Taylor Enigma ESD 6-8 Fly Reel Review

Jan 31, 2018 · 2 min read

Teal anodized machined aluminum Taylor Enigma fly reel with black frame, vented spool and silver knurled drag knob

A great looking reel for under $200? On the surface, the Taylor Enigma looks like a winner. Read on to see if it lives up to its looks.

8-Weight Shootout Full Results

Weight

At 5.5 ounces, the Enigma is one of the lightest reels in the test. In my opinion, this is almost the ideal weight for today’s super light rods.

Drag

Taylor Enigma fly reel with black open-frame anodized housing and silver knurled aluminum drag knob

Bottom of the pack. With a mere 3.6 lbs on the top end and only a pound that’s actually usable. Even for a 5-weight reel this wouldn’t be very much. Oh, and if you turn it all the way down, it free spools :-(.

Drag Test Graph

Blue line graph on white grid showing drag force (lbs) vs distance for Taylor Enigma ESD 6-8 fly reel, steady ~3.7 lbs.

Sound

No incoming click, and muted sound on the way out. Not great.

Spool & Retrieval Rate

Other than the fact that it’s narrow, there’s really not much to talk about here. It’s slow on line pickup and tiny.

Looks & Ergonomics

Aside from its nearly ideal weight, my favorite part about this reel is how it looks. The Taylor design team really hit it out of the park. I'm not sure what it is exactly, but it's minimal and cool. Unfortunately, while the reel looks great, it also suffers the Revolution’s fate of having one of the worst drag knobs in the test, and it’s paired with a thin and obviously designed-for-freshwater handle.

Finish and durability

Turquoise anodized aluminum Taylor Enigma ESD 6-8 fly reel with white line, black frame and silver accents for fly fishing

Where the bigger, heavier Revolution excelled, the ESD didn't fair as well, but not by much. As you can see, it got beat up a little more than big brother.

Warranty

Lifetime to the original owner + $50 fee. Price: $189

Conclusion

The Enigma is a reel that we probably shouldn’t have tested. It’s just not a saltwater reel. Even at its price point there are much better options.

Pros

Light weight
Great looks

Cons

Not-so-great ergonomics
Pretty much everything else

Written by

Ben Freeman

Ben Freeman founded Trident Fly Fishing in 2012 to cut through the marketing fluff and provide anglers with the technical info they actually need. He’s built his reputation by putting gear to the ultimate test in the world’s most unforgiving fisheries. With fishing stamps from over 22 countries and 17+ states, Ben’s passport is a roadmap of bucket list angling—from landing a 25lb Golden Dorado in Bolivia and 150lb Arapaima in Guyana to sight-casting for Roosterfish off the beaches in Baja. Whether it’s battling 60+mph winds to land a 20lb Rainbow at Jurassic Lake or a full day of casting 8in streamers in Mongolia, Ben has spent decades ensuring his gear performs when a trip of a lifetime is on the line.

At Trident, Ben serves as the lead gear geek, specializing in the deep-dive mechanics of rods, reels, and lines. Over the past 15 years, he's reviewed 250+ fly rods and 150+ fly reels and is likely one of the most prolific rod reviewers in the world. But he doesn't just curate the catalog; he scrutinizes every taper and drag system through the lens of a traveling angler who knows what it's like to have gear fail a thousand miles from home. For Ben, the mission is simple: leverage his experience across nearly 100 species to ensure that when you head into the wild, you’re equipped with gear that has been vetted by someone who has actually been there.

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