[saltyhackle]

@lemaymiami thank you for that sound advice!!

"Once you find a reel you like for a given line size it should provide a lifetime of service" Exactly!! that's why I want to do everything I can beforehand to make sure I make the right choice that will last me many many years.

 

[karstopo]

@karstopo what stick did you pair yours with?

I had it on a 7’6” 8/9 weight G.Loomis Short Stix.

 

[saltyhackle]

I had it on a 7’6” 8/9 weight G.Loomis Short Stix.

nice. how do/did you like that rod? heard that thing is a laser inside 40 feet.

 

[karstopo]

nice. how do/did you like that rod? heard that thing is a laser inside 40 feet.

I liked it. I still have the 7/8 weight. Broke the 8/9 weight. I guess the series has been discontinued. I like the 7/8 weight. Both are really powerful, very fast rods.

 

[Jacob Stone]

get a nautilus x series reel. If you ever need to go smaller you can get a xl spool. the xl max and xl spools are interchangeable. they have the same size frame.

 

[saltyhackle]

Thanks for all the great feedback everyone. After much deliberation, and finally getting an XL Max in my hands at my local fly shop, I decided to go with an Orvis Hydros.

The XL Max is no doubt a beautiful reel, but after having it in my hands for a bit I really felt like it was just too light and the frame super open. As much as I like the reel's aesthetics, I had to be honest with myself that I (personally) might get caught up babying the reel. I'm not reckless with my gear, but I definitely put it through the ringer, and if I can help it I would like the mental peace to not always be worrying about a ding here and there. The frame also has very sharp edges, which are hard to tell from pictures, and I can definitely see how that could be a recipe for heartbreak if tippet or fly line gets snagged or caught. And I'm sure we all understand that in this sport, we only have the ability to control the things we can control, i.e. flies fowling, coiling line, rusty hooks, etc.

Now if I happen upon $400 down the road, I'm not saying I wouldn't consider swiping one for a second rod or something but as my daily driver, I think the Hydros is my best option.

Thank you all again for chiming in and sharing your thoughts!

 

[Gadaboutgaddis]

@Gadaboutgaddis what stick did you pairs yours with?

It was paired with a Sage X 8wt. I was looking for the lowest swing weight I could get and that combination fit the bill. After having done that it turned out that swing weight was not that noticeable. So I replaced the XL Max with an Able SDS. A heavier reel but lovely..

 

[KyleW]

Thanks for all the great feedback everyone. After much deliberation, and finally getting an XL Max in my hands at my local fly shop, I decided to go with an Orvis Hydros.

The XL Max is no doubt a beautiful reel, but after having it in my hands for a bit I really felt like it was just too light and the frame super open. As much as I like the reel's aesthetics, I had to be honest with myself that I (personally) might get caught up babying the reel. I'm not reckless with my gear, but I definitely put it through the ringer, and if I can help it I would like the mental peace to not always be worrying about a ding here and there. The frame also has very sharp edges, which are hard to tell from pictures, and I can definitely see how that could be a recipe for heartbreak if tippet or fly line gets snagged or caught. And I'm sure we all understand that in this sport, we only have the ability to control the things we can control, i.e. flies fowling, coiling line, rusty hooks, etc.

Now if I happen upon $400 down the road, I'm not saying I wouldn't consider swiping one for a second rod or something but as my daily driver, I think the Hydros is my best option.

Thank you all again for chiming in and sharing your thoughts!

i don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Good luck

 

[saltyhackle]

so I'm resurrecting this discussion with an honest review after owning an XL for 2-3 months (for those who previously contributed to this discussion, I bought an XL for my 6wt). I felt this information might be helpful for someone down the road who comes across this thread and is thinking about buying this reel.

overall it is a good reel. very light, impenetrable drag housing, large arbor, lots of porting (quick drying), nice big game handle, good looks, all that stuff. the drag and the drag knob are my only two gripes about this reel.

the drag has been a little sticky in my experience. i bought it knowing it had a significant amount of startup inertia and didn't think it would be an issue, but I started noticing it on the last few fish I've caught. during those blistering runs the drag has a soft jolt before it kicks into action. don't get me wrong, once it gets going the drag is smooth - it's just the startup between runs is sticky not smooth. i fish light tippets 8-15lb for our fish and I dont feel super confident that I'll have the protection for hooking a slot/mature fish that wants to take off zero-60 in a blink. if you fish 20lb+ i'm sure this won't be an issue. while i have not lost any fish as a result, its a little unsettling hearing ......ZZZZZZZZz........ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZz..... instead of .....zzzzzZZZZZZZZZzzzzz.....zzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzz.... when a fishing starts peeling off line.

the drag knob feels great but is peculiar in that it takes a good amount of turns to actually crank down. the first 3-4 turns do absolutely nothing. if you don't need to adjust your pressure frequently or during fighting a fish then you can disregard. i just found it a little odd and worth noting- something you dont read in the reviews.

considering price and performance I guess I've started to second guess if it's worth the $$. I own a hydros for my 8wt and that reel has zero startup inertia and is a fraction of the cost. while admittedly not as light as the XL, the full frame design is much more durable and can take beatings and drops really well. can't say the same about the XL, it is a gorgeous design and you feel that in your hand but i would cringe if it were to drop. again, all of this may not be a factor for you depending on what you're fishing for and how you fish and what you need from your gear.

