Well, that time of year is right around the corner. More and more folks are talking Trout Spey and before we know it trout fishing will be in full swing. Those who have fished the winter months and braved the cold, are looking forward to longer, warmer days. Those who haven't braved the winter months outside chasing after trout or steelhead are just looking forward to getting back outside period!
With the rise in trout "Spey" fishing interest in the past few years, the topic of reels is always good to address. Maybe you got a trout spey rod for Christmas, or maybe you plan on getting a trout spey outfit with your 2023 tax return dollars. What ever the case, we hope to help you sort through some of the better choices that we like here at the Gorge Fly Shop. There's always room for debate when it comes to reels and rods, but again, these are a few of our favorite reels for fishing with a two handed trout spey rod.
Bauer came out with a stunning reel specifically designed for trout spey rods a few years back and it has been very popular to say the least. Bauer, for a long time has created great reels, and gained a respectable reputation due to quality and performance. Sporting beautiful asthetics and a silky smooth drag, to help protect some of the lighter tippets we fish when swinging soft hackles and such. This is a dream of a reel and it balances out very well with nearly every trout spey rod, especially the older Winston BIII TH Micro Spey and the newer Winston Microspey Air2 trout spey rod lineups.
The Bauer RVR Micro Spey reel accomadates plenty of backing for your typically trout needs, with plenty of room for Skagit and Scandi heads as well as any itegrated lines. The RVR MS will hold 100 yards of 20# Dacron backing with up to a 360gr head or integrated line. It is pretty rare that you would need more than 100 yards of backing when trout fishing.
"Gem of a reel: Bauer is known for crafting reels that have buttery smooth drags and this reel is no exception. Along with its buttery drag, the RVR MS is an aesthetically pleasing reel. The one thing I wish this reel had was an audible retreive. Besides that it is still one of the best Micro/Trout Spey specific reels on the market." - Brock. C.
If you have a 3, 4 or 5wt trout spey rod and you're wanting a top tier trout spey reel, the Bauer RVR MS reel would be a delightful addition to your favorite trout spey rod. If you own or are thinking of owning a Winston Trout Microspey rod, you would do well to match the Bauer RVR MS reel specifically to that rod. Match made in Heavan. That doesn't mean you can't use a different reel, I am just saying they make an amazing couple and most likely would stay together forever.
Additionally, the Bauer RVR MS reel has a full caged frame which is a must when using thin monofiliment running lines. This full caged frame feature eliminates the line slipping through the frame and into the spool when casting. If you've ever experienced this, it is super annoying to say the least. The way this happens is when you are casting for distance and you carry a few loops and release them on the forward cast, the line speed generated by the casting stroke brings the loops up near the reel and sometimes can get wrapped around the reel and then the line slips through the frame and ends up inside the spool.
As above when talking about the Winston Micro Spey rod being matched with the Bauer RVR MS reel, same goes here if you own or are thinking of owning a Sage Trout Spey HD rod, you would do well to match the Sage Trout Spey reel to it. They are a stunning couple as well. I have the Bronze model on my Sage Trout Spey 2wt and it is perfectly matched in every way. Again, that doesn't mean you have to do it. It's just a strong suggestion.
That being said the Sage Trout Spey reel was specifically designed for trout spey rods. As stated, I purchased the 1/2/3 Bronze version which paired BEAUTIFULLY with my Sage Trout Spey HD 2wt rod. I also honestly bought the 1/2/3 size because I wanted it to serve double duty. First being on my 2 and 3 weight trout spey rods, but secondly on my 5 and 6wt single hand rods if needed. I have on occasion, had to use it on a single hand rod and it worked great. Just a tad big, but doable on a 5 or 6wt single handed rod.
I am not big on spare spools when it comes to reels and fishing. I would rather have multiple reels in the event that a reel malfuntions and have back up, rather than having one reel with 3 spare spools and have the reel malfunction and the spare spools of no use to me. It is alsways good to have back up.
"Sage Trout Spey Reel: I love this reel, I own several Orvis fly reels and this is every bit as good as those reels. This reel is beautiful, smooth, and has a very strong/smooth drag system. The first fish I hooked with this reel was a Salmon, and the reel met all of my expectations." - Richard Kidwell
I loved this reel so much that I also bought it's big brother the Sage Spey Reel (original series) 6/7/8 and have been using it on my G.Loomis Asquith 7130-4 spey rod. No complaints, no issues, works like a dream.
Hardy Reels: (Non-Trout Spey Specific)
Hardy Marquis: If you like the classic look and feel of a reel, then look no further than one of the oldies but goodies. Hardy has been making reels forever and they are still going strong. The Marquis LWT has been re-modeled with more porting, to help make it a bit lighter, an indented regulator button and regulation range.
The indented regulator button and increased range of tension help you keep the reel from backlashing in the heat of battle, yet still light enough to protect the lighter tippets associated with trout fishing at times. When it comes to putting the right size Marquis LWT on your trout spey rod, think LWT #6 for your 1wt, 2wt and 3wt, and the #7 for your 4wt.
Hardy Bougle Heritage Series: Another Hardy masterpiece. Oh the sound of the growl this reel makes when your fish is going berzerk. These are beautiful with their dark Grey Gunmetal anodizing. The Original Bougle was last produced in 1939 but only few in numbers with similar anodizing. They are easily converted to Left or Right Hand retreive. The Bougle will look absolutely stunning on any trout spey rod you would want to put it on.
