Looking for mid-range (price)10wt reel recommendation

SilverFly

SilverFly

Legend
Just booked a day of striped bass fishing in Alabama next month. Had a nice chat with the guide and says the stripers have been schooled up pretty good so I might have a chance to get one on top. I want to be prepared with sinking and floating lines, but don't have a reel in that range with a spare spool. Haven't bought a new reel in years so not sure what the market looks like. Suggestions on a decent grade 9-11wt reel with spare spool that won't destroy my budget more than it is already?
 
Danielsson 8-12 or 9-13, they’re the same size, the 9-13 has a little beefier frame (which is not needed for stripers or salmon). These are my 9 and 10 wt reels.

The USD SEK exchange rate is good right now. Ordering reel + spool = free shipping. I just got a Danielsson delivery couple days ago, took only 8 days from Sweden to Oregon
 
@Nick Clayton's articles about Tuna on the Fly (https://pnwflyfishing.com/forum/index.php?articles/fly-fishing-for-albacore-tuna-part-2.11/) recommends this: https://echoflyfishing.com/project/bravo-reel/. I took Nick's advice to heart (along with some advice from several other tuna veterans) about lines and ordered the Bravo 10/12 with backing and a line from Mad Rivers Outfitters: https://www.madriveroutfitters.com/p-16752-echo-bravo-fly-reels.aspx. MRO spooled 30# backing and the line I ordered (Bimini Twist connection to the line); the backing was free with the reel.
 
Those Danielsson reels look interesting and are a good price. Are the drags sealed?
Their model number system throws me off a bit.
SF
 
Yes, the numbering system is weird. I go by the lower numbers (e.g., the 8-12 and 9-13 reels are good for 8,9,10 lines … wouldn’t want to squeeze a full 11 wt line on considering most 11 wt fish can run very far, very fast). The backing capacities listed online are realistic. The drags are sealed. The L5W and H5D have the same drag. I have a bunch of their reels in medium to large sizes, used on tuna, chinook, dorado, and one (by luck) marlin. Family owned company that originally made Loop reels before Loop mfg went to Asia. Direct sales keep costs down. I have a couple big Tibor reels, but tend to favor the Danielssons for single hand rods because they’re lighter and plenty tough.
 
SilverFly said:
Just booked a day of striped bass fishing in Alabama next month. Had a nice chat with the guide and says the stripers have been schooled up pretty good so I might have a chance to get one on top. I want to be prepared with sinking and floating lines, but don't have a reel in that range with a spare spool. Haven't bought a new reel in years so not sure what the market looks like. Suggestions on a decent grade 9-11wt reel with spare spool that won't destroy my budget more than it is already?
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Guy if you don’t really need a 8-10 reel I have one I will lone you with a spare spool. It’s not a Danielson but it a Loop. I was using one before I got the Tibor.
 
This is gonna start sounding like a Danielsson sales pitch but the drags on them are also incredibly easy to service and their customer service is incredibly responsive.
 
Stonedfish said:
Those Danielsson reels look interesting and are a good price. Are the drags sealed?
Their model number system throws me off a bit.
SF
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They are all sealed. Even the exposed bearings on the original series are (technically) sealed.

Most importantly, unlike Sage, Lamson and so on, the seal is not provided by the same O-ring that keeps the spool connected to the frame.
 
mcswny said:
Brian, they’re great. I have one for my 8 weight (sealed) and I’m pretty sure @clarkman has like 6
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Yep, 3 sizes of the Original, an L5W, an F3W and 1 H5W. I use them for everything from trout on up to Baja salty species and everything in between.

@jaredoconnor makes a great point about the seals. While IMHO, no seal is going to be 100% foolproof, this design seems about as close as possible.
 
SilverFly said:
Just booked a day of striped bass fishing in Alabama next month. Had a nice chat with the guide and says the stripers have been schooled up pretty good so I might have a chance to get one on top. I want to be prepared with sinking and floating lines, but don't have a reel in that range with a spare spool. Haven't bought a new reel in years so not sure what the market looks like. Suggestions on a decent grade 9-11wt reel with spare spool that won't destroy my budget more than it is already?
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Can you just fish with the guide's fly rods, reels, lines? They usually prefer it anyway. That would save some money.
 
DimeBrite said:
Can you just fish with the guide's fly rods, reels, lines? They usually prefer it anyway. That would save some money.
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He does some fly fishing but hasn't done any sinking line stuff. Think I'll just take 2 rods. An 8wt with a floater, and the 10 with something around 400gr. I might be a bit under-gunned with the 8, but rigged with a floater will double as a largemouth rod in case the stripers don't want to play.
 
I used to fish for stripers regularly when my (now) wife lived a block from the ocean in New England. I knew they’d been planted various places, but wasn’t aware they’d been planted in Alabama. Looked it up. What the what??

striper.webp


 
DimeBrite said:
Can you just fish with the guide's fly rods, reels, lines? They usually prefer it anyway. That would save some money.
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not to mention, when your guide says to use 40lb, use 40lb....not repeat the 25lb you had on that just broke off a fish...yes, there is a story there, which will come out soon.
 
Bagman said:
I like to go from leader not as strong as my fly line then my back that is stronger then my fly line. That way my leader is the first thing to give up, and tie on a new leader and your back fishing.
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Good point Al. Not that this would ever happen, but say you're albacore fishing and a pelagic fur seal runs down your squid fly a hundred times faster than you can strip it in. Then (hypothetically speaking) you'd make Captain @Nick Clayton perform his first big-game, marlin-style, back-down maneuver, so you could get the line on the reel and safely break it off.
 
SilverFly said:
Good point Al. Not that this would ever happen, but say you're albacore fishing and a pelagic fur seal runs down your squid fly a hundred times faster than you can strip it in. Then (hypothetically speaking) you'd make Captain @Nick Clayton perform his first big-game, marlin-style, back-down maneuver, so you could get the line on the reel and safely break it off.
Click to expand...
 
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