By Tim Romano & Kirk Deeter

We graded each reel on a 1-5 scale in three areas:
1. Price
2. How the reel felt and reacted as the motorcycle sped away
3. How we like handling the reel

Then we made “judges deductions” for any beefs we had about the reels.

Price/Features
Retailing at $210, this reel is a pretty solid all-around deal, in terms of drag performance, functionality, and price. Bauer has a loyal following of reel aficionados, with good reason.
Score: 4.5 out of 5

How it "Met the Street"
Listen to that thing. It purred, quietly, and evenly when we hit the gas, then leveled out for the stretch run. Fairly consistent, all in all. We felt a tiny bump or two mid-run, but not much. (There are so many variables – rod, line condition, hand steadiness… no reason to deduct).
Score: 4 out of 5

Functional Review
Seemed like a pretty nice total package. Light, ported, easy to get at the spool for changing over. The reel seat is solid. You have to be a fan of the overall design to appreciate the aesthetics of the reel, but the performance is solid. Combined... [ Read Full Post ]

By Tim Romano & Kirk Deeter

We graded each reel on a 1-5 scale in three areas:
1. Price
2. How the reel felt and reacted as the motorcycle sped away
3. How we like handling the reel

Then we made “judges deductions” for any beefs we had about the reels.

Price/Features
Hard to argue with a standard like Orvis; after all the company has been at making reels for 150 years. This model, price $119, is a very safe and satisfying bet for trout fishing, and it looks slick on any brand of rod.
Score: 4.5 out of 5

How it "Met the Street"
A very impressive startup drag, with no undue shakes or shudders felt during the run. The mid arbor tempers the lateral (back and forth) rod tip vibrations some of the larger arbors caused (as expected). Dial the drag to the right setting, and it balances nicely on both the “going out” and “coming back” aspects of fighting trout.
Score: 3.5 out of 5

Functional Review
We like how this reel looks and feels. Easy to pop the spool. Having fished this reel extensively in the past couple of years, it seems pretty durable (after all, the true reel... [ Read Full Post ]

By Tim Romano & Kirk Deeter

We graded each reel on a 1-5 scale in three areas:
1. Price
2. How the reel felt and reacted as the motorcycle sped away
3. How we like handling the reel

Then we made “judges deductions” for any beefs we had about the reels.

Price/Features
This was the first “big time” trout reel most of us ever bought. It’s still a standard around the world. We tested the non-ported version, which retails at $360. The ported (lighter) version costs $50 more.
Score: 4 out of 5

How it "Met the Street"
Frankly, a bit disappointing. We tested all trout reels with 4X tippet connections to the bike, and the Pt. 5 was the only one to break the tippet … twice. Definite vibrations resulted when we started the pull, and the drag, while probably one of the strongest in terms of capability, hiccupped at slower speeds.
Score: 2 out of 5

Functional Review
The ported model is probably worth the extra $50 bucks, if only to lighten things up. True, while a tad heavy, this reel is seemingly indestructable, and aside from this roadside test, we can vouch for the fact that it has caught thousands... [ Read Full Post ]

By Tim Romano & Kirk Deeter

We graded each reel on a 1-5 scale in three areas:
1. Price
2. How the reel felt and reacted as the motorcycle sped away
3. How we like handling the reel

Then we made “judges deductions” for any beefs we had about the reels.

1. Price/Features
$450 in the “Monsoon” model. A light, anodized black aluminum reel with a slick self-enclosed drag system.
Score: 4 out of 5

2. How it “Met the Street”
Butter smooth at the startup, and no wobbles during the run. A very consistent and even pull – we saw a very stable, well-defined arc in the rod from early start-up to the finish of the run, with minimal vibration.
Score: 4.5 out of 5

3. Functional Review
This is a relative newcomer to the market, but it performs beyond its years. It has a very smart self-enclosed drag system, with an easy mechanism for popping off the spool. Machined with extremely tight tolerances, minimizing grit penetration.
Score: 4.5 out of 5

Knocks
They run a tad large for the sizes advertised. In other words, the 3-Plus model is actually a killer 5-weight trout reel; the 7-plus is capable of being a... [ Read Full Post ]