8wt Fly Reel Reviews
An 8-weight fly reel needs to do it all, smooth drag for bonefish sprints on the flats, enough stopping power for a redfish in the mangroves, and the corrosion resistance to survive season after season in saltwater. This is the most popular saltwater reel class, which means the options are deep and the differences between top performers and overpriced disappointments are significant.
Fifty-plus 8wt reels tested in real fishing conditions - that's the foundation behind these reviews. Drag performance, corrosion resistance, line capacity, and durability under sustained pressure were all measured. The full breakdown is below.
Orvis Mirage USA Fly Reel Review
Orvis is no stranger to our shootouts. In fact they’ve either won an award or...
Hatch Gen 2 Finatic Fly Reel Review
Hello, old friend. The Hatch Finatic was the winner of our last 8-weight shoo...
Nautilus X-Series XL Max Fly Reel Review
When I asked Kristen Mustad which reel he thought would perform best in our s...
Nautilus NV-G Fly Reel Review
If there was one question we received the last time we did our 8-weight Shoot...
Sage Spectrum 7/8 Fly Reel Review
Last but not least from Sage is the Sage Spectrum. The Spectrum replaces the ...
Sage Spectrum LT Fly Reel Review
Just below the new Spectrum Max, and replacing the much loved 4200 series, is...
Sage Spectrum Max 7/8 Fly Reel Review
Sage makes some killer fly rods, but for some reason, they’ve had trouble mak...
Redington Behemoth Fly Reel Review
I really like seeing great value-based reels. Unfortunately, there aren’t man...
Galvan Grip G-8 Fly Reel Review
Galvan is no newcomer to the reel game. They’ve been quietly making some of t...
Abel Super 7/8 Fly Reel Review
Rounding out the classic reels in our shootout is the Abel Super 7/8. These r...
Abel SDS 7/8 Fly Reel Review
Abel is perhaps one of the most storied names in saltwater fishing. Few reel ...
Islander LX 3.8 Fly Reel Review
While this is the first time we’ve tested an Islander reel, they are far from...
Ross Evolution R Salt Fly Reel Review
We’re starting to get into the very best saltwater reels. Enter the Ross Evol...
Cheeky Boost 400 Fly Reel Review
Last time around, Cheeky came out as one of our favorite reels with the Mojo....
Lamson Litespeed Micra 5 3.5 Fly Reel Review
Winner of our 5-weight shootout, the bar is high for the Litespeed. Now in it...
Hardy Ultralite MTX 7000 Fly Reel Review
Last but not least from Hardy is the Ultralite MTX 7000. Like a sports car, H...
Hardy Fortuna XDS 6000 Fly Reel Review
When we first test the Hardy Fortuna 5 years ago, it blew us away with its dr...
Hardy SDSL 6000 Fly Reel Review
Hardy has been making fly reels as long as anyone and we have been a fan of H...
3-Tand TF-70 Fly Reel Review
Want light weight and a low price? The TF-70 brings both in spades. The other...
3-Tand TX-80 and Vikn V-80 Fly Reel Review
Another review, another new reel brand! It’s super cool that we get to see so...
68 articles