Steelhead reel

[wetnet]

Looking for a steelhead reel for my Brother for Christmas. There is no doubt that I love him but getting value for the dollar is a good way of showing it as well. Any suggestions. I'm looking for an 8 weight. Not totally opposed if someone bought a good reel and didn't really use it much. He wouldn't be either. He's all about fishing. Guess we both caught the fishing gene. He's 8 years younger than me but we are really close.

 

[tomgamber]

Some guys will tell you they hate this reel. I have it and I use it for steelies and salt and bass and whenever i use my 8wt. No problems...like it just fine...can't beat the price.

here is it cousin...pretty much the same reel.


this is interesting...

 

[David]

See the thread below on the Loomis Venture for $100.
I use a Bauer that costs more, but I have really enjoyed it.

 

[Acristickid]

I use a 3 year old Orvis Battenkill Large Arbor V. (think it was in $230 range) The model has since been discontinued- replaced with a I,II,III series.

It has performed fine- can't say I ever lost a steelhead because of the reel but I do think that a reel is far more important than a rod for steelhead fishing- at least for the Erie tribs. I also have used it in saltwater (8WT) and has worked fine although I can't say I hooked into any big.

 

[Chet2134]

I use a Teton Tioga 8LA and have no complaints.

Got it from Cabelas on sale for 100 bucks.

 

[jaybo41]

I have the Okuma Integrity in 7/8 which Tom posted the link to that I've been looking to replace/upgrade. For the money it's certainly a good reel if you want to buy something new without breaking your bank. It hasn't seen much use, and I'd be willing to part with it if that's the direction you want to go. Up to you, I'd be fine keeping it for a backup.

My trout reel is the Orvis Mid Arbor, which has an outstanding drag on it. What I love about it is that it's a fully enclosed drag, low if any maintenance. It's been dunked plenty of times and remains smooth on the retrieve, just as the day I purchased it. Although I haven't used that reel on Steelies, I have no doubt that it would be a solid purchase.

 

[eballat]

I use a pflueger "trion" in a 7-8 wt. model. I simply love this reel. It performs as good as it looks and it is reasonably priced. It has survived numerous trips to Erie as well. The drag on it is fantastic. Check out the reviews here.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?type=product&cmCat=Related_IPL_320070&id=0022987317080a

You really cant go wrong with this reel.

 

[StudentofTheStream]

I agree with the last 3 posts. If you're not looking to spend a ton of money, those are good reels. The Okuma Intergrity was my first steelhead reel which I only paid $50 for brand new. Not the prettiest but it is light and the drag was awesome. I sold it to a buddy and it's still going strong and bringing in steelhead 3 years later.

The Tioga's are very nice reels esp. if you can get one for $100 like Chet.

I have a trion in a 4wt reel and while I've never used it on anything like steelhead, I have caught several 20+ inch trout on it and the drag was great. Only drawback for me there is it's only available in silver which I don't like on a sunny day.

Also check around and see if you can find one of the many reels that were discontinued just recently by Ross (cimarron and rythm) or lamson (velocity). Those are awesome reels which you can get for a steal now.

 

[jayL]

Loomis venture. See the thread below, as mentioned.

 

[Bruno]

Okuma would be my choice. My nephew has one and it is evry bit as good as my Ross which cost three times a much.

 

[ryguyfi]

I have a 8wt Cabela's SR reel with a TFO lefty rod combo I bought at Cabela's 2 years ago. I think they discontinued it but I absolutly love it. My advice... first do some research and find a good drag system with some good reviews. The drag on my reel is fantastic, HOWEVER it doesn't have a click which I don't like. When letting the drag do what it does best, let line out, I want to hear the speed of the line releasing from the reel to know when the fish is slowing down to get it back to hand. I have done fine without it, but it is something I definetly will look for when I buy a new reel 10 years down the road. This real is very well made with a great drag system and looks great. Don't forget to make him pay you back for getting him such a great present by having to take you fishing with him!

Here's a pic of my combo.

 

[jayL]

Ryan,

That's another thing about the venture. A steelie will make it absolutely sing. As lame as this sounds, the sound of the clicker is part of the reason I chose it.

 

[ryguyfi]

yes this purchase was when I was still pretty wet behind the ears (not saying I'm a pro yet). I'm not complaining by any means of my purchase, it is a fantastic combo, but just giving some input on a purchase for a fisherlady 🙂 I do agree with you that a good click on a rod that is intended to be put to use is a very good quality to a reel. I bet 48 out of 50 trout I catch on my battenkill aren't put on the reel so it is not that necessary to me to have a good click on it, however I bet that atleast a quarter of the steelhead I catch are are taken to the reel, which makes the click that much more important. Really had no idea what I was getting myself into 2 years ago because I bought the combo without ever going steelhead fishing before. This combo is more than able to land steelhead, but there are improvements to be made (my wife will kill me if I buy another expensive reel now). I will be out on Erie this Friday with my nice combo being the envy of the bait flingers and hopefully all my friends and family I'm going up with (with exception to one, who is a great fisherman) (btw, this is my hope, not always reality) So in the end, try out all your equipment before you buy, and put it to IMMEDIATE USE!!! Much more fun fishing, then talking about fishing.


Good luck with your purchase and go wet some flies with him right after he gets it.

 

[ok1morecast]

I have a loomis Venture, a Reddington Crosswater, and Albright GP and just bought an OKuma SV. All in all, so far the Okuma has held up to the more expensive brands

 

[OhioOutdoorsman]

I second the cabelas prestige plus, simular to the okuma, and rumoured to be built by them. Its drag is better than any of the orvis battenkill/battenkill LA or teton tiogas I own. Its somewhat heavy but has a very good backing capacity.

The rest of the cabelas reels I have tried stink IMHO. I have tried most of them. (I have not treied this past years models)

 

[CLSports]

I agree with "eballat". The Pflueger Trion is a great reel for the price. I have used this for several years for steelhead. I have the 7-8 wt model as well. The drag is great, and that is what really matters for steelhead.

I have an 5wt Okuma Helios reel that I do not like. The drag on mine does not seem to stay in position. I need to keep adjusting it to get it where I want it. This is the only reel that I own that I am not happy with.

The Loomis Venture is also a great reel. I have a 5wt. and I love that reel. I am sure it would be fine in a 7-8 wt as well. At around $100 is a good deal, but I think I paid about $75-$80 for the Pflueger Trion reel.