 

[ElLobo]

I would check out the Galvan Torque 8

 

[Str8-Six]

I’ve been really happy with my Lamson lightspeed IVs. No start up inertia and wide range of drag make it a great bonefish reel.

 

[ggadeaFlyGuy]

so I'm resurrecting this discussion with an honest review after owning an XL for 2-3 months (for those who previously contributed to this discussion, I bought an XL for my 6wt). I felt this information might be helpful for someone down the road who comes across this thread and is thinking about buying this reel.

overall it is a good reel. very light, impenetrable drag housing, large arbor, lots of porting (quick drying), nice big game handle, good looks, all that stuff. the drag and the drag knob are my only two gripes about this reel.

the drag has been a little sticky in my experience. i bought it knowing it had a significant amount of startup inertia and didn't think it would be an issue, but I started noticing it on the last few fish I've caught. during those blistering runs the drag has a soft jolt before it kicks into action. don't get me wrong, once it gets going the drag is smooth - it's just the startup between runs is sticky not smooth. i fish light tippets 8-15lb for our fish and I dont feel super confident that I'll have the protection for hooking a slot/mature fish that wants to take off zero-60 in a blink. if you fish 20lb+ i'm sure this won't be an issue. while i have not lost any fish as a result, its a little unsettling hearing ......ZZZZZZZZz........ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZz..... instead of .....zzzzzZZZZZZZZZzzzzz.....zzzzzZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzz.... when a fishing starts peeling off line.

the drag knob feels great but is peculiar in that it takes a good amount of turns to actually crank down. the first 3-4 turns do absolutely nothing. if you don't need to adjust your pressure frequently or during fighting a fish then you can disregard. i just found it a little odd and worth noting- something you dont read in the reviews.

considering price and performance I guess I've started to second guess if it's worth the $$. I own a hydros for my 8wt and that reel has zero startup inertia and is a fraction of the cost. while admittedly not as light as the XL, the full frame design is much more durable and can take beatings and drops really well. can't say the same about the XL, it is a gorgeous design and you feel that in your hand but i would cringe if it were to drop. again, all of this may not be a factor for you depending on what you're fishing for and how you fish and what you need from your gear.

Thank you for providing this review with your experience.
I am currently looking for a new saltwater reel for my 8wt rod.
On my last trip to fish in saltwater, upon returning the drag on my Orvis Hydros IV was completely stuck, I opened it to clean it and found a lot of sand inside. How have you been doing with your Orvis Hydros? Have you had any problems with the drag seal?

As a replacement I was wanting to buy a Nautilus XL Max, but I had doubts due to the problem of high startup inertia, I thought it wouldn't be a big problem, but with your experience I'm thinking about buying another reel, but I'm not sure about buying another orvis hydros because of the problem I had with the brake.

I would appreciate if anyone can recommend a saltwater reel up to $400, to fish for bonefish and reds.

 

[saltyhackle]

Thank you for providing this review with your experience.
I am currently looking for a new saltwater reel for my 8wt rod.
On my last trip to fish in saltwater, upon returning the drag on my Orvis Hydros IV was completely stuck, I opened it to clean it and found a lot of sand inside. How have you been doing with your Orvis Hydros? Have you had any problems with the drag seal?

As a replacement I was wanting to buy a Nautilus XL Max, but I had doubts due to the problem of high startup inertia, I thought it wouldn't be a big problem, but with your experience I'm thinking about buying another reel, but I'm not sure about buying another orvis hydros because of the problem I had with the brake.

I would appreciate if anyone can recommend a saltwater reel up to $400, to fish for bonefish and reds.

My hydros has been handling the salt just fine, I also never let it slip in the drink and rinse it thoroughly after each trip. Take care of the reel and it will handle business just fine. I have not found another reel (in that class) to be better.

 

[Snagly]

Galvan's website lists the Torque 8 at $485. I suspect you can do better via another online vendor or maybe gently used on eBay. I've had mine for a half-dozen years and it's been very good most of the time. However, the drag did freeze a year ago and sent my out-of-warranty reel to Galvan where they replaced the drag assembly for free (taking about a month) and sent it to me postage prepaid, a nice touch. Since then, it's worked fine. The maximum drag setting, however, limits its applications to baby tarpon or peacock bass 15lbs or less unless you're palming the spool hard.

I own two Orvis Hydros IVs, and there was a long thread on this board two or three years ago. The original models were prone to drag failure and high start-up inertia. However, I think Orvis re-vamped the reel and relaunched it last year, so perhaps they fixed the issues.

 

[garlech]

Don't think the Nautilus XL / XM can be beaten for the price. Had one with a couple of max spools, covered me from 6wt through to 8wt. Only thing I didn't like was the x frame and how tippet got wrapped up. Tried to find a classic XL to replace the frame but too hard to come by so ended up selling. Just picked up a Hatch Iconic which is lovely but quite a bit more expensive....and heavy