In size, the Bougle is a bit smaller than you think, when compared to other reels, in that when you see a diameter of 3 1/2" that does'nt mean that the spool is 3 1/2" with the Bougle. It would be more like 3 1/4" and that is because they measure the diameter from the outside edge of the housing of the crossbars making it seem bigger than it really is.
That being said, if you wanted to put a Bougle on your 1, 2, 3 or 4wt trout spey rod, I would suggest that you go with the 3 1/2" version. It may look small on the rod, but the reel has some weight to it and it has the right capacity to fit everything.
"Beautiful Reel: This is our first Bougle. If you don't have one, they're much more impressive in person than in pictures. It's a well built and beautiful piece of old school engineering. If you like loud reels, this one is great! Based on it's design, you will never have your running line slip through a gap to get stuck somwhere it shouldn't be like some reels. Depending on how you mount it, it takes getting used to, to palm the drag, as it does not have a palming ring to the outside of the spool. The spool is contained within the frame. Thus, you have to palm the face of the spool. It ups the challenge a bit in a fun way!" - Thomas Battaglia.
Hardy 1912 Narrow Spool Perfect: Now this is a true classic, made by "master" craftsman in Alnwick England where it all began. The beautifully polished Red Agate line guard is stunning. If you have a 1 or 2wt trout spey rod, the 3 1/8" reel is a Perfect match. Did you see it? Did you see what I just did?
If you love classics, you just really can't go wrong with a Hardy anything. The Marquis LWT, the Bougle, the Narrow Spool Perfect or the Widespool Perfect you're good to go. I'd like to note that as you go up from the Marquis, to the Bougle then to the Perfects the growling sound gets more refined. Meaning that, the sound seems to tighten up. The Marquis sounds like a few ball bearings in a coffee can, while the Bougle seems a bit less agressive and then finally the Perfect even lesser aggressive. I don't know how else to explain it.
 |
| Agate Detail |
The Agate line guard is just sweet looking and as they say..."it's icing on the cake. The Narrow Spool Perfect reels specifically come either in Left Hand Retrieve or Right Hand Retrieve so be mindful of that if you decide you just can't take it anymore and need to order one.
We have a "Trade Up Program" here at the Gorge Fly Shop and I can honestly say that I have never seen a Hardy Perfect sent in to trade up for something else. Why do I even mention that? It's because folks fall in love with them and just tend to keep them once they have them. Some even collect them or pass them down to other generations in the family.
Hardy Wide Spool Perfect: This new model compared to the Narrow spool offers the same quality but in a wider spool for greater capacity. More room for backing and the thicker heads that come along with fishing a two handed trout spey rod. The Wide Spool does'nt have the line guard that the Narrow Spool has. Nonetheless, it is still beautiful.
Like the Narrow spool, the Wide spool has a beautful purring sound to it when line is being reeled in or better yet when line is screaming off the reel. The is a subtle difference in the sound as line is going out but it still calms your soul like a kitten purring in your ear. If you're a cat lover you know what I mean. I am not a cat lover, but I have had a few kittens purr in my ear and it just makes me think of them. If you like the Hardy Wide Spool Perfect and want to adorn your favorite trout spey rod with one, go with the 3 3/8" for your 2, 3 or 4wt rods.
In closing, these by far are not all the reels you could potentially put on your trout spey rods. The possiblities are close to endless. These are just some of my favorites for the job.
Clarification on sizing reels for your rods: When choosing a reel that is specifically designed for a single hand rod, that when you are choosing one of those reels for your two handed trout spey rod, the general rule is to size up at least two sizes, and most of the time, three sizes on the reel for the rod.
In example: if you have a 2wt trout spey rod, and you want a reel that is not specifically designed for two handed rods, buy a reel that will hold a 5 or 6wt fly line. This does a couple things for you in that #1. the larger reel balances out the longer two handed rods and #2. it gives you room for the appropriate amount of backing, your running line and the thicker Skagit and Scandi style heads that are used with the two handed rods. I own a 4wt trout spey rod that I put a Galvan Torque T-7 reel on and it balance out the rod perfectly and had plenty of room for the line system. (see photo below)...
 |
| My 11' 4wt Winston BIII TH MicroSpey rod with a Galvan Torque T-7 reel, oh and yeah, a toad of a Deschutes River Redside...look at that thing! |
Note: Pictured above is a Galvan T-7 reel, that at the time, I used on my 4wt, but I must say it was not my favorite reel for the job. As stated early on in this article, a full cage frame is a must if you use thin mono running lines, which I do. This photo was just to show you the importance of sizing up the single hand reel size for the two handed rod. Could I survive and still have used this reel, absolutely but since switching to a full caged frame reel, I have never, not a single time had the running line slip inbetween the frame and spool. Hope that makes sense.
Hope this helps in choosing your next trout spey reel but if it doesn't and your head is still spinning from all the options, you can certainly give us a call here at the shop anytime and we would love to help you get dialed.
Thanks for reading, I'm standing by...
GFS Team
John G
"The Gorge"
Gorge Fly Shop Team - 541.386.6977
"Fly Fish the World with Us"
