best saltwater fly reel

The Silver King is Nautilus’ big game version of the CCF-X2, which won our 2018 8wt Shootout, and it’s a reel we still think highly of. At this point, it’s a bonafide classic among saltwater anglers who love its ergonomics, drag adjustability and stopping power. The CCFX-X2 has proven to make quick work of light tackle gamefish like snook, redfish, and bonefish. However, with a name like Silver King, this rendition is designed for an entirely different leviathan. How does it stack up against the competition? Read on to find out!

I’ll admit it. Of all the reels in this shootout, I’ve fished the Hatch the most. Not this Hatch, per se, but the older Finatic. And the Finatic is more or less the same reel as this one. And both are great. The Iconic is so great that it tied for FIRST place in our Tarpon/Big Game Reel Shootout. While the new(-ish) Hatch Iconic is the latest from a long line of great Hatch reels, Hatch has been making shootout-winning reels for a while now and the 9 Plus Iconic is now no exception. Keep calm and read on.

The Nautilus GTX made waves in the fly fishing world for being the first “production” reel to cross the $1000 barrier. Since then, there’s probably been no reel that I’ve wanted to get on the testing machine more. When you pick it up, you can tell right away that it’s an awesome big-game reel. It’s big, narrow, and has tons of drag. It’s no wonder that it finished in a 3-way TIE for first place. Read on to see why.

Mako is new to Trident and new to our shootouts, but they’ve been making top-notch saltwater reels for some time. In fact, they are the legacy of Jack Charlton and his eponymous reels. Mako has always been that reel. The one that people talk about but few have actually seen or touched. That has started to change with some new management at the helm and some top-notch new pros on staff. But with that kind of legacy, it should come as no surprise then that the 9600B tied for FIRST PLACE in our Big Game Fly Reel Shootout.

Of all the reels we tested, the Tibor Everglades is the one most likely to be passed on to the next generation. It’s beautiful and simple and made in the USA.

Great drag performance, fast retrieval, light weight, and great price- what’s not to love?

Winner of our 2013 8-weight Challenge! It suffices to say that we love the Hatch Finatic 7-Plus. Here’s why.

It was tough choosing a winner between the Hatch Finatic and the Hardy Fortuna X for the title of “best saltwater fly reel”. If we were only scoring drag performance, the Fortuna would have won, hands down.