You may or may not be aware of Shilton Fly Reels. Although the South African company has been around for several decades, they’ve only recently gained momentum stateside. Their growing popularity can be attributed to holistic word-of-mouth spreading the gospel about their good looks, build quality, and alleged fish-stopping ability. After all, their slogan is “We Stop Fish.” We recently had a chance to test out the SL7 for our Big Game Fly Reel Shootout. If you are Shilton curious or looking for something a little different for your next big game or tarpon reel, you will not want to miss this review. Read on to see if ‘Stopping Fish’ is more than just a slogan.
Don Ward came up with this version of a sulfur spinner. This hatch lasts most of the summer and tends to be towards the evening. The addition of some UV material as a wing case can make this fly easier to see in low light condition. This is always a good fly for your dry fly box
The Mirage USA has been out for quite some time, and the 8wt placed highly in our 2018 8-weight Shootout. We loved it for its substantial drag, cush ergonomics, and bombproof construction. Four years later, the Mirage lives on without any significant upgrades. Going into our Tarpon Reel Shootout, we questioned whether it had grown a little long in the tooth. Once more, would the Mirage’s performance in a lighter size transfer to a monster gamefish-ready reel? Relax, grab your favorite beverage and read on to see how the Mirage stacks up against the rest of the competition.
We have always been impressed by the quality of reels offered by the California-based manufacturer, Galvan. While perhaps not the sexiest name in the shootout, Galvan knows how to build durable reels that work as intended. The Galvan Grip is a beefed-up, saltwater version of their beloved Torque. While the Grip placed solidly in our 2018 8-Weight Fly Reel Shootout, we were interested in seeing how the G-10 stacked up against the rest of the big game reels.
When Sage released the Thermo last year, we couldn’t help but roll our eyes at the thought of another big game reel bust. But that all changed when we got a chance to put it to the test in our Big Game Reel Shootout. So, did Sage push back the tides of history and make a reel to challenge the top dogs? Read on to find out!
Dave Whitlock developed this fly back in the late 1960s and considers it one of his best nymph patterns. It’s a big-bodied nymph and Dave uses a blend of Red Fox Squirrel fur and a synthetic sparkle material for the dubbing giving it a unique reddish-brown appearance. The fly is typically tied in sizes 10-18.
I believe originally tied by Tim Flagler it’s a mash up of 2 flies. The Bird’s Nest and the Red Fox Squirrel Nymph. It’s fairly easy to tie and just looks like something fish would eat. It’s typically tied in sizes 12 -18.
The Hippie Stomper is the brainchild of Umpqua Signature Tyer Andrew Grillos. Andrew is one tough dude, and this fly is nearly as indestructible as the man himself. We’re tying the Hippie Stomper in tan and olive to imitate grasshoppers, but do not hesitate to switch it up to reflect better on what trout are eating in your local stream. Yellow and black to imitate bumblebee? Why not! Let your imagination just go with all the different foam colors available. This fly is pretty darn near unsinkable and perfect for dropping a Copper John off the bend.
This is a variation of Jack Horner’s Humpy Fly that came out of California in the 1940’s. Some folks struggle to tie in the deer hair back of the original fly. This foam pattern is much easier to tie and like the original it floats extremely well. It can be tied in many color variations and is typically tied in sized 10 – 16.
The Orvis Hydros is a reel we’re very familiar with, especially in lighter sizes. We even awarded the previous version, ‘Best Buy,’ in our 2018 8-weight Reel Shootout for offering the best drag-to-weight ratio out of any reel we tested. However, this is a shootout for the best tarpon and big game reels on the planet. We put ‘poons in an entirely different category than most fish; they can legitimately blow up lesser reels, so our standards for this shootout are quite different and loftier. Are you short on cash but determined to land your first tarpon on the fly? Read on to see if we’d trust putting a 100+ pound leviathan on this sub-$300 reel!
