Spey Reel of Choice?

[Gigandet]

What is everyone's opinion on spey reels?

I was looking at either the Tibor Riptide or the Nautilus 12T

I have the Tibor Everglades on my 9' 7wt for Salmon and Steelhead which is a great reel.
I really like the looks of the Nautilus... and call me strange if you want, but I think that orange custom color looks pretty cool.

[fisherking]

Both are very nice reels with good reputations. However, I would lean towards the Nautilis. I think the Tibor has a cork drag. If you plan on doing any winter fishing, that would be a concern for me personally. I'd go with the sealed drag of the Nautilis.

[manchu67]

I do or have fished Nautilus, Danielsson, Ross, and Bauer reels on my two handers. Each has their strengths. But I would echo FK in saying that the of those you mentioned I would choose a sealed drag for any winter fishing. Though be aware that it's not only the drag that could freeze but often the spool to frame that ends up freezing as well. All in all you just have to pay attention to how your reel is performing to ensure that it is not locked up.

Until I lost it , I fished a Bauer M4 for years that was one of the smoothest drags I ever used. I had to be careful of the drag freezing but I put up with it because the reel was butter. Also if you plan on using the reel for double duty you should take that into consideration as well. Though the Nautilus does have a proven saltwater track record, I doubt it will never catch up with the rep of the Tibor.

Good luck and I hope this helps,
Jeff

[Johnny5]

Save a few bucks and get a Galvan Torque. It's drag is just as good as the Nautilus & Tibor reels. The drag is not completely sealed "neither is the Tibor", but the only difference that would make is if the reel was dunked in the water in below freezing conditions it would keep the drag from freezing. Which doesn't even matter because as Jeff mentioned the housing can freeze to and if dunked it certainly would...

[JR SPEY]

Actually, there are a lot of other reasons to buy a sealed drag/clutch mechanism reel. Water on the drag surface can cause the drag to hydroplane. Also, the water we fish in is far from pure. Getting silt and other crud in the clutch area or on the drag surface can cause sticky drags, clutches that don't operate correctly, and even corrosion over time. More and more I'm moving to sealed systems when I fish in rivers and there are some very nice ones at very attractive prices.

[whiskeyjack]

I went from Loops to Bauers and now I am using a Hardy Marquis Salmon No. 2 and a SA System 2 1213 (talk about stepping backwards in time).

The old Loops (3W) have the roller drag so you cannot spin up slack line quickly by hitting the spool with your hand. However, I never had a drag issue with this reel. I see a lot of people buying the new Loops, they are a sealed drag. Loop has always made a good reel.

I had a Bauer M7 that was like a pie plate. The drag was smooth but the cork would wake you up in the morning during the winter with a horrible screeching!

I went to the Hardy since it is so simple and so classic. These things are getting super expensive though, especially for a really old used reel. Can't beat the simplicity and the drag though.

The SA is just simple and reliable. I have thrashed every fish I have caught with this thing. I used it for bonefish a while ago and it performed flawless. Plus, you can beat the fool out of it. I bought mine off of ebay, it is rather old. SA just started making them in China and had some parts interchangability in the beginning that started to give them a bad rap. I have communicated directly with SA about this, the reels are back on the market now in great form. For $200 you get a reel that will never fail and never need to be replaced. Just make sure you run it over with your car every now and then and it will work fine.

Good luck,

WJ

[Johnny5]

Actually, there are a lot of other reasons to buy a sealed drag/clutch mechanism reel. Water on the drag surface can cause the drag to hydroplane. Also, the water we fish in is far from pure. Getting silt and other crud in the clutch area or on the drag surface can cause sticky drags, clutches that don't operate correctly, and even corrosion over time. More and more I'm moving to sealed systems when I fish in rivers and there are some very nice ones at very attractive prices.

The only drags that will hydroplane are cork drags. HUndreds of hours on my Torques with zero issues like you talk about. Never heard of any issues like this with Ross Canyon's either. I am sure the Momentum's will not have this problem either.

On the contrary I have had amny issues with Lamson/Waterworks sealed drag reels. Nver had any issues with Danielsson or Nautilus reels, but personally I like the Torques better.

Just personal preference I guess....

[JR SPEY]

I wasn't trying to suggest that there was anything wrong with your Torque, only that your comment about the only problem with a dunked reel would be freezeup. Believe me, when you've seen and used as many reels as I have you'll see what open systems can and will do. Proper maintenance can eliminate almost any of those problems. However, a lot of guys do not do that maintenance. And yes, hydroplaning can happen with other materials, especially if it's used in a typical open drawbar design like a Tibor, Abel, and a whole bunch of other models. There are reels out there with that design but which use a material other than cork, usually carbon fibre, that can hydroplane. After all, the only thing that needs to happen for a reel to hydroplane is for a drop or two of water to get trapped on the drag surface. That may happen more easily on cork, but it can happen with many other materials, too.

[bullsprig1]

I love the Nautilus 8 for my Meiser Steelmaster Transformer in 6/7/8 and Delta Spey with tips configuration. Also may want to look at the new Nautilus NV 8/9 for spey fishing. Same sealed drag, but with lighter components for a long day of fishing, and additional capacity. They are also coming out with a new larger, yet to be named model for heavier spey applications, say salmon.

[speybstrd]

Without a doubt, the best reel I own. Bomber tuff.

[Triple C]

Nautilus by far.

I have dunked and abused my 12 all season long. I fished it with temps in the 20's no problem.

[Triple C]

Another option is a Solitude reel. I just picked up an original Harris and this is one sweet piece of hardware.

[K.W.Boozer]

You know I was just looking through several salt water fishing forums and the Nautilus reel is getting terrible reviews after guys have used them for a year or so. Thought that was pretty interesting....

[speydazed]

keep one thing in mind, balance, it helps a whole bunch if the reel balances on your stick. 14' of rod with a too light reel is a pain to cast all day.

stay away from the natilus, i too have heard they are kinda crappy after long use, get in touch with jr-spey, he can get you something pretty sweet within a very desirable price point.

jr knows reels pure and simple, shoot him a pm and see what he can do for you, he also has used and un-abused reels that will also fit within your budget.

[kweetech]

You know I was just looking through several salt water fishing forums and the Nautilus reel is getting terrible reviews after guys have used them for a year or so. Thought that was pretty interesting....

in what context?
after a year of screaming 1/2 mile runs with saltwater fish? Salt getting in the drags? Poor design? I want to see reasons.
You can find something bad about every reel out there...