Rounding out the classic reels in our shootout is the Abel Super 7/8. These reels haven’t changed much over the years, and that’s either a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your perspective. Generally, we fall on the side of innovation, but let’s see if the tweaks that have been made to the Super Series are enough to keep it competitive.
Abel is perhaps one of the most storied names in saltwater fishing. Few reel companies have the pedigree that companies like Abel do. While Abel is certainly famous for its cork drags, they’ve come a very long way when it comes to creating a reel that competes with the best of the best modern fly reels. Enter the SDS.
While this is the first time we’ve tested an Islander reel, they are far from new to the market. Islander has been making high-quality reels in their machine shop in British Columbia for nearly 30 years. The LX is their large-arbor disc drag model, and we’re excited to see it perform.
We’re starting to get into the very best saltwater reels. Enter the Ross Evolution R Salt: long name, amazing results. It’s Ross’s first true entry into the saltwater game since the Momentum was discontinued a few seasons ago. While the Momentum was kind of a meh reel, they’ve done tons of R&D and this reel is a game changer.
Last time around, Cheeky came out as one of our favorite reels with the Mojo. This year, we’re testing the value-based Boost. Cheeky introduced the Boost to give customers a more wallet friendly option. Can it live up to the legacy?
Winner of our 5-weight shootout, the bar is high for the Litespeed. Now in its new “Micra 5” incarnation, it sits at the top of Lamson’s “all-water” or freshwater lines, offering massive performance and super lightweight. Can it compete with today’s top saltwater reels? Find out.
Last but not least from Hardy is the Ultralite MTX 7000. Like a sports car, Hardy has added a little extra carbon fiber, a few extra letters after the name and raised the price in the name of performance. Yes, the MTX is like the souped-up version of the Ultralite series. But do these enhancements mean that it’s also… better?
When we first test the Hardy Fortuna 5 years ago, it blew us away with its drag strength. There was just nothing else on the market that was even close. Today, that has changed, but only a bit. The new Fortuna XDS still touts its huge drag, but how has it progressed since the last time we tested it?
Hardy has been making fly reels as long as anyone and we have been a fan of Hardy from day 1 at Trident. The SDSL replaces the little talked about SDS in the Hardy lineup and sits between the hardcore Fortuna and the freshwater oriented Ultralite series. While I always thought the SDS was a fabulous reel, it seems like the Hardy marketing team just forgot about it and I doubt if we sold 5 throughout its lifetime. They’ve stepped it up bigtime with the SDSL and we’re excited to see how it performs.
Want light weight and a low price? The TF-70 brings both in spades. The other 3-Tand reels did very well in our shootout. Can the TF deliver performance in a smaller lighter package?
