at least until it could be repaired. But it is a nice option if you don't need to have both rigged up at the same time.


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## Finn Maccumhail (Apr 9, 2010)

I will say that if you're looking at new vs. used the 3-Tand reels offer tremendous bang for your buck. I've got a couple as backups and my backups get used a good bit because I typically have multiple rods rigged with different flies and frequently just swap out the rig vs. tying on a new fly.


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## Cory Michner (Jan 28, 2020)

My perspective is that if you're only going to be fishing from a boat, then you can choose from any number of options and be pretty happy, and you can prioritize just getting whatever tickles your fancy as long as it meets minimum requirements for drag strength, smoothness, origin, etc. Tibor, Nautilus, Abel, Ross, Galvan etc are all probably great, maybe think through that GT reel a bit more haha. Good time to be alive if you like fly reels.

If you're going to be on foot and the reel has a good chance it'll get dunked, buried in the sand, etc (this is my reality and tough to avoid when you are doing a lot of wading) then I think your list of reliable options shrinks very fast and I would personally only go with either:

Nautilus CCF X2 - sealed exceptionally well and proven (ask me how I know), and if something goes wrong it's not too tough to open the reel up to fix (plenty of videos how to do this, it's just 3 screws and you can access the whole inside of the drag but not an operation I'd want to perform on the water).
Tibor - Open, sure, but _if _something goes wrong you'll be able to fix it. 
I have several CCF X2's and my next reel will be some version of a classic drawbar like a Tibor or Shilton. I wouldn't want to spend that coin on a new reel and not be confident I could abuse it.

I also own a couple Colton Terrapin reels and they are awesome. Very heavy duty reels so I use them for fishing in the surf, etc, not as much on the flats where I prefer a more fine-tunable drag like on the Nautilus. Super durable, no issues after dunking and burying in the sand etc. I know the owner used to fine tune drag on those to be more or fewer turns when needed, which is cool.

Hope this helps!


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## Cory Michner (Jan 28, 2020)

CAEX said:


> I have a Colton Terrapin 789. I haven't used it much and it hasn't been heavily tested (largest fish was around 20 lbs and most weren't half that), but it's worked great and I have zero complaints. I haven't handled every reel out there, but at that price point I don't know that it can be beat (though Danielssons offer a great bang for the buck also).


GREAT reels.


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## Cory Michner (Jan 28, 2020)

Nway93 said:


> There’s a reason Tibors are what everything else is compared to. I’ve never seen one fail, can’t say that about any other manufacturer personally.


I've seen one... "fail?" haha. DIY trip on South Andros a buddy of mine (who has been a guide for nearly a decade and owned Tibors that whole time) after having fished on foot for several days had his Everglades seize up on him. I think he must have had some sand or shell slip into it somehow. 

Opening up the reel and giving is a quick fresh water rinse back at the house fixed it, but it wasn't an operation we were going to perform out on the water (though I'm sure some people wouldn't mind trying) so he fished my CCFX2 the rest of the day.

I think the real advantage is that they are simple enough that you can fix them _if_ something goes wrong, which I value a lot. A lot of modern sealed drags this is not an option and not something I'd want to deal with (CCF X2 is pretty easy).


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## Goodtimes (11 mo ago)

Finn Maccumhail said:


> I will say that if you're looking at new vs. used the 3-Tand reels offer tremendous bang for your buck. I've got a couple as backups and my backups get used a good bit because I typically have multiple rods rigged with different flies and frequently just swap out the rig vs. tying on a new fly.


I've tried to reach out to them a few times to possible purchase, no replies. They look solid.


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## JBH (Jul 17, 2019)

Goodtimes said:


> I think I'm narrowing it down. 9/10 Nautilus ccfx and probably try the Galvan t8. Now I need to decide between the silver king or Gulfstream for the 11wt.


I think you’re on the right track…I have all three and think highly of all of them.
Galvan- perfect lightweight 8 wt reel
Nautilus CCFX2 - strong drag and great line pickup for my 10wt.
Tibor Gulfstream for the heavies because they are tough and proven.


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## sylversyde (11 mo ago)

While the Tibor's are certainly beautiful and have historically been among the gold standards, more modern designs with open porting and sealed drags enable better drainage, line drying, lighter weight and lower maintenance. Very precise engineered drags with high drag capability as a result. I have Abel SRS reels (7/8, 9/10, 11/12) paired to my Sage rods and absolutely love them. Plenty of great reels, ultimately get what satisfies your specific needs.


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## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

If I was spending a lot of time wading I would 100% use a cork drag and not a sealed drag reel. All sealed drags are great until they aren't sealed.


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## backbone (Jan 4, 2016)

Reach out to the lodge your chasing GT's out of and see what they recommend.
I bet its Tibor or Abel


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## Snakesurf (Jun 18, 2019)

Goodtimes said:


> Thanks for all the feedback. Does anyone have experience with Colton? I ran across them on another forum while researching. Sounds like pretty good feedback overall, not sure how they compare with the Nautilus, Tibors, Galvan, hatches of the world.


They are as good as any of the best sealed drag reels, I have had one for about 4 years and have had zero issues. If it is going to be "in the water" a lot then you will want a drag that is not sealed (Galvan Torque, Tibor). You may also want to consider the weight of the reel you want.


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## spc7669 (Apr 15, 2015)

backbone said:


> Reach out to the lodge your chasing GT's out of and see what they recommend.
> I bet its Tibor or Abel


I bet they’d recommend Shilton. They have a huge following outside of the US. I’ll have one somewhere down the road.


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## Goodtimes (11 mo ago)

spc7669 said:


> I bet they’d recommend Shilton. They have a huge following outside of the US. I’ll have one somewhere down the road.


I've looked at the Shiltons, I know the Alphonse and Seychelles guides really like them. The only reason I didn't consider them is availability and access. There's very little US distribution and was thinking if there is an issue it would be more difficult to service.


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## spc7669 (Apr 15, 2015)

Goodtimes said:


> I've looked at the Shiltons, I know the Alphonse and Seychelles guides really like them. The only reason I didn't consider them is availability and access. There's very little US distribution and was thinking if there is an issue it would be more difficult to service.


Me too. I used to know a guy who has one, don’t know the exact model but it’s for a 12 wt. I may hit him up and see if he’d let it go.


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