They look like nice reels and they should for $1,220-$2,500

 

But worth every penny.one turn of the drag is locked.Jack was a visionary!RIP.

 

first posts.........Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

 

my mako reel arrived inside of yeti bucket inside of a traeger grill

 

Apples to Oranges. Traeger and Yeti are Chinese made products who pass advertising costs into the consumer. Mako reels are works of art and machining excellence and made in America.

 

I had one customer who came equipped with Charlton reels..... Very nice (maybe even outstanding...) but way too much money... for me..

 

I have never talked to anyone who doesn't like Mako reels. I also don't know anyone who actually owns one. As far as liking them not sure anybody would't. But buying one is a different question.

 

Reminds me of one or two bookings back in my days on charter boats where we went to pick up our customers - but weren't allowed to set foot off the dock onto the resort's property..... Given what was going on back in the early seventies they might have had a point... along with customers that might have had pretty much unlimited funds...

 

I traded my Mako for a Freestone and a copy of David Mangum's book new picture book.

 

Fishin pole and line holder:

 

I fished one a couple days. Nice reel for sure, but the drag went from 0 to lockdown in half a turn.
It can be Tricky when fighting Tarpon.

 

my mako reel arrived inside of yeti bucket inside of a traeger grill

I couldn’t read this post at first, until I put on my fishing ninja mask, fingerless gloves and costas.

 

those things weigh a ton - unless you really need the stopping power, a comparitivley lightweight nautilus works a lot better on the new lightweight rods - to me at least. Not saying it is not an awesome machine, but it would be too heavy for me to consider.

 

My thoughts exactly...their 4” Inshore reel weighs 11.7. That’s almost as heavy a a Tibor Pacific! Just perfect for your 8wt.

 

my mako reel arrived inside of yeti bucket inside of a traeger grill

All set atop a brand new Chittum Skiff?

 

first posts.........Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

We all started at 1.

 

I happen to own one, making a purchase decision after talking to Jack at length on the phone....may he R.I.P (have no doubt he’s wrestling a billfish on the line in fishing heaven). That said, what sold me on having one is true account of a Mako lost over the side of the boat, reel recovered by diver a year or two later. Tracked back to original owner who sent it to Jack to check out - when he disassembled it reel was perfectly fine (no water penetration) or harm w/ exception of small rash on the type III anodizing from reel rocking back and forth in current on shell bottom. I consider it a privilege to own and having known Jack albeit briefly....a true innovator.
As for the reel it works flawlessly and it’s my fav, drag isn’t a problem and built that way with purpose for use on all species and my 9500 can convert all the way from 8 - 10 wgt.
As they say buy once, cry once. Not much of a leap when you think about going from an $800 Tibor, Ablel or Nautilus to a Mako. I take my fly fishing equipment seriously as it’s my only real vise. *pun intended

 

hat sold me on having one is true account of a Mako lost over the side of the boat, reel recovered by diver a year or two later.

Tibor after three years

Here is a mako that spend 5 months on the bottom

"I haven't really messed with getting the worm tubes and barnacles off yet. I will say the drag "wheel", for lack of a better term, was all packed with sand. I soaked it over night and blasted it out with some water and air really quick and it works unbelievable. As far as I can tell it is in perfect working order!! Absolutely Amazing. Once I get all the growth off I plan to fish it with little hesitation. I may have to craft a new handle since the wood has split but other than that me and the guys at our shop just can't believe this!"
The reel was sent to Jack for inspection and here's what he had to say:
"I now have the subject reel and it is the same reel I shipped to so many months ago.Except for the violation of the surface by barnacles etc. everything is a Mako Reel and could be spooled tomorrow and fished. The interior is dry as a bone and the drag settings are at factory levels. I must admit it is gratifying to see these results but frankly I am more amazed by the fact that in the industrial world of things it is extremely rare to have a nature field testing of the advertised attributes of a product."

 

A quick note for anyone that disdains "fingerless gloves" and "ninja masks".. nothing like a little touch of skin cancer to change your mind... When I got my first job on a boat (all those years ago, 1973...) I never wore a shirt -just cut-offs, flip flops, shades, and a smile... Fast forward to 25 years ago when I came back to fishing full time I was covered up like a desert raider... even in August it's long pants, long sleeves, etc - and I put on my sunscreen before I put on my shirt each morning...

Pretty fair number of folks I've known aren't around any more because of melanoma... Some of them were barely in their thirties... Most - but not all... were either serious anglers or guides....

 

Was it wrapped up in a Howler Bros shirt and stuffed in a Flood Tide Co hat?

Wait, am I not cool enough for my Flood Tide hat?

 

I'm sure the reel is well worth the price, and owning that kind of quality is a joy in itself, but that is a lot more reel and weight than ideal for the inshore fishing most people encounter. That said, if I was chasing tuna or GT in far off locales I'd want one of their larger models, weight be damned.

 

A mako ≠ an actual Charlton from my understanding.. I have fished a Charlton and while it was a piece of art, it doesn’t do anything my current reels don't do except cost more money. Let’s be honest, outside of large tarpon, sharks and Pelagics (which probably 3% of Microskiffers fish for on a regular basis) a fly reel is just a line holder. How much “stopping power” a drag has or how short the range of adjustment is doesn’t even enter the equation 99% of the time.

While my old ass Tibor’s might not be “the precision instrument for fly fishing” they tend to do the job pretty well day in and day out with just a quick rinse in the driveway.

And question for the OP.. Oliver white, Jako Lucas, David Mangum.
F one, marry one, kill one? Go!

 

While my old ass Tibor’s might not be “the precision instrument for fly fishing” they tend to do the job pretty well day in and day out with just a quick rinse in the driveway.

Agreed. And you could probably get by with an SA System 2 if you didn't want to spring for a Tibor.

 

I wonder if Orvis holds the patents to the Charlton signature reels after acquiring Scientific Anglers. Does SA still do the reel retrieve conversion?

 

Don’t know if it’s true (and truth be told, don’t much care), but I’ve been told by a pretty reliable source that the drag in the current version of the Orvis Mirage is a copy of the Charlton’s drag.

 

Single turn to full lock. No added tension on the drag knob throughout the whole range. Walks like a duck, quacks like a duck.

 

Raises hand. I've got a bunch, they are awesome.

They are more expensive, but not drastically so vs. e.g. Tibor Sig or Abel SDS. Especially if you are willing to look on eBay, etc.

 

There is a nib Charlton “tarpon” for $3995 on eBay right now! Seems like a deal

 

I like nice things, I’m going to buy @brokeoff reel at a discount after he decides it’s too heavy.

 

I wouldn't marry any of those three.

I wouldn't kill any of those three.

I wouldn't F any of those three.

But one of them comes across as an ok guy. One of them is a commercial whore. One of them is a egotistical azz whipe. Go. LOL

 

One of them is a egotistical azz whipe.

I imagine this song playing in his head on his morning commute