Location: F'ton
This was a process and a half. Trust me.
It was mostly due to it not being anywhere close to fishing season in these parts for the past few months (season opens April 15th in NB). It seemed every time I had decided on a reel, I'd change my mind four additional times.
But I finally narrowed it down to two: option A, which will remain nameless, and option B, which is the reel I bought.
Option A, in the end, seemed a little too excessive for me in price. It is definitely a high-quality reel, and one of the biggest names in saltwater fishing. Yes, it is still on my 'maybe someday' list, but for now, it wasn't to be.
- First reason: price.
- Second reason: price of spare spools (I wanted one or two spare spools).
- Third reason: I have never used this brand before, and was just going from online or magazine reviews.
- Fourth reason: I would've had to get Chris at the shop bring in a new line-up of gear for me to get it ('cuz I ain't buying it from anyone else!!)
Feel free to try to guess what reel option A is in the comments. Winning guess will get something awesome from me, like...I dunno...me telling them they're right (and cool).
Option B was truly the logical choice: I have one of their reels already, as do several of my fishing buddies. I know they make quality gear and their reels are extremely reasonably priced. I personally hadn't fished with this model, but am familiar with it, and reviews online are very positive.
Plus we already had the reel & a spare spool in stock at the shop, so I can start fondling it without waiting for it to arrive. Always a bonus.
Option B, aka the 'winning' reel, is.....
The Lamson-Waterworks Litespeed.
This little work of art will hold 200 yards of 20lb backing with a WF-9 line. And it has one hell of a drag system.
This little work of art will hold 200 yards of 20lb backing with a WF-9 line. And it has one hell of a drag system.
(I was about to say the drag could slow down one of the submarines the Canadian Navy bought from Great Britain a few years back...but that's not really complimenting the reel much)
One spool will have Loop's OptiStream WF-8F; the other, Orvis' Wonderline Generation 3 WF-8I clear sink tip. So I'll probably get almost 250 yards of backing on there.
You reading this, you saltwater bruisers? You're not gonna be lining this guy.
(For that little bit of smack-talk, I'm losing both these lines, aren't I?)
I am very excited for another 10 days to pass so I can start fishing with this.
Or I might just pile my gear & Awesome the Dog into my truck and haul-ass to Nova Scotia. Their season opened April 1st.
I will post a full review of all new gear once I've spent some time abusing it.
Here's some music:
2 comments:
A VERY sweet reel, my friend. It's what I use myself; I just love the look of the thing! Straight sexy. I've since purchased a few Galvan reels for permit and tarpon (#10, #12, and #14) and I can't truly say they're worth the price jump. As for the usual suspects--Abel, etc--they are definitely a step down from the Lightspeed, in my opinion. The latter is lighter, faster, better anodized, has a smoother-more infinitely adjustable drag, and bigger. Good choice.
Yes, I'm very happy with their products. I have a Konic on my 5wt trout rod & the drag on that is amazing; almost too much for trout on a 5x or smaller tippet.
My original plan was to 'reward' myself with a Nautilus NV for the 8wt but felt the price difference between the Litespeed & the NV was too much.
I just received my (big-ass) order from Redington, which included their new Delta reel, in 10wt size. It's a sharp-looking reel, and the drag on that is frigging amazing.
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