[patze003]

hi all,

Getting a new reel for my 8 weight. Love my Torque to death, but just doesn’t hold up to the NE striper fishing in the surf and getting soaked wading deep flats.

I am between Evo R Salt and Finatic.

Which one will hold up to repeated dunking and continue to fish right afterwards? Leaning Evo Salt right now because drag is much stronger and I will be using it on albies and king salmon as well.

Finally, if Evo R Salt, 7/8 or 9/10 for an 8 weight. I will also be using it on my 9 weight.

 

[R-Factor]

I am between Evo R Salt and Finatic.

I think both of these reels would serve you very well with your intended usage, but I'd give the favor to the Finatic Gen 2. I own a couple Hatch (both Gen 2) and a Ross Evo R (non salt version) in the 7/8 size. The new Evo R's are a super cool reel and are supposed to be water tight. I think they will run well in the surf- hopefully much better than the Canyon BG's that suffered when getting salt into the drag mechanism. The Hatch Finatic Gen 2 in the 7+ size will be a perfect fit for your intended use and I have a tad more confidence in its seal in the surf. If you need high backing capacities, you can go mid arbor.
On a side note, what have been your problems with the Galvan Torque? Salt into the drag? What has been your experience sending it back to Galvan? I'm only asking as I know a guide near me that just made the switch to Galvan and he would be interested in this.

 

[Crazy Larry]

I'm also interested in your experience with the Galvan reel. I have the T8 and T10. The T8 has been used extensively in saltwater without issue but not in deep wading situations (rinsed in FW after each use).

I recently picked up a Evo R Salt (9/10) for a 9wt Meridian. A good combo but it's a big reel. I would guess that the 7/8 version would better suit an 8wt rod. I haven't tested this one on a fish yet since my sole striper this spring was only 12" long.

I answered you message over at SOL but now that I hear your plan, I would say the 7/8 Evo LTX is probably not the reel you want. I don't think it would allow you to put the screws to the albies.

 

[patze003]

haha, yeah I forgot about the albies...and then remembered I almost got spoiled last year on 175 yards, even with tight drag.

I love the T8, and Galvan has repaired completely on warranty both times. I often completely dismantled drag after saltwater use. The problem is that if it gets dunked at 8am, and I fish the flats until 4pm in the sun, that’s enough time for the damage to start inside the drag. And once it begins...

That said, nothing better than the gentle purr of a Torque on those albies.

 

[Crazy Larry]

I'm wondering what the failure was so I can look out for it. I have definitely not tried taking apart the drag. Usually just rinse then separate the spool to dry. However, I'm usually on the beach where I don't wade past knee deep or in calmer water in back bays. I don't know if I've ever officially dunked it. Maybe it's taken a wave or two.

 

[R-Factor]

I don't know if I've ever officially dunked it. Maybe it's taken a wave or two.

You just hit on a big difference amoungst a lot of us. When in the surf, my reels spend a fair amount of time under water- getting dunked multiple times while getting from point A to B along sand bars and deep wading in general. This is where the sealed drags really shine...love my Van Staal C-Vex's and Hatch for this kind of stuff.

 

[Tom Ilg]

I've had the Evo R Salt in 7/8 for the last year and it's currently mounted on my Meridian 8W. It gets regularly dunked from waves, deep wading, etc. It has held up very well. I would certainly recommend this reel to anyone.

 

[Tx_Whipray]

I've got a Evo R Salt 9/10 for my 10wt TFO Mangrove. It's a great reel, super smooth drag and it's a really good looking reel. It's a BIG reel, so I'm not sure how it would balance on an 8wt.

 

[R-Factor]

I've got a Evo R Salt 9/10 for my 10wt ...It's a BIG reel, so I'm not sure how it would balance on an 8wt.

This is a good point, this reel series has a very large Arbor for the respective size rating. I definitely wouldn't get the 9/10 size for a 8 weight rod. My 7/8 Evo R is matched up with a Winston BIIx 7 weight...smooooth and super